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Hacking Your Data

How hackers illegally access your personal information online

January 14, 2019
By Jennifer Hackett

Xijian/E+/Getty Images

Your personal information might not be so personal anymore. Last year, social media sites Facebook and Google+ announced that millions of users’ information had been accessed by hackers. Names, addresses, passwords, and more were exposed. Even the account of Mark Zuckerberg—the creator of Facebook-—was broken into.

Hackers are people who use computers to gain unauthorized access to data. The hackers took advantage of vulnerabilities in the computer code that runs these websites. They found places in the code where programmers accidentally left ways to access accounts without needing a password. In some cases, hackers took control of the accounts they broke into and used them to post misleading information.

Your full name, home address, and online passwords are personal information. But they don’t always stay that way. Last year, social media sites Facebook and Google+ announced that they’d been hacked. The hackers collected millions of users’ names, passwords, and more. Even Mark Zuckerberg, the creator of Facebook, had his data exposed.

Hackers are people who use computers to collect data illegally. They take advantage of mistakes in the computer code that runs websites. Facebook and Google+ programmers had accidentally written code that made it possible to access account information without entering a password. Hackers used this to gather people’s data. In some cases, they took control of the accounts. Then they used the accounts to post misleading information. 

Social media has become a part of everyday life, but this reliance on the internet results in more and more parts of modern life being hooked into the web. The number of internet-connected devices is predicted to reach 21 billion by 2020. These devices include everything from smartphones and TVs to coffee makers! Each one presents a chance for programmers to accidentally create vulnerabilities—and for hackers to get your personal information.

“Companies are hooking everything up to the internet that they can,” says Woodrow Hartzog, a law professor at Samford University in Alabama. “But they’re not investing the resources to make sure what they connect is properly protected.” For example, many devices have the same default password. This makes it easy for hackers to guess.

The internet and social media have become parts of everyday life. More and more devices in people’s homes are being hooked into the web. Everything from smartphones and TVs to coffee makers can connect to the internet. The total number of connected devices is predicted to reach 21 billion by 2020. But each one presents an opportunity for hackers to to get your personal information if programmers have made any mistakes.

“Companies are hooking everything up to the internet that they can,” says Woodrow Hartzog. He’s a law professor at Samford University in Alabama. “But they’re not investing the resources to make sure what they connect is properly protected.” For example, many devices come with the same pre-set password. This makes it easy for hackers to guess it.

Rvlsoft/Shutterstock.com

500,000 users had their information exposed, resulting in the platform closing in 2019.

500,000 users had their information exposed, resulting in the platform closing in 2019.

Solomon7/Shutterstock.com

130 million accounts were broken into over two attacks in 2017 and 2018.

130 million accounts were broken into over two attacks in 2017 and 2018.

Rvlsoft/Shutterstock.com

500,000 users had their information exposed, resulting in the platform closing in 2019.

500,000 users had their information exposed, resulting in the platform closing in 2019.

Solomon7/Shutterstock.com

130 million accounts were broken into over two attacks in 2017 and 2018.

130 million accounts were broken into over two attacks in 2017 and 2018.

Even when a device lets you set a password, reusing the same one can make things worse. According to a survey conducted by the cybersecurity firm LogMeIn, 59 percent of people use the same password across multiple devices and websites. If hackers access one device or account, they can easily break into many others.

So what can you do to protect your data? Setting up a firewall—a computer program that blocks unauthorized access—will help protect your home wireless network. You should also make sure to use different passwords for each account and device you own.

Even when a device lets you set a password, reusing the same one can make things worse. The cybersecurity firm LogMeIn recently surveyed people about their passwords. They found that 59 percent of people use the same password for multiple devices and websites. That means that if hackers access one device or account, they can easily break into others too.

So what can you do to protect your data? Setting up a firewall is one good step. These computer programs protect your home wireless network from unauthorized access. You should also make sure to use different passwords for each account and device you own.    

WORKING WITH EXPONENTS

When working with computers, numbers can get big—fast! Exponential notation is a shorter way to write repeated multiplication. It’s often read as the base number raised to the power of the exponent. Exponents are a useful way to represent numbers that become very large very rapidly.

WORKING WITH EXPONENTS

When working with computers, numbers can get big—fast! Exponential notation is a shorter way to write repeated multiplication. It’s often read as the base number raised to the power of the exponent. Exponents are a useful way to represent numbers that become very large very rapidly.

Use this information to determine how many different combinations you can make for each situation described. You will need to use a calculator! Record your work and answers on our answer sheet.

Use this information to determine how many different combinations you can make for each situation described. You will need to use a calculator! Record your work and answers on our answer sheet.

ATMs and some websites ask for a pin, which is a password made of just the numbers 0 through 9.

ATMs and some websites ask for a pin, which is a password made of just the numbers 0 through 9.

A. How many different possible combinations are there for a pin with 3 digits?

A. How many different possible combinations are there for a pin with 3 digits?

B. How many different possible combinations are there for a pin with 4 digits?

B. How many different possible combinations are there for a pin with 4 digits?

There are 1,000,000 combinations for an ATM pin. Write this as an exponent. How many digits are in the PIN?

There are 1,000,000 combinations for an ATM pin. Write this as an exponent. How many digits are in the PIN?

Typically, social media sites require that users create passwords that include upper- and lowercase letters, numbers, and special characters like !, @, %, and &.

Typically, social media sites require that users create passwords that include upper- and lowercase letters, numbers, and special characters like !, @, %, and &.

A. If one social media site requires you to make passwords with just the 26 lowercase and 26 uppercase letters, how many different possible passwords can you make using only 5 characters?

A. If one social media site requires you to make passwords with just the 26 lowercase and 26 uppercase letters, how many different possible passwords can you make using only 5 characters?

B. How many possible passwords can you make using only 5 characters if the site also allowed the numbers 0 through 9 and the 31 special characters in the passwords?

B. How many possible passwords can you make using only 5 characters if the site also allowed the numbers 0 through 9 and the 31 special characters in the passwords?

C. How many times more 5-character passwords can you make using numbers and special characters in addition to upper- and lowercase letters than just with upper- and lowercase letters? Round your answer to the nearest whole number.

C. How many times more 5-character passwords can you make using numbers and special characters in addition to upper- and lowercase letters than just with upper- and lowercase letters? Round your answer to the nearest whole number.

According to the National Institute of Standards and Technology, strings of words or letters of 18 characters or longer make the strongest passwords.

According to the National Institute of Standards and Technology, strings of words or letters of 18 characters or longer make the strongest passwords.

A. Imagine you made a password using only the digits 0 and 1. How many possible 18-character passwords could be made using only these numbers?

A. Imagine you made a password using only the digits 0 and 1. How many possible 18-character passwords could be made using only these numbers?

B. Based on your answer from part A, why do you think longer passwords (ones with more characters) are stronger than shorter ones, even without special characters?

B. Based on your answer from part A, why do you think longer passwords (ones with more characters) are stronger than shorter ones, even without special characters?

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