This Week in Getting Hacked: Cyber Games Edition

They’re coming through your computer now!

It’s time again for This Week in Getting Hacked! Because there’s no better way to start 2015 off than with you being paranoid that someone will steal your identity.

Cybersecurity links of the week

-The big news out of CES 2015 is that everyone is gearing up for the all-consuming “Internet of Things”. The FTC Chairwoman Edith Ramirez, however, is telling everyone to pump their brakes on the excitement of having a connected toaster because privacy is concerno numero uno in regards to our connected future. Hmmm…that sounds familiar.

-Hacking isn’t always bad. Take the “Cyber Games” in the UK, where students take part in challenges that require them to use code and hacking skills they’ve learned for good; for instance, in one game, students must gain access to a nuclear control panel to stop evil terrorists. The UK’s school curriculum will now teach students how to code, as well as other computer skills, beginning in the early stages of their education. Awesome.

-As nice as the above story is, some people still use their hacking skills for evil. Pro-Russia hackers took over various key German government websites, including the home page of German Chancellor Angela Merkel. The attack comes as German and Ukranian officials were to meet to sign an agreement to help rebuild parts of eastern Ukraine, which has been ravaged by war. Apparently, the pro-Russian group didn’t like that.

-Turns out that your fingerprint might be easier to copy and use to hack into your data than any crappy password you could ever come up with. All it takes is a few photos of your hands and some high-quality imaging, and bam! Instant access. Don’t worry though, only high-profile people—those that are photographed a lot—are more susceptible to this happening. Unless you’re just weirdly taking pictures of your hands and fingers all the time. Hand models, beware.

-Sharyl Attkisson, a conservative author, is suing the Department of Justice for $35 million in damages by saying that the DoJ hacked her computer while she was investigating scandals in the Obama White House. She says she has “pretty solid evidence”, while the DoJ says, “No, you don’t, because we never did it.” Stay tuned next week to see how this turns out!

That’s it for this week! Stay safe.

For more information contact Chris L.