January 24, 2013

I Got Hacked -- And So Can You

Ryan Bradley, Fortune


AP Photo

My password security system is top-notch to the point of being borderline crazy: On or around the first of the month I change all the big ones—Gmail, Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, Amazon, Apple, Paypal, and all my banks (plus Mint.com). My aim is never to repeat, but I riff. I turn phrases around, pull numbers from the middle to the sides, maybe add a question mark in place of an exclamation point. Then I retire some of the tired phrases to my less vital accounts—Seamless, Zipcar, Opentable, and a slew of others. It's a good system. Still, I slipped. My Twitter account got hacked—phished, if you want to be precise—a few days ago, and sent out embarrassing messages about Acai berries and weight-loss to all my followers.

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TAGGED: privacy, Hacking, hackers

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