Month: June 2022

Have you ever wondered how exactly a threat actor or cyber criminal gets access to your information? The truth is, it’s not as difficult as you think. Most of the data they need to target you for identity theft and other scams is already public information. We’ll think like a bad actor and walk you step by step through their process.

It starts with a news article. Let’s say Business Insider posts a list of the top jobs in tech, along with their annual salary. One of the jobs listed is VP of Public Policy for Facebook. You can find the name of the employee, Brian Rice, who holds that position on LinkedIn. So already you have a name, occupation, workplace and salary. 

Next, Whitepages.com lists two phone numbers and a home address for Brian Rice, along with the names and ages of several family members. Searching the address on Redfin reveals the estimated property value, the square footage, and photos of the home. And not just the street view, but photos of the interior and floor plans may be available if the realtor has forgotten to remove them once the house is sold. 

On to social media. If Brian Rice’s profile is public, you can learn all about his passions and interests, frequent location, and travel activities. There are photos of his children, and information about where they attend school. It’s easy to find the profiles of his wife, his mother, and other relatives, exposing even more personal data.

The exposure of your information to the public can lead to dire consequences. Bad actors can use this information for stalking, extortion and blackmail, home robbery, identity theft, credit card fraud, and other scams or criminal activity. It puts you, your children, your family, and your business at risk. 

Hush searches the web for your full digital footprint. All of the random data points that you would never think to look for–including audio, video, and photos–we find and eliminate them, reducing your digital footprint. Take control of your privacy, and take control of your life with Hush.

Categories: Uncategorized.

Whether you’re a small business owner, social media influencer, or other public figure, you probably know the value of publicity. You welcome attention from news articles or media because it has the potential to promote and grow your business. Publicity can help create a positive image for your brand and could even attract new clients. Plus, having your name in the press is a way to celebrate your career’s milestones and achievements.

While publicity can have a positive impact, exposing too much of your personal information is a threat to your personal privacy and security. News media outlets occasionally cross the line when it comes to invasion of privacy. For example, in a 2015 shooting in San Bernardino, reporters barged their way into the homes of the two suspects on live national television. They rooted through family photos, displaying Social Security cards and driver’s licenses of not only the suspects but their family members. Similar cases of doxxing have become more frequent in the last few years, with journalists digging up regular people’s personal information and using it against them.

Let’s say your name, job title, and salary is mentioned in a Business Insider article. If there’s enough public information out there about you, threat actors can create a dossier on you, track down where you live, and execute a robbery. Alternatively, they might assault your employees with social engineering scams, making your business vulnerable to a data breach. So, how do you protect yourself once your name is in lights? If having some public information out there is inevitable, you can still lessen your digital footprint to defend the more sensitive stuff.

You deserve the right to privacy. When being interviewed, protect your family members by not mentioning their names and avoid dropping hints about where you live. Avoid flaunting your wealth on social media, announcing that you’re going away on vacation, or sharing photos of your home. All of these advertise to bad actors that you’re a prime target, exposing you to physical threats, extortion, robbery, and kidnapping. Your perceived accessibility plays into your risk of becoming a target.

The best way to protect yourself and your information is to use Hush, a digital privacy service. We search the Internet for information that makes you vulnerable to threat actors. Once we find and flag it, you get to decide what stays or goes. We scrub the data points you prefer to keep private, and leave anything that brings value to your brand or business without putting you in harm’s way. Take control of your digital privacy with Hush.

Categories: Uncategorized.

It probably comes as no surprise that the way men and women experience the Internet is vastly different. Women are three times as likely as men to experience online sexual harassment. Social media gives harassers a sense of power through anonymity, and they face few consequences even if they’re reported. Cyber harassment encompasses any behavior intended to cause discomfort or harm, including threatening comments and messages, inappropriate photos, cyberstalking, doxxing, and catfishing.

In severe cases, online abuse can lead to offline violence, with women being stalked or otherwise physically threatened. Online harassment can have long-term consequences on women’s mental health, taking an emotional toll and damaging their self-esteem. It’s not always realistic to simply log off or choose not to engage, especially if you’re a public figure and your job relies on your social media presence. That’s why it’s essential to have strategies to protect yourself online.

1.) Report and Block Abusers

How effective is reporting an account? While the results may not be instantaneous, reporting a harasser only takes a minute, so it’s worth your while. If more than one person files a report, it’s likely that their account will be suspended and investigated. In the meantime, block them and any other affiliated accounts.

2.) Hide Your Location Data

Maybe you’re out at happy hour with some co-workers. You snap a photo of your cocktail and post it to your IG story, geotagging the bar you’re at. Geotagging is when your post includes the location from which it was sent. To keep yourself safe from doxing and stalking, it’s best not to use this function, or only share photos after you’ve left the location.

3.) Check Your Pictures for Identifying Data

You can accidentally give away your location even without tagging it by posting a photo with identifying data. Stalkers can analyze your pictures for clues of where you are, such as landmarks, business names, street signs, house numbers, and more. Turn off your location data for social media apps and check your pictures for data that could reveal your location before posting.

