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Even Government Websites Are Not Secure – How Safe Is Your Data?

November 14, 2016 Posted in VPN Education by No Comments

In 2013 a hackers group or ‘hacktivists’ called Anonymous hacked into some government websites of Singapore to protest against the web censorship regulations. Some of the sites that were hacked into include People’s Action Party’s Community Foundation and Ang Mo Kio Town Council. In a four-minute-long video on YouTube, a member of Anonymous threatens to hack every website if the regulations are not lifted. The hacking threat in Singapore points in a single direction – if government websites are not secure nothing is then. And unfortunately, it is true. Any data on the internet, including cloud storage, is not secure and is prone to cybercrime.

The murky reality

In 2012-13, reports suggested that the federal government kept a track of each internet user. It meant search queries, emails, and cloud storage. The surveillance program PRISM which was launched by the US National Security Agency (NSA) collected internet data from nine internet companies. The freedom of information Act gives the U.S. government the right to read user information without warrant or consent. While some may not have a problem with the government keeping an eye on them, others might not be too happy about it. The unhappy crowd could include hacker groups like Anonymous. Amidst this online war between the hackers and the government what happens to the public data? As always, they get caught in the crossfire. On one hand, the government keeps a check while on the other hackers threaten to expose them. Even the use of Hyper Text Transport Protocol Secure (HTTPS) is vulnerable because if hackers want they can access content through brute force. There used to be secure email services like Lavabit and Silent Circle but that too got shut down due to government surveillance programs (remember Edward Snowden?). It is true that cybersecurity has been beefed up as a direct consequence of the hacking incidents around the world but to what extent?

The solution

It is not that there aren’t any precautions one can take against hacking; it’s just that for how long will it hold. Maintaining a strong firewall and frequently scanning systems can provide some protection against viruses. Updating software also helps against hackers and is perhaps one of the reasons why Microsoft provides frequent updates. Cybersecurity companies need to develop a plan to detect digital fingerprints and execute them to track cyber-criminals. The government needs to create a system to limit cybercrimes while respecting others privacy.

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