Here are some highlights of
that article he wrote (
archive):
It was Easter 2018. I was still in high school, and like many teenagers, I was a bit reckless.
He still is, apparently. To be fair, I can see someone in his mid-twenties doing something like this.
Fast forward to 2021, and I’m a college student who has developed a deep interest in cybersecurity.
Reading the article has me conclude that he's really just deeply interested in doing whatever his corporate overlords demand.
I devoured countless articles that preached about the gospel of three-factor authentication, but let’s be real: theory is nothing without practical application. Little did I know, a real-world problem was lurking around the corner, ready to test my knowledge and skills.
The fact that I'm reading this shows how well that lesson was learned.
The irony of the situation hit me hard. I thought I had taken all the necessary precautions and followed the cybersecurity protocols I had learned in college. But as it turns out, all it takes is one small mistake to compromise your entire digital defensive framework.
Yes, we know.
I refused to be a victim again
Be less dramatic.
I started regularly checking my accounts for suspicious activity or logins from unknown devices. I checked sites like
haveibeenpwned.com regularly for every email I use.
This is overkill. Also, fuck Troy Hunt, that whiny MicroSoft employee.
Rather than relying on a single account for all my financial information, I decided to create multiple accounts for different purposes. This way, if one account were to be compromised, the others would remain secure.
This is also overkill and, as we've seen, doesn't work.
Relying solely on different passwords clearly wasn’t enough, even if I used a diversification system for my accounts. I decided to implement a two-step verification process for all my accounts.
Fuck two-step authentication. This is why I called him someone who just does what his overlords demand.
Finally, I decided to somewhat controversially set up fake accounts with enticing information to draw hackers away from my actual data.
Oh, he got us; these accounts were actually honey pots the whole time.
I have found that intentionally wasting the time of someone who is attempting to steal your personal information can significantly enhance your online security.
How long did it take to do all of this by the way,
@DOORSTUCK?
While I do acknowledge that making honey pots can be time-consuming and demands continuous attention to upkeep, I personally find it rewarding to study the techniques attackers use.
Well, study what's happened today and learn from it.
And for me, that meant learning from my mistakes and taking the necessary steps to secure my online presence, which is what my plan hopefully shows you.
Learn that security doesn't mean doing what corporations say.