10 Tips from the National Cyber Security Center (NCSC) to Avoid Getting Hacked
The National Cyber Security Center (NCSC) has issued a warning about how to protect ourselves against commercial surveillance tools.
According to the NCSC, people are taking advantage of these tools by selling them to “governments and other entities,” who then use them to exploit their victims. Many people around the world have been targeted with these surveillance tools, and cybercriminals have managed to gain access to almost anyone who isn’t careful enough.
If someone manages to infect a device with these types of surveillance tools, they potentially gain full control of the device. That means they could record your audio conversations and phone calls, track your location, and even access all the content on your device from anywhere in the world.
Companies and individuals have been selling commercial surveillance tools to governments and other entities that have used them for malicious purposes.
Journalists, dissidents, and other persons around the world have been targeted and tracked using these tools, which allow malign actors to infect mobile and internet-connected devices with malware over both WiFi and cellular data connections.
In some cases, malign actors can infect a targeted device with no action from the device owner. In others, they can use an infected link to gain access to a device.
National Cyber Security Center
The worst part about this is that these surveillance tools are extremely easy to deploy. According to the NCSC, in some cases, a hacker can get access to a victim’s device just by getting the user to click on a seemingly innocuous link.
Fortunately, the NCSC also gives us a pretty solid list of tips you can use to avoid getting hacked, or at least make it much harder on the attackers. Read on for 10 simple things you can start practicing right now.