Why be concerned with personal data security?

We have all heard it before; “I am not worried about my data, I am not very interesting or important” or similar assertions that their bank account does not have much money to steal, or their Facebook / Instagram posts are not embarassing or personal. However, this common viewpoint is ignoring the most important part about personal data security;

Your personal data security is not about YOU.

It may not be logical for many, but the theft of personal data, identity and photos has nothing to do with the individual who is having their identity or personal data being stolen. The hackers and data thieves are not trying to steal your data, they just need someone’s data. They need a valid name and address to do a credit application – they don’t care who. The hacker needs a group of photos of a person to create a fake dating profile – it does not matter how ‘interesting’ the victim’s life is. The identity thief does not care who they got the identity from – they just want a full identity of name & address with date of birth and mother’s maiden name.

The threat vectors

Our lives are online now. We have progressed beyond the phone book and driver’s licenses that recorded our data, to actively publishing our lives. There are simple things that we all do, that we need to stop.

• Don’t use the same password for everything!
• Remove GPS location on uploaded photos
• Don’t post your address – including photos of the outside of your home, or the Realtor’s “sold” sign that could be linked to a sale date
• Avoid high definition head and shoulder shots that could be modified to be ID photos
• Don’t post clear photos of your hands
• You may look great and hot, but avoid posting photos that someone else could use as a fake dating profile – particularly revealing or ‘sexy’ pictures
• You may have many Facebook friends who have a consistent surname – this may be your mother’s maiden name. There also may be many friends from the same town – where you grew up.
• Don’t put your real date of birth anywhere online – change it by a few days or a month (or both)

So, you could do a tune up of your online presence and security, and follow more protective measures to be ahead of others.