Credit and Safety – The Emerging Chinese Threat

According to Slate Magazine and the financial times, Chinese hackers have breached White House computers and there is speculation that this was a Chinese government sponsored event. Individuals or groups with enough skill, time and resources to crack government systems are a definite threat to the average person.

There is nothing stopping these hackers from writing a program that compromises your financial account or obtains personal information off of you handheld device or home computer. And there is true financial motivation with little or no legal consequence. Good luck extraditing someone from China to prosecute.

Your Defense

Encryption on your laptop or desktop system along with strong passwords, anti-virus and personal firewall systems are a good start. If you do not have these basic areas covered then you need to look into solutions to protect your information.

Its also important to note that a Chinese Hacker or any hacker cannot remotely extract information from a piece of paper in a safe or file cabinet. You do have the option to “go analog” and focus on the old-school method of information storage and protection.

5 Safety Steps

1. Strong passwords – Use the longest and strongest passwords for key and important information such as bank accounts, social security numbers, taxes and other personal financial information. You know its a good password if you cant remember it and you need to write it down and place it in the safe or file cabinet.
2. Internet Access – The most secure computer systems in the world are the ones that have no network or internet access of any kind. While this may not be a possibility for you or your family it is important to consider where you are storing information and how easily it can be accessed remotely.
3. Computer Protection – Don't leave the front door open. make sure that you have anti-virus, a firewall and strong passwords for your computer systems. Security is no longer optional. If you need help with securing your systems seek out a local professional.
4. Email Use – Email is probably to worst place to store or transmit personal information. Do not use email to send any personal information such as social security numbers, bank account, passwords, home addresses or any type of potentially sensitive information.
5. Identity Protection – Your identity is a rather easy thing to steal with the right types of personal information. Make sure that you are checking your credit on a regular basis and consider purchasing services like LifeLock.