How confidential is your data?

In this day and age, almost everyone uses the internet for one reason or another, be it posting pictures or status updates on Facebook, watching movies on Netflix, or purchasing things through eBay. We collectively provide great amounts of data, to these services, which are stored on servers around the world. While most of this data includes things we post on public profiles, some of the data contains information that we do not want people to see, such as home addresses, social security numbers, and intimate details of our lives. Although we, as a whole, tend to trust the websites that we provide this data to, thinking that through their massive security systems they are able to protect it, we cannot be certain about the confidentiality of our data. The recent attack on JPMorgan Chase and other banks by hackers is a great example of the insecurity that exists in our data and the motives behind stealing it.

JPMorgan Chase and at least four other banks were attacked by organized hackers this past month. As an article mentions, the hackers stole gigabytes of data which included checking and savings account information. In addition to that, the hackers most likely stole information such as names, social security numbers, and addresses of the people linked to those accounts. This information can be sold on the deep web, a part of the internet not many regular users see, or used by hackers to steal someone’s money or even identity. This attack is only one of the many attacks that have stolen customer’s information. Late last year, Target was struck by hackers that stole credit and debit card data from 40 million accounts. Attacks like these show the vulnerability of data on even the most protected servers by the biggest companies in the world.

There are many different motives for stealing user information, most of them being financial. However, one motive in the article, although not yet proven, seems particularly interesting. “A security firm in Dallas, called iSight Partners, that provides intelligence on online threats has warned companies that they should be prepared for cyberattacks from Russia in retaliation for Western economic sanctions” due to the current situation in Russia and Ukraine. This goes to show that there is a great relationship between computers and society. While two countries are relatively at peace, computers provide a means of positive interaction, such as communication, purchase of exotic products, and travel. On the other hand, computers may cause negative impacts between societies as shown by the JPMorgan Chase cyberattack.

In conclusion, our data is not entirely safe under and circumstances. Also, our society and our economy are intertwined with financial institutions and the internet. Thus, it is not likely that we will stop providing our personal information to the many companies whose services we use daily. Although there is not much we, or at least those not working for cyber security, can do in terms of corporate internet security, we can keep an eye on our financial accounts for unauthorized purchases and sign up for identity theft protection in case our personal information is ever stolen. 

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/08/28/technology/hackers-target-banks-including-jpmorgan.html?hp&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&version=HpSum&module=second-column-region%C2%AEion=top-news&WT.nav=top-news&_r=1
http://money.cnn.com/2013/12/22/news/companies/target-credit-card-hack/