Don't Steal My Information

Data theft is a serious crime that can have devastating consequences for victims. In this article, we will discuss the importance of protecting your personal information and how to avoid becoming a victim of data theft.

It’s important to take the precautions to protect you and your products from information theft these days, because it’s getting easier and easier for people to share digital products

What is data theft?

Data theft is the unauthorized acquisition of personal information, such as your name, address, credit card number, or Social Security number. This information can be used to commit identity theft, fraud, or other crimes.

Information theft is a type of computer security risk and it’s defined as stealing an individual’s personal or confidential information.  When this is stolen this can cause as much damage, or possibly more then hardware or software theft.

  Business or home users are both at risk of information theft. One example is a malicious individual stealing credit cards so they can make unauthorized purchases on another person’s account.

How does data theft happen?

Data theft can happen in a number of ways, including:

·         Phishing: Phishing is a type of email scam in which the sender pretends to be a legitimate company or organization in order to trick you into revealing your personal information.

·         Malware: Malware is software that is designed to steal your personal information. It can be installed on your computer without your knowledge or consent.

·         Data breaches: Data breaches occur when a company's computer systems are hacked and personal information is stolen.

•  If information is transmitted over a network then it has a very high chance for malicious users to intercept the information. Every computer in the path of your data can see what you send, and they can also see what you send.
•  A lot of companies try to stop information from being stolen by applying some user identification and authentication controls. These constraints are best for protecting computers along a company’s premise

What are the consequences of data theft?

Data theft can have a number of negative consequences for victims, including:

·         Financial loss: Data thieves can use your personal information to open fraudulent accounts in your name, make unauthorized charges on your credit cards, or steal your tax refund.

·         Identity theft: Data thieves can use your personal information to impersonate you and commit crimes in your name.

·         Damage to your credit rating: Data theft can damage your credit rating, making it difficult to get a loan or a job.

·         Emotional distress: Data theft can be a very stressful and upsetting experience.

How to protect your personal information

There are a number of things you can do to protect your personal information, including:

·         Be careful about what information you share online: Do not share your personal information on social media or with websites that you do not trust.

·         Use strong passwords: Use strong passwords for all of your online accounts and do not share them with anyone.

·         Keep your software up to date: Make sure that your computer software is up to date with the latest security patches.

·         Be careful about opening emails and attachments: Do not open emails or attachments from people you do not know.

·         Install security software: Install security software on your computer to protect it from malware.

·         Monitor your credit report: Monitor your credit report regularly for any signs of fraudulent activity.

• Don’t steal my information
• . However, to protect information on the Internet and on networks, companies use a handful of encryption methods.  Encryption refers to the process of converting data into an unreadable form. One type of encryption software is Obfuscated code which is a programming language that is extremely hard to read.
•  Encrypted data is like any other data because you can send it through a lot of options, but to read it you must decrypt or decipher it into a more readable form.
• Throughout the encryption process, the unencrypted data or input is known as plaintext and the encrypted data, or output is known as ciphertext.  To encrypt information, the programmer converts the plaintext into
• ciphertext using some type of encryption key. An encryption key is the programmed formula that the person who receives the data uses to decrypt the ciphertext. There are a variety of encryption or algorithm methods. However, with an encryption key formula, you will be using more then one of these techniques.
• Some business use available software, while others develop their own. When an individual send information online such as through an email for example, they will never know who might intercept it, or to whom it could possibly be forwarded to.
•  That’s why it’s not such a good idea to send confidential information online. However, an individual can help protect themselves by encrypting the information, or signing it digitally. Some very popular email encryption software is known as Pretty Good Piracy (PGP) and Centurion Soft Secure Protection.  Pretty Good Piracy is known as freeware, which means that individuals can use it for their personal needs but not for commercial purposes.
• You can download this for no cost. A digital signature is a type of encrypted code that a individual, website, or company pastes to an electronic document to make sure that the individual is who they claim to be.  The code will most likely consist of the user name and a hash of usually part of the message.
•  A hash is a type of mathematical formula that generates content from a specific message, so it is different from a message. The recipient will have to generate a new hash from the received message and compares it from the one with the digital signature to make sure that they match appropriately.
•  The main purpose behind using digital signatures is to make sure that it’s not a deceiver participating in the transaction. So, digital signatures help narrow down e-mail scams. A digital signature can also make sure that contents of a message have not been changed
• . A lot of web browsers use encryption that is regarded as 40 bit encryption, and this is a very low level. A variety of browsers also offer 128 bit encryption which has a higher level of protection because the encryption key is longer.  Some important places that require extremely hire sec

If you believe that your personal information has been stolen, you should report it to the police and to the credit bureaus.

Conclusion

Data theft is a serious crime that can have devastating consequences for victims. By taking steps to protect your personal information, you can help to prevent becoming a victim of data theft.