One of the most common phone hacking phrases is “phishing scam” so common that it has almost become a verb. Used in reference to internet scams such as phone phishing (PPF), pharming or pharming, what do these phrases all have in common?

Well, they all involve a lot of call-centers that may seem legitimate but are really just a means for individuals to band together for financial or advertising advantage. In any case, you should manage your panic a bit and not do anything that you are not 100% sure about.

Why should you be concerned about phone hacking?

The result of a phishing attack can be catastrophic for your financial or personal information. Since the internet is a very valuable asset, information should be protected at all costs.

How can you be sure that your information is protected?

There are two types of phishing attacks happen regularly.

1. Social Engineering – This is the most common type and consists of high numbers of bogus emails sent in small or large quantities, telling you that your banking account has been compromised and requiring you to change your password. This email could come from a colleague, a friend or even from the office of your bank. When this happens, you will need to change your password immediately because it was probably already compromised.
2. Valley intrigue – This type of phishing occurs when a phisherman sends you a message requesting your personal information or account number. It doesn’t require you to click on the link provided in the email. This phishing technique is employed by people who want to steal confidential information from you to gain access to your money or steal your identity.

How can you protect yourself?

Two types of techniques to guard your data are symmetric cryptography and encryption.

Symmetric cryptography is techniques based on secret key cryptography. Two messages are combined in such a way that only one of the two can be decoded. They are usually connected with a tag (usually a nail) that will not allow anyone to tamper with the information.

As a extension, symmetric encryption increase the level of encryption, but in a way that anyone who knows the key can also gain access to your data.

Encryption is an extension, in many cases, of the symmetric cryptography, in that users can send a message in one package and the receiver will only be able to read the message in a certain format.

There are many existing methods of encryption and these are being developed still to create higher security.

Laptop hard drive shredding

Any laptop hard drive will be processed in to smaller pieces. First the IBM Thinkpad laptops are subjected to a process called DTR which brings the laptop parts together. Then these are sent through a process called ATA to the yet bigger pieces where they are put back together to be used again. One of the main advantages of this process is that it shreds the laptops hard drive so that it is no longer a clutter on the side of the road.

Hard Drive Tidy Up

Once the laptops hard drive has been wiped clean (minders etc) the next step is to remove the outer case of the hard drive. Huge fans are often used to cool the laptop and it is always a good idea to set these aside when they are not in use. By just pulling the side of the hard drive out, you can safely dispose of the surroundingSpHS,.BEL,CRT,PCDI etc. Dust etc can be also be kicked aside. Remember that it is important to completely unplug the laptop from the power source and prevent static from being blown into the laptop from the side.

Internal Parts Discarded

Most of the time you will be looking through the laptop’s case to see what is taking up the space. This should be done with care, take great care when doing this as static can be severely damaging to the laptop.

Laptop Batteries

Laptop batteries are also considered a hazard of course since they are portable and non-disposable. Batteries are a last resort; this is a great way to protect your laptop from a spill or even for emergency re-charging of a few batteries. For instance, if a laptop is working perfectly, and all of a sudden it doesn’t turn on, or is very slow, try doubling up the batteries. It is a way to survival if you have to.

Under some circumstances laptop batteries and notebook computers are actually identical and used for precisely the same purposes. However, a notebook computer does have much greater processing power and memory and is designed for ease of use and portability. While laptops are perfect for student and business travelers, they are not practical for storing personal pictures and music and not a good idea for casual us. Which one should you buy?