The world of the internet is a lot like the world in real life. There’s a lot of good and a lot of bad. Though adopting good practices can help us stay safe, there are times when random misfortune can strike, and when it happens, it can cause serious problems in many parts of our life. With that in mind, improving security systems and more user-friendly implementations are making it harder for bad apples. We tend to underestimate or overlook a lot about modern and classical online security, and we want to look at a few interesting facts today.
Your (Dark) Online Worth
We tend to measure our worth in cash or net property, but online hackers have their own way of putting a price on people’s heads. As shown by ExpressVPN, this price often comes as a flat rate for accounts stolen and put up for sale on the dark web. According to current stats, the average cost to buy access to a U.S. credit card is between $20-$30. Thanks to their untraceable nature, cryptocurrency accounts are more valuable on websites like Crypto.com, with prices around $300 on average. If somebody bought into our crypto account, which houses $12 of Dogecoin, we’d feel more satisfied than upset, but we’re probably in the minority.
Nobody Likes Long Passwords
Remembering a dozen passwords is frustrating, even more so by websites that require you to enter numbers, capitalizations, and different symbols. You might not know that your hatred of these complications is shared by the average user and the guy who came up with the concept. As reported by Gizmodo, former manager of the National Institute of Standards and Technology, Bill Burr, was the man who led to these complicated entries becoming widespread. Burr now admits his mistake, saying he was no expert and regrets much of what he did.
Memes can be a Threat
We’ve all seen those memes and questionnaires on social media from websites designed for people to have fun with silly or nostalgic results. CNet notes popular examples as ones to find “your pirate name”, or those which require you to enter your first pet’s name or the street on which you grew up. If a pet name or street name rings any kind of bell, you might remember these as common security questions in password recovery and reset programs. If you come out with a funny name and post it, the designers can convert this information back into its original form and store or sell it to hackers. Not as much fun now, is it?
The online world provides a million opportunities for entertainment and fun, but it’s also a landscape filled with threats and mistakes and with a foundation on some iconic cultural moments. It’s a world we can’t take too seriously, but which we must acknowledge can present some challenges. Take a step back, appreciate how far we’ve come, don’t take the advantages for granted, be aware and prepare, and you’ll be able to get the most out of what is still very much the new wild west.
