New Zealanders are either apathetic or ignorant of the dangers to which they are exposed with growing cybercrime, according to an Auckland based IT expert.
Optimizer HQ Chief Executive Manas Kumar said that the average consumer in this country is a sitting duck on data security issues.
“It is only a matter of time before hackers exploit security loopholes that will see thousands of logins and password stolen. Kiwis must urgently review their data security practices, as stolen personal information is often used by perpetrators or cybercrime,” he said.
Mr Kumar said that his company has developed a new protective shield.
Called, ‘Locker,’ the new protection is a cross-platform management system that can be used in Windows, Mac and Linux.
The application uses military-grade encryption to store passwords, and requires a secure key as well as the app, which is free to download upon purchase of the key, to access user passwords.
“It is a simple two-step system. People can purchase an encrypted key that plugs into the USB slot, where they can store all their passwords and sensitive information, then plug the key into their computer to access them.
“You need the key and the app for the system to work. We have created a special ‘enterprise’ version which has an added functionality of allowing people to erase or reset all passwords remotely. They can also instruct the app to shut down if your laptop is stolen,” he said.
Stating that most of us are vulnerable because we use the same password or its variation for several online activities such as internet banking, online payments, email systems, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Wi-Fi router at home,
According to him, many New Zealanders create passwords and list them on a single spread sheet on a shared drive, making it easy for hackers to use for their purpose.
“If a password is easy to remember, it is also easy to hack. You are at the risk of losing substantially if hackers get their hands on your personal information,” he said.
He cited the example of LinkedIn, which was hacked, leading to loss of about 6.5 million passwords.
“What happened with the LinkedIn security breach was that within a short time, people started finding that their Gmail, Facebook and Twitter accounts were also hacked, because they use the same password across all these sites,” Mr Kumar said.
Kumar says the offering is available at low cost, because he wants to make data security affordable for all Kiwis both at work and home.
He said that Australia has become the third biggest target for password hacking over the past three years.
For more details, please visit www.lockerhq.com
