HOLLAND, MI (WHTC-AM/FM) – As fraud is becoming more and more easily to commit, especially online, cyber security experts want to make sure that people are practicing safe online habits.
One of the earlier social media pioneers, myspace.com, is being seen as contributing to online fraud because of their faulty password protection. James Allen, a cyber security expert from Micro bytes Unlimited in Holland, talked to Gary Stevens on the July 26 of WHTC’s Talk of the Town about how even though myspace is now all but defunct, they haven’t gotten rid of any now-unused profiles.
According to Allen, Myspace has made it easy for hackers to get into profiles. Due to their poorly designed password recovery program, hackers only have to get three answers correct out of the dozen security questions to recover a password. Once the hacker has your password, they have access to the entire profile that may have sensitive personal information on it.
Another security risk at large that Allen warns to watch out for is an Android and Apple IOS bug found in smartphones. The bug is embedded in the wifi functions of the phones. It allows hackers to get access just by walking past someone holding the phone.
Allen says the best way to protect your phone is to perform all necessary updates from your carrier, or if you have an older phone, replace it with a newer one that has the updated security protocols.
James Allen is a regular guest once a month on WHTC’s Talk of the Town
