Careful What You Search For
by Michael Dean Thompson
Don’t ask Google this simple question: “Are Bengal cats legal in Australia?” That is the gist of an urgent warning on cybersecurity firm Sophos’ website. People who have clicked on the resulting links have had their personal information stolen. It is a simple enough hacker tactic that can be avoided by keeping your anti-malware and anti-viral tools up to date and maintaining tight security settings.
You may find the next bit of information more alarming. A couple in Long Island, New York, recently received a visit from the FBI after they searched for “pressure cooker bomb” and “backpack.” One spouse wanted to buy a pressure cooker, and the other wanted a backpack. Both spouses had independently searched those items from their home. But the husband also decided to search for both from work, and the IT staff there, lacking context, found the searches and reported them to the local police.
There are ways that the visit from the FBI could have been avoided. Especially when outside the home, use a virtual private network (“VPN”) to browse the internet. Be aware, however, that not all VPNs are created equal. Some VPN providers are reportedly just as nosy and intrusive as the IT staff at the unfortunate husband’s workplace.
In addition, disable any Google accounts before searching. Google stores searches associated with certain accounts and has been known to pro-actively share them with police. Lacking context, it is easy to misinterpret your search requests. Most of us would be surprised at how the totality of our searches could easily paint a false picture of our intentions.
And, so you don’t risk your own device getting infected: Yes, Bengal cats are legal in Australia.
Source: Fox News
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