Warning: Hacking can be dangerous to your wealth and health

It seems that cases of Internet hacking are getting more widespread, going all the way to the White House after a website posted sensitive information about US First Lady Michelle Obama and other A-List individuals that include Vice President Joe Biden, US Attorney General Eric Holder, Los Angeles Police chief Charles Beck, Donald Trump and would you believe – US Federal Bureau of Investigation director Robert Mueller!

The website – believed to be Russian in origin because it contains the suffix “.su” in the address – published social security numbers, credit card details, personal contact numbers and mortgage payments, with some of the details having been taken from credit reporting agencies like TransUnion and Equifax. The FBI and the Secret Service declined to confirm or deny the authenticity of the information but US sources told Spy Bits that subpoenas are getting readied for dozens of individuals including bank executives, Internet service providers and others who may have had access to sensitive data about the victims.

Cyber security experts also said the latest incident is proof that nowadays, there is no longer any “privacy on the Internet” because cyber criminals have so many ways to access one’s “personally identifiable information” or PIN.

Apple recently admitted that its Mac systems were attacked by “malicious ware” or malware – bursting the bubble of the “virus resistant security” that Mac users feel. Apple is reportedly developing a firewall software that’s supposed to be 99 percent foolproof – but the reality is – there’s no such thing as a perfect protection from hackers even from the number one computer developer in the world.

Cases of hacking are proving to be a major headache for the US – something that definitely concerns President Barack Obama judging from his recent State of the Union address where he asked Congress to craft stronger laws to protect American citizens from cyber criminals and terrorists. This has also become a major concern for Obama National Security Adviser Tom Donilon. A couple of days ago, the NSA head admitted that hacking and other cybercrimes are no longer just a matter of national security, but in fact have become a serious threat to the US economy, with businessmen getting more and more jittery about the theft of “confidential business information and proprietary technologies.”

Donilon specifically named Chinese hackers, saying that the “cyber intrusions” all seem to be emanating from China on an “unprecedented scale.” Even US intelligence officials also admitted that cyber attacks now seem to pose greater danger than terrorist organizations like the al Qaeda. Security experts aver that a lot of hacking activities point to China – a suspicion confirmed by Mandiant, a Virginia-based computer security firm hired by the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal to investigate attacks and security breaches on company computers. Mandiant pinpointed a building located in the Gaoqiao suburbs in Shanghai as the alleged central hub of cyber hackers. The group, known as APT1, is reportedly maintained by China’s People’s Liberation Army Unit 61398 that falls under a department that is some sort of a counterpart to the US National Security Agency.

Members of the unit are reportedly mathematics geniuses, top linguists and computer whiz kids who are adept at finding ways to go around the most secure firewalls. Mandiant claims the group has been stealing mega terabytes of information from various industries and organizations as far back as 2006.

No doubt hacking and other cyber crimes have become global threats, with cyber criminals expanding their reach without having to leave their computer terminals. In the Philippines, there has been a reported escalation of credit card fraud and lately, illegal ATM transactions, with millions of pesos stolen from Filipino depositors. The BSP has issued several directives to make banks more compliant to security measures to protect depositors, and some of these banks have installed pin pad shields. Depositors however are complaining because they need to bend very low to peek at the keypad and make sure they punch the right numbers – saying they could end up with stiff necks or slipped discs in trying to withdraw money from the ATM.

At the rate cyber crimes are happening, we might just have to install stickers on laptops or ATMs that say “Warning: Hacking is possible and can be dangerous to your wealth and health.”

Gambling on the papabile

Pious Catholics are complaining that “nothing seems to be sacred” nowadays judging from the online betting that’s been happening in more than 50 countries about the identity of the next pope. Bookmakers and oddsmakers are taking huge bets on the nationality of the next leader of the Roman Catholic Church, the name he will most likely adopt, and the number of days and hours it will take before the world finally sees white smoke rising from the chimney of the Sistine Chapel where the conclave is being held.

Locally, Filipinos are not only betting but are already claiming to be relatives of His Eminence Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle, who has emerged as one of the top contenders. We’re not sure if our friend Peng Perez de Tagle is one of those claiming kinship to the papabile, but one of those confirmed to be a second cousin of the Cardinal is Philippines, Inc. president Tony “Uncle Mort” Lopa – a favorite uncle of President Noy – from the maternal side of the Lopas. In fact, Uncle Mort had predicted to his cousin that he would become Manila Archbishop – which came true, after which Uncle Mort predicted that Archbishop Tagle would become a Cardinal (also true) – and now he predicts Cardinal Tagle will be the next Pope.

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