The United States Department of Home Security advised people to change their passwords and security settings in response to the threat of hackers seeking to take advantage of the Heartbleed bug.
The Heartbleed bug basically leaves certain software and security vulnerable; anyone on the Internet is able to read certain data we send and receive if they have the tools and knowledge to do so. If persistent, hackers can access passwords. Internet users have been advised to heavily check the use and login history of their internet accounts. For the most part, the bug is slowly seeming to be resolved. However, I wonder how safe we really are.
I feel this is an unfortunate risk we take in our current age. As incredibly useful and convenient as the Internet is, we are only kidding ourselves if we think we are always going to be 100 percent safe. By now, it is well-apparent that our security is compromised. From the National Security Agency to Facebook’s creepy advertisement tracking, and now to this, it seems the Internet is becoming less and less of a reliable entity (assuming it ever was).
The more that happens with it, the more I want to revert to the 90’s with only a landline and Windows 95 to interact with the world. Of course, in no way am I saying there is no place for the Internet. Its ability to provide limitless information and connect us with one another has proven to be a tool that I do believe has changed society for the better, in spite of its setbacks.
But at this current point in time, I am feeling as though our dependency on this technology has meant using it for functions that were always meant to be private and secure. One has to wonder about the security of banking applications, health insurance apps and even something as simple as purchasing items on Amazon.
At this point in time most banks use Internet and software that is supposedly heavily protected, but one might question for how long. Although I love being able to check my debit balance from my phone at Walmart to make sure I have enough money for the upcoming purchase, I feel that I’d much prefer the inconvenience of keeping and tracking a paper trail if it means keeping my money safe.
It’s nice to believe that no one would want to take on the identity of a meager 22-year-old, but at this point it seems that no one is truly safe. I know I probably sound extremely old-school right now, but maybe it’s time to think about minimizing our web use; not necessarily the amount of time we spend on it, but what we are using it for. Putting complete faith in technology at this point is becoming less and less realistic. If a person is not an expert on the technology and science behind what they are using, it seems silly to fully trust it anyway. The bottom line at this point seems to be that whatever a person puts on the internet is at risk. However small it may be, it can still be discovered by another’s eyes. Maybe it’s time to start considering what we are risking because at the end of the day, the person who cares most about your own interests — is you.
Anthony Munoz can be contacted at amunoz@keene-equinox.com