The main reasons why this
problem won’t go away is because the more advanced technology is becoming the easier
we are making it for cyber-attackers (hackers) to access our data files. Many
reasons why we are making things easier for cyber-attackers to break into our
computer systems are because we are not persistent when it comes to knowing
what, when, where, why, and how is our data being used, we are lacking in data
protection and use weak passwords. (Jim Ivers, 3 Critical Truths about Data
Security, Techopedia) We are all irresponsible when it comes to the simple
procedures used to keep our data protected, we should always know where we are
sending our data files. Just in case if something was to go wrong with the data
file we could be able to know exactly where to find it and how to stop it
immediately.

       Encryption of data will not be effective
alone, there needs to be persistency for data security. The act of sending out our
information is giving the receiver full control over it, when you send out any
data files to someone without protecting it you are basically giving them the permission
to alter anything on that document giving them part ownership of the document.
Some people may even revise the document in a way to harm or threaten you
because the document came from your IP address, misuse of technology. Some
people even stated that constant updates of software and programs cannot make
you completely protected from hackers. “I believe software companies hire
hackers to hack into computers so that you have to purchase Anti-Virus
protection from them. The hackers then use their knowledge to hack into
computers and steal information …” (Mentor Interview, Margarita Beckford)Common
cyber-attacks happens unexpectedly and when it is not dealt with right away it
can cause a very big problem. Credit Cards fraud is a perfect example of how
carless we can be with our personal information.

     Now, most credit card users would not expect
their personal information to be stolen from a common restaurant like Jimmy
John’s, a sandwich franchise.  The
sandwich franchise both corporate and franchised locations were affected by a
data breach in approximately 216 locations, the hacker was able to obtain 56
million credit and debit cards. Other businesses were also attacked by the
hackers such as Neiman Marcus and P.F. Changs. (Kate Taylor, Another Hacker..,
Entrepreneur.com)

      No
individual would expect their favorite restaurant to be a cause of their personal
information being stolen. Being aware and constantly checking your bank
statements on your card decreases your chances of being affected by the
cyber-attacks. Being persistent with who, what, when and where can make cyber
security more effective and cyber-attacks preventable.

      Protecting your personal information
decreases your chances of being a victim of a cyber-attack, and using passwords
is one of the many ways of keeping hackers out. When it comes down to creating
a password everyone likes to get creative and critical to ensure their account
and information is sealed from outsiders. But, hackers are still able to crack
your password being using multiple techniques and devices like using Brute
force attack, password cracking, and Spoofing attack (Phishing). Brute attack
and password cracking are the common techniques used to crack a code by
recovering frequently used passwords from data that’s storage like a dictionary
attack in a computer system. Spoofing attack is a much faster process using a
program, system or website to falsify data which is treated as a trusted system
to give the hacker full granted access to enter into your personal information
and accounts. (Hackers,Wikipedia.com)