How easy is it to get hacked? If we’re to go with what we see in movies today, hacking is really easy. You don’t have to do anything, anyone at all will simply get into your device and do whatever they want to do with it. They could move private documents that could then be used against you. Just like that, simple like A, B, C.
But then, this is not a movie, is it? This is real life and hacking is not as easy as Hollywood has made it to be. It’s not as easy as some guy in a basement punching away at a keyboard for hours without having to use a mouse, only writers can do that. It’s not as easy as hacking your phone through its Bluetooth or wifi connection. It’s way more than that.
Sadly though, many people have come to believe that it’s that easy. They believe that phones and computers can be hacked just like that. Hell, I’m sure that there are people who believe that devices can be hacked even without access to the internet. Oh yeah… that’s how delulu some people are.
One thing people have to understand is that for hacking to occur, it takes two to tango. As long as the device is in your possession, you’d have to be complicit either directly or indirectly. That’s the entire basis on which fraud is based. Take your Whatsapp for instance, the only way it can be hacked and the ownership taken from you is if you unknowingly give them that power.
It could be through the good ‘ol phishing links that they’ll bombard groups with. Links that are always talking of giveaways and whatnot, people who have no business doing giveaways will always be involved in these things. Funny enough, they use real events to give themselves some credence. Like “Mr. X just had a bouncing baby boy, and he’s sharing one million naira to twenty people. To take your share, click the link below.”
Yeah… but sadly though, people fall for it. People also fall for the usual scam calls; “You need to update your account or you will lose everything in it. Kindly send us the code that has been sent to you. When you update your account, we’ll send you N5k to make sure the account is working perfectly.” And like that, they’ll send the OTP to the very people who are looking to hack them.
This happens in various ways and these guys are usually very smart. There are smart ones that you may never figure out until it’s too late. Through these simple methods, people have lost access to their bank accounts, social media handles and whatnot. This is why vigilance is very important. Be wary of the links you click when online, because you have no idea the devil you’re allowing into your home.
Remember that unless you give them access, they can never get in. It’s as simple as that. And once it’s lost, you might never be able to get it back, that’s just the sad truth. Anyway, I decided to share this with you all today. I don’t know much when it comes to cyber security, so I could be very wrong in my assumption. I’m not too old to be schooled. So, let me know if I’m wrong.