4.) Set Your Profile To Private

Control exactly who sees what by making all of your social media profiles private. This gives you the ability to choose who can follow you and see your content or personal information. By keeping your access limited to friends, families, and people you know, you’ll avoid uncomfortable exchanges with strangers creeping on your page.

5.) Reclaim Your Digital Privacy With Hush

The best way to protect your digital privacy is to use Hush. The Internet is boundless, and you may not be able to find all the places your personal information is exposed with a simple Google search. Hush is constantly searching to find, flag, and remove any sensitive data that leaves you vulnerable. Protecting information such as your name, birthday, address, email, phone number, etc. reduces your digital footprint, so that you’ll never be a victim of harassment and stalking. It’s possible to exist online safely by taking your digital privacy into your own hands, with Hush.

Categories: Uncategorized.

Digital banking has become the new normal. The emphasis on digital was expedited by the pandemic, as banks limited hours and fear around contaminated paper bills rose. As of 2020, 1.9 billion individuals worldwide actively used online banking services, with that number forecasted to reach 2.5 billion by 2024. The increase in the use of mobile apps and websites for banking transactions has created a prime target for hackers.

There are many ways your bank account can become compromised, including malware, trojans, keylogging, phishing, and social engineering scams. Many of these are up to your financial institution to invest in digital security to protect your information. But there is one key to your data that you have complete control over, and that’s your security questions.

If a bad actor already has the email or username associated with your banking account, they can attempt to reset the password by answering security questions. Some common security questions might be:

• In what city were you born?
• What was the name of the street you grew up on?
• What is the name of your pet?
• What is your mother’s maiden name?
• What high school did you attend?
• What was the make of your first car?

Look familiar? You’ve probably answered them to get back into an account you’ve forgotten the password for. The problem is that the answers to these questions are predictable and easy to find. Think about all the information compiled on your social media profile. Maybe you have a post revealing the name of your pet, or you recently attended a high school reunion and you’re tagged in a group photo. Maybe your mother lists her maiden name on Facebook, and someone can find her by searching your friends list. A bad actor takes one glance at your social media or does a quick Google search, and your bank account is completely exposed.

So what can you do? One method of protecting yourself is to create strong, difficult-to-guess answers to your security questions. They could be a completely untrue or unrelated answer—say your father’s name is Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Or use a mix of numbers, letters and special characters to code your answer.

The best way to protect your banking or any other account from being compromised is to use a digital privacy service, such as Hush. We search the Internet for any sensitive or personal data that might leave you vulnerable to bad actors—including your email address, date of birth, where you live and work, etc. Hush finds, flags, and removes this information to eliminate personal security threats and keep you safe. Leaving your personal data exposed is like keeping your front door unlocked. It’s an invitation for bad actors to come in and wreak havoc on your life. Take control of your digital privacy with Hush.

Categories: Uncategorized.

Imagine you wake up one day and there’s an arrest warrant out for you—for a crime you didn’t commit. It’s a nightmare scenario, and yet it’s not entirely implausible. 

What is Identity Theft?

Identity theft is when a bad actor steals someone’s personally identifiable information and uses it for fraud. The identity thief can use the information to apply for loans or credit cards, file taxes, pay medical bills, or commit a crime under a false name. ID theft has only grown more and more prevalent as people keep their sensitive data online. In 2021, there were nearly 1.4 million reports of identity theft received by the Federal Trade Commission. Reports of the crime spiked during the pandemic as bad actors used fraudulent identities to gain unemployment benefits and pandemic assistance.

How Does it Happen?

Thieves acquire personal information such as Social Security numbers, bank account information, addresses, phone numbers, birthdays, driver’s license numbers, insurance information, and credit card numbers. 

 

There are various methods bad actors can obtain this information, including stealing mail, looking over your shoulder at an ATM, hacking your computer through malware, or conducting social engineering schemes to convince you to reveal personal information. They may impersonate your bank, the IRS, or a hospital over a phishing email, or gather personal information about you through your social media page. 

The Lasting Impact of Identity Theft

Depending on what the stolen identity is used for and how long the scheme goes on undetected, it can have a devastating impact on the victim’s finances, credit report, criminal record, and personal life. Identity theft can ruin your credit score, and many victims may not realize that their identity has been stolen until they try to buy a house or car. Some people are even forced to declare bankruptcy. The crime could leave your insurance and medical care compromised if the thief left large medical bills, driving up your health insurance rate. In some cases, victims resort to changing their name, which can be a tedious process.

How Can You Prevent Identity Theft?

The number one way to prevent identity theft is by securing your personally identifiable information.

 

1.) Shred any documents that have identifying information on them—credit card statements, bills, bank statements, etc.

2.) Read privacy policies closely, and opt out of data sharing if the option is available.

3.) Keep track of all your usernames and passwords and change them periodically. Never use the same login info across multiple accounts.

4.) Be suspicious of unsolicited emails or texts asking you to click links, reset your password, or confirm personal information.

5.) Don’t post any sensitive data online, including your birth date, address, email, or Social Security number.

 

The best way to protect yourself from identity theft is to use a digital privacy service like Hush. We search the Internet for any trace of information that would make you vulnerable to bad actors. We find, flag, and remove sensitive information, eliminating threats and keeping your data safe.

Categories: Uncategorized.