| NEWS.GNOM.ES | - 25 minutes ago |
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Privacy
in all forms is a very rare commodity at the Sochi Olympics, according
to a report from NBC News. Athletes, journalists and fans are reportedly
seeing their cell phones, computers and tablets hacked.
Hacked in Sochi in minutes: Russian cyberspace full of risks
By Mike Krumboltz, Yahoo News
Privacy in all forms is a very rare commodity at the Sochi Olympics, according to a report from NBC News.
Athletes, journalists and fans are reportedly seeing their cell phones, computers and tablets hacked. The report, by NBC News’ Richard Engel, demonstrates how quickly the hackings occur.
In an experiment conducted with the help of an American computer security expert, Engel created a fake online identity with fake contact lists, phony names and addresses. It’s called baiting the hook.
In Russia, the pair fired up two new laptop computers loaded with Engel’s fake profile to see how long it would take hackers to do their business.
They didn’t have to wait long — in less than a minute, Engel received what appeared to be a custom email
welcoming him to Sochi and asking him to click on a link for
information he might find useful. After clicking, Engel said, his
computer was “hijacked.”
It was the same scenario with Engel’s cell phone.
“Malicious software hijacked our phone before we even finished our
coffee, stealing my information and giving hackers the option to tap and
record my phone calls,” Engel said.
For those traveling to Sochi for the Games,
Engel recommends not bringing phones or laptops if at all possible. If
you can’t be without a connection, delete any sensitive information from
devices before logging on. And as with “phishing” scams, don’t click on
anything in an email or a Web page that takes you to an external link,
as Web sites that appear to belong to banks or other “secure” third
parties can be easily faked.
Hackers who hail from Russia are known to be among the world’s most skilled. The 2013 hacks of retailers Target and Neiman Marcus
were traced back to a Russian teenager. However, according to
Bloomberg, “China accounted for 41 percent of the world’s attack
traffic” during the fourth quarter of 2012.
For more on the security surrounding the Sochi Olympics, check out this report from Yahoo Sports.
Follow Mike Krumboltz on Twitter (@mikekrumboltz).
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