President-elect Donald Trump admitted that Russia is responsible for hacking ahead of the election during a media press conference Wednesday.
Although his claims are international, a local computer expert said hacking is common in the Hub City.
“With every year that goes by, there are more and more devices connected to the internet,” Blue Layer IT Chief Operator and Owner Michael Strong said. “They’re a part of our daily lives. From a business perspective, a good thought process is if I’m connected through the internet, I am at risk. Therefore, what steps am I going to take to defend my systems, my business, my information, from any given threat.”
Strong also describes new trends of hacking that has become more personable.
“It used to just be that computers would be infected with viruses and spyware,” Strong said. “Now we see more of an influx in social engineering where bad actors are trying to trick customers into potentially tricking them into providing a password or pretending to be somebody that they’re not.”
He added that these “bad actors” are most commonly posing as bank representatives.
“The really successful ones are combined with some computer tricks and social engineering tricks,” Strong said. “Speaking good English, writing good emails, and trying to trick people into following their direction.”
He told EverythingLubbock.com that using anti-virus software, firewalls, and “good common sense” are the key tools to protect a system from being hacked.
“A layered approach is the best,” Strong said. “Security is like an onion, you can never have too many layers of security.”
