Today's edition of The New York Times featured a topic in its Room For Debate column that's near and dear to my heart: security breaches. The title was: "Keeping Credit Cards and Bank Account Data from Hackers." http://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2014/10/04/keeping-credit-cards-and-bank-account-data-from-hackers?ref=opinion
While some made good points such as stressing the adoption of E.M.V. technology for credit cards, none of the four experts could even scratch the surface of how to do it. Even if you gave up your credit cards, as suggested by Jose Pagliery, and use one-time virtual numbers via smartphones, there are other areas for potential security breaches.
Take health care for example. Whether medical records are still on paper or electronic, hackers love them. They don't care if you have an infectious disease or a clean bill of health. They just want four pieces of vital information: your name, your address, your date of birth and your Social Security number. Bingo! They have what they need for identity theft (read: steal your money).
Another example is content. Piracy is a huge issue for the entertainment business. It's not just about preventing someone from posting a spoiler on Youtube. There are people who are trying to sell movies and shows overseas without paying for it. If you stole the hot dog vendor's food to sell to someone else, you've committed a crime. It's the same thing with content.
At the risk of sounding paranoid, there is always someone who wants something of yours for nothing. Who is watching out for hackers? Sadly, companies do not hire enough of people like me who are trained to detect intrusions and vulnerabilities. In the end, we are all at risk.
