Connected, Dependent, Unprotected--A Tragic Day in the Life of a Reporter (2012, USA)

Connected, Dependent, Unprotected--A Tragic Day in the Life of a Reporter (2012, USA)

In 2012, the use of smartphones and cloud services was spreading rapidly, and individuals were beginning to rely on Internet-connected devices for much of their personal and professional lives. At the same time, however, security measures were still in their infancy, and many vulnerable structures existed that could be used to break into personal accounts with only simple information.

A technology magazine reporter was using the cloud and social networking sites for his daily life and work. One day, a single teenage hacker destroyed all of his digital assets: iPhone, iPad, laptop, Gmail, and Twitter. The cause was only a few pieces of information: a billing address and the last four digits of a credit card.

What was particularly shocking was that the hackers' motive was simply that they "liked the reporter's Twitter handle. The attack resulted in the loss of all family photos, memories of deceased relatives, work records, and several years' worth of emails. To add to the blow to public trust, the Twitter account was hijacked and even discriminatory posts were made.

Reporters thoroughly investigated the incident, revealing how lax major companies such as Apple and Amazon were in user authentication. The perpetrators used social engineering and a clever combination of publicly available information on the Internet to gain entry.

At the time, many people connected multiple services with the same credentials for the sake of convenience, and the structure was such that a single breakthrough opened all doors. This incident was a stark illustration of the vulnerability that connectivity presents and the risk of personal collapse that can happen to anyone.

The hacker himself stated that he was acting out of fame, attention, and sheer desire rather than malicious intent. This incident is symbolic of the ease with which such motivated destruction can be carried out in today's online world, and the irreversible consequences that can result.

This incident will be long remembered as a lesson in cybersecurity, and it was a turning point in bringing to society's attention the importance of two-step authentication and the protection of personal information. We can learn from the anonymous reporter's experience how dangerous it is to be "unprotected" in this day and age.