Afghanistan war site hacks local password campaigner

5 September 2016
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Afghanistan war site hacks local password campaigner

Anyone can be the target of cyber crime, and for local campaigner Deanna Morse, this has become all too true.

After a random check of her bank account on 1 September, Deanna found $280 missing. Further investigation revealed an Afghanistan war site was the source, hacking into her account and withdrawing the money without her knowledge.

“I don’t check my bank accounts often because I spend so little and never thought about these issues”, said Deanna. “So glad I did though, otherwise it may have been too late to take action to get my money back.”

InternetNZ Deputy Chief Executive Andrew Cushen realises the importance of having unique passwords to protect valuable information online.

“Your passwords are the keys to your entire online life,” said Andrew. "Not having a unique password is a bit like leaving a copy of your house key everywhere you go, and praying that no one decides they want to pop in for a look at your stuff.”

According to Netsafe New Zealand, most email or social media accounts are hacked due to the common mistake of not having a strong, unique enough password. There is also an average of 108 cyber attacks per day in New Zealand-this stresses the importance of having unique passwords for online accounts.

Ironically for Deanna, this happened the week she helped launch a campaign, Project Password. This campaign aims to encourage New Zealanders to use unique passwords to stop cyber attacks.

“Although I felt awful and vulnerable, I also couldn’t help but laugh at how ironic the timing was. It has stressed to the campaign team the importance of getting people to understand how serious this issue is,” said Deanna. “When people see how simple it is to have a strong password, we hope it will help stop this from happening to anyone else.”

Look out for Project Password on social media. Any questions can go straight to their Facebook page or website.

ABOUT

Project Password is a campaign aiming to have all internet users in New Zealand become secure within their online activities. Its mission is to reduce the complacency surrounding passwords and get New Zealanders’ to strengthen their passwords.
Project Password will run throughout September.
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/projectpassword/
Website: www.projectpassword.

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