MASON CITY – A local man says technology got the best of him after his home computer was hacked by unknown nefarious wrong-doers.
Mason City’s Chris Watts says that somehow, someone got into his home computer network and has been causing trouble. He says his identity was taken and accounts were set up in his name. Now, he wants to warn others about what he’s went through.
“After thinking about what has been happening with our computer at home the past 3 years, I decided to share with you the vulnerability of technology,” Mr. Watts told NIT.
“We have had an on-going hacker in our system for that long,” he says, that has accessed files, data, and essentially helped themselves to whatever they want.
“We contacted our internet provider and the Police Department,” Mr. Watts says, once he realized the breach was likely through his home internet connection and home computer system, but little headway was made.
“It was only after I contacted a company in Des Moines and took our computer into them, that are suspicions were verified,” he explained.
Mr. Watts says that thanks to the lawbreakers, “there was a ‘ghost’ program in the background on our computer giving (them) access to any emails, passwords, documents, etc. stored on there.”
He says the ghost program “also gives that person the opportunity to pose as us anywhere else on the internet.”
Mr. Watts recommends to others “have your computers checked and make sure you have the proper ‘blocking’ programs in place.”
According to “The Computer Guy” Pat Palmer, background programs called Keyloggers and other such programs exist that do this.
“Kaspersky Antivirus and getting your computer checked over now and then is the best,” Mr. Palmer said. “Now with ‘Ransomware’ data can be held hostage. People who get emails from FedEx, UPS, IRS and other agencies should delete them as those emails contain a ‘payload’ that can hijack data and cause major problem as well.”
Also, the Department of Homeland Security says there are simple steps you can take to protect your privacy online:
- Secure your devices. Take advantage of screen locks, passwords, and fingerprint recognition capabilities to secure your smartphones, tablets, and computers.
- Set strong passwords. Make your passwords complex and change them regularly.
- Own your digital life. Think carefully about what you post online. Everything you put on the internet – photos, tweets, and blogs – will be out there for people to see forever. Take ownership of your digital life by only posting what you want to be seen.
- Customize the settings on your accounts and apps. Many accounts and apps include default settings that encourage users to share more types of information. Check your account settings to ensure that your information is only visible to people whom you authorize.
- Think before you act. Be wary of communications that offer something that sounds too good to be true, ask for personal information, or suggest you click on links or open attachments. Such communications may contain malware or redirect you to potentially malicious websites.
