When we talk about hackers, the image that comes to mind is often of secretive computer geniuses hiding somewhere where they can’t be traced. But sometimes hacking takes little digital skill. Recently, Wired writer Mat Honan had nearly his entire digital life destroyed by hackers who were able to get his Apple and Amazon account passwords simply by calling customer service and requesting a password reset. The hackers only had to provide information easily available on the Internet to convince the representatives that they were not intruders. Once the hackers got into Honan’s .Me account, they were able to change his Gmail password using password recovery. The hackers then wiped Honan’s iPhone, iPad and MacBook and deleted his Google account. They finished by taking over his Twitter account. Honan blames Apple and Amazon procedures, but also himself, for linking some of his accounts and not backing up his data. It just goes to show that you can never be too careful with your data and your online accounts.
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