Digital Lives: Lessons to learn from hacking to Mat Honan

The recent episode of Hacking to Mat Honan , popular technology journalist, is one of those that provide many topics for reflection and learning, as well as interesting reading for all who live passionately given to the concept of "digital life".

If you had not heard of the issue, I recommend you start with the announcement of the theme on your Tumblr, " Yes, II was hacked. Hard , "in which documents what happened to all sorts of details and later updates. And above all, the part that most interests me: how I lived. With regard to such issues, it is important to understand that the question is not going to happen to you, but when, and that therefore, if you can understand and know how you'll feel when it happens, have won a major way. Given an interest to everyone at some point in our lives we can generate, know that if someone wants hackearte, it will. Period. As stated by the words of the great Gene Spafford, 'SPAF '

"The only truly secure system is one that is off, confined to a block of concrete and sealed in a lead-lined room with armed guards - and yet I have my doubts."

It is simply inevitable. It does not mean, of course, we should not try to stop or have the best preparation for when it occurs.

Then I recommend also his article in Wired, " How Apple and Amazon security flaws led to my epic hacking "to end to understand what happened and how it could have been avoided. For your peace - but not too much - both Apple and Amazon have announced that since the holes in the procedures that allowed entry into their accounts have been corrected. Next time, will be through another hole different. But it will happen.

What happened? Basically, social engineering. A phone call to Amazon to add a credit card, a procedure that was necessary only a name, email address and billing address, data that is relatively easy to access. Following this, a new call to Amazon, claiming they had lost access to that account and using information from the newly added credit card, add a new email account. This new e-mail allowed them to request and receive a password reset. With access to Amazon, they could see the last four digits of the actual credit card Mat, information that enabled them, along with the email address and physical phone to Apple and request a temporary password to access your icloud, and then delete the contents of multiple devices.

Third ¿recommended reading? Business Week and thinking about it: how it was before it was cool hack Microsoft systems, and now, however, how cool is to hack Apple systems, " In today's performance, the role of Microsoft will be played by Apple . " Although the first interpretation could be read as positive for the Redmond company, be not deceived and Analyse what it really means: you can be absolutely sure that no one at Microsoft is going to like reading this news.

Given a sufficient interest and with proper preparation, no one is inaccessible, are more sophisticated than your passwords. What to do? Take advantage of situations like what happened to Matt, who because of their status journalist has used to document and discuss everything with great precision, to learn the subject, and make a good review of best practices for security in the cloud to be published in subsequent analyzes. Simply think how you would feel if you happen to you, and try to act accordingly. See how, in just one hour, you lose access to your email, your Twitter account starts to publish nonsense with which you have nothing to do but you can control it, and begin to erase your devices one by one sounds without doubt, the worst nightmare for anyone.

From a strictly technological standpoint, not talking about any wastage of: primarily social engineering . I said, if anyone cares enough and is prepared properly, he can certainly do it. Try at least to the appropriate means for, if it occurs, rather than lose everything.