In light of President Obama’s upcoming State of the Union address where he es expected to speak on Cyber-security, Jimmy Kimmel decided to go and do his classic street interviews to see how well people keep their passwords secure. Astoundingly, just by asking a few simple question, the interviewer is able to get full passwords from a number of individuals. Watch the video below and take notes on what NOT to do:
The technical means by which Jimmy Kimmel is obtaining passwords is a classic form of hacking known as social engineering. Below is the official definition from TechTarget:
Social engineering is a non-technical method of intrusion hackers use that relies heavily on human interaction and often involves tricking people into breaking normal security procedures.
Despite a number of recent events where hacking has cost corporations millions of dollars and dozens of celebrities their dignity, it appears that many people still live in a state of digital-false-security. Cyber-security is a serious issue. Identity theft affects nearly 10 million individuals annually. It’s critical to take a number of steps in keeping your information secure. You can read our tips on protecting your home network to increase your home cyber-security tactics.
What are your thoughts on the video? Would you tell your password to a television interviewer? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!