To get started, I want my readers to know this is a blog for hacking beginners or those who want some simple entertainment. I am using this blog to take you on the journey of my research about hacking. My posts may be random, or relate to previous posts if I find new information on it. If you want more information or want to request a topic, feel free to comment!
So, this past week I was thinking about my own personal experiences with hacking. I’ll tell you a little bit about hacking encounters in my life to give you a glimpse of how often it can happen, and how easily it can occur. My first hacking experience came about when I was a sophomore in high school. Someone had hacked into my Facebook account and stolen a ton of information (my photos, email, etc.). A few days later my account had a completely different name, "Jennifer Smith.” At first, I was confused. This was in 2011, when hacking was a bit more uncommon. It was before we saw all of those fake accounts on Facebook, Instagram and now Snapchat becoming more common.
My second real experience with hacking came through my mom. This was about 3 months ago. I got a text from my mom that she was getting emails about a ton of charges going through to her account. She was freaking out, to say the least. She was so confused about it because she didn't even know it was possible for someone to do. She started getting nervous that whoever was hacking her, might be able to get more of her information, such as her social security number or her address. Scary thoughts! I told her it was okay and I'm sure they just got her email from somewhere and the emails she was receiving was fake.
I asked her if she had done anything different the past few months and she only could name one thing - she had made a Facebook and Instagram account. Both of these accounts were made under the email address that was receiving all of these emails about her credit card being hacked.
Just thinking about my own experiences lead me to think about the safety of Facebook and other social media sites. How easy is it for someone to hack into the system and gain all of our personal information? I am sure I am not alone with these experiences. I am an ordinary girl from Illinois – how and why does this happen to me?
