It’s frightening how everything we consider as a luxury in our lives can be molded to become a threat to our very existence. This has been the case for a long time now. An olden example here would be the discovery of fire. Now, fire proves to be of great utility, but there is no dearth of cases where it has also affected people in dangerous ways. The perfect modern day translation of this would be the creation of technology. Technology’s significance in our lives have been on the upwards trajectory ever since it came into the fold, and with further tech-oriented inventions coming thick and fast, it doesn’t look likely to press the brakes. This success is there for a reason though. Today we can clock crazy efficiency levels and dabble with various things entirely because of technology, which as you can imagine, has widened our viewpoint about almost everything.
However, there is always a catch, isn’t it? Apart from acting as a productive tool, the digital realm is also causing an uptick in our vulnerability to cyberattacks. At first, this claim was somewhat disputed by people, but things have changed ever since the terror of ransomware took over United States. The weaknesses of our systems were openly exploited by cybercriminals, leaving us with no answers whatsoever. Nevertheless, with dust settling down a bit now, the U.S. National Security Agency has issued a set of recommendations designed to offer more protection to your devices.
The recommendations have brought in public Wi-Fi networks under extreme scrutiny after they were labeled as “hacker hotbeds”. NSA also pointed out the presence of fake access points that can steal your credentials as well as other personal data.
Next up, the agency took an aim at Bluetooth technology. As per the NSA citation, while Bluetooth is a convenient tool for private use, when used in public setting it can make you a probable target for the hackers. Hence, the agency has advised people to their turn Bluetooth settings off in public so to avoid attacks like BlueBorne or BlueBugging.
The U.S. security agency also made a point to mention Near Field Communications (NFC) in the list of malicious channels. NFC pathway to facilitate transfers between devices is laden with loopholes; hence giving hackers a clear window into your personal information. Hence, disabling the option, when not needed, is advised.