Your data is very, very valuable to the right (or wrong) people.
Every single piece of data has value, it doesn’t matter how mundane it might seem, any and all data can be used to build up a profile of you for advertisers or could be the key to accessing your online accounts.
Jake Moore, ESET Security Specialist, discusses the reality of data profiling and the amount of data that companies hold on their customers.
“When you go for a run, ask Siri a question or take a photo, ideally you’d like to think that no one else could possibly know this.
“However, it is virtually impossible for companies not to profile you unless you live without the internet in a cave.
“This data, however, is exactly what advertisers desire (not to mention hackers). This extremely personal information should be held with utmost security.
“Apple, for example, who have a site dedicated to show what information they hold on you is a great start when it comes to being open, but it will no doubt shock people with the vast amount of data on people and their lives.
“This data is without doubt a treasure trove to wannabe hackers and should be held correctly and encrypted.
“However, if the customer is able to view this data via logging in, the log in process should utilise two factor authentication by default or this will be a pointless exercise as people could be phished or social engineered into giving away access.”
How careful are you with the data you put online? Let us know on Twitter @ESETUK.