You can lose your identity on the computer in that hotel office center. It is very easy and it can happen without you even knowing it. This article tells how it can happen to you.
I was in the Sheraton Lagos Nigeria. Even though the country was very unstable, I was informed that the hotel we stay in would be extremely secure. I had no reason to dought that it would not be secure, we were in a well know hotel that my employer trusted. That was my first mistake.
A member of the crew I was with told me to be careful of the computers because this was the spam center of the universe. I kept that in the back of my mind. I decided to try the hotel’s computer to not risk my own computer of getting a virus. That turned out to be the smartest thing I did. But that doesn’t say much.
I decided I would use a messaging program that would have a whole security team behind it, Facebook. Their security was impeccable, but the hackers had a tool that all the security defenses can’t stop. My first clue was when I signed on to Facebook and a warning came on to ‘VERIFY MY BIRTHDAY.’ That spooked me and I shut down the computer and left.
That should have been the end of it, until I saw another crew member later that day get on to their account. That gave me a false sense of security because they would never get on to it if they thought it was safe, right? They had done this trip before. That was my second mistake.
I wrote several messages, signed off the computer, and left for home. When I signed back on to the account with my computer, I was informed my account was suspended because I had misused my account. I quickly called my computer expert and they said the hackers used a Key Logger program to get my information.
How they did It
It turns out that someone who used the computer before me either intentionally, or unintentionally downloaded a virus that logged keystrokes on your computer. No mater what you do, I am not aware of any practice that can prevent them from succeeding. That marketed the security failure of my account.
The Warning Signs
There are things to look for. If you see any of the warning signs, understand any information you put on the computer will compromised. These computers are only good for getting innocuous data from general websites.
First, be aware of you surroundings. If you are going to an area that has a history of hacking such as Nigeria, China, or Russia, know you can only use computers from trusted sources. These sources could be the company you work for that has an IT security department, or a very good friend that you really trust.
Second, if anyone with previous experience tells you that they don’t trust the computers, listen to them. That is the only thing that saved me from hackers damaging my main computer.
Third, if the computers in the area have open access to for anyone to use, be very cautious no mater where they are. The computer I used was in the Lobby a well known hotel, the Sheraton. What I failed to recognize is that ANY person could get on.
This means a person could go to sites they would never go on with their own computer and get a bad viruses. It also means someone could log on and set up the computer to take your information. If they don’t have a person to talk to that can track who can get on, be careful.
Finally, if you get a message that tells you to verify your identity, be cautious. It could mean that someone is phishing for your information or the site you are using has prior knowledge of problems. If is the latter, don’t take the chance. Use that piece of information that there is a security problem.