From the Desk of David Childers-Data Security Is A “PICNIC”

According to The Guardian the hack by “Anonymous” not only exposed some of the members of the SEA, it also showed the sophistication of the hacking methods, or lack thereof, utilized by the SEA.  Apparently the SEA used Trojans delivered by Spearfishing emails.  Not very sophisticated but very effective.  Spearfishing is a common hacking practice and it reminds us to ensure that our workforce simply doesn’t open or respond to emails that look suspicious.  But obviously some very sophisticated companies are paying a price for the “PICNIC” their employees represent.  It is time to spend more time building the “human firewall” and training users of your network to protect their credentials in email and when they are working from the local coffee shop.

Perhaps the hack of the year was just announced by Beautifulpeople.com.  If you don’t know Beautifulpeople.com it is an elite dating site where to be accepted as a member you must be rated by the editorial staff as “beautiful.”  Last year thousands of members were booted from the site because it was “obvious” to the editors of the site that they had put on a pound or two during the holidays.  So when a group of hackers used their virus code named “Shrek” (remember that loveable green ogre) to attack Beautifulpeople.com they approved the application of some 30,000 “ugly faces.”  Can’t say that hacktivists don’t have a sense of humor.