A $50 USB device can trick Windows into bypassing login and exposing saved passwords. Security expert Robert Siciliano shows how the hack works and warns it puts all personal data at risk if your computer is left unattended. Three fixes: disable password-saving, encrypt your data, and control who touches your machine.
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A $50 device and an app are all it takes for someone to get easy access to your information. Together, they can trick your computer into thinking it's a trusted connection, but then they steal your password.
And no matter how strong your password is, it will not stop the hackers. Fox 25's Mark Ackerblom learned that what you can do to turn the tables on these hackers.
Hacking has evolved. A $50 piece of hardware and an app can give anyone the key to logging into your computer without your password, even if it's locked.
That worries me. And I know that there's a lot of people out there who would love to use that, and, you know, stalkers and all of that, sex offenders. It's— that's frightening.
It's like you have to walk around and you have to have 6 eyes in the back of your head. Here's a researcher demonstrating how almost anyone can steal usernames and passwords from locked computers using a USB device and some software. The ease of this hack has security experts concerned.
And it will become a big problem. In the wrong hands, this device is extremely extremely dangerous. Essentially, everybody is vulnerable. All of your money, all of your finances can all be liquidated by a criminal hacker.
Robert Siciliano is a security expert with Hotspot Shield. He says this device could make it easy for anyone to hack a computer, and you're at risk wherever you leave your computer unattended.
Right now, you could pretty much buy all the necessary components to create this hack on your own, plug a device into, say, a spouse's or a boss's computer, and gain access to it without their password.
But there are a few 3 key things you could do to protect yourself from this type of hack. Don't allow sites to remember your passwords. If someone hacks into your computer, they can get into these websites. Encrypt all the data on your computer. That way, even if someone gets past your login, they would still need a way to get past the encrypted files. And be careful of who uses your computer.
The key is, is to never let anyone access your device without your knowledge. So it could be a friend, it could be a family member, could be a spouse, uh, could be a contractor. Your devices that sit in your home or office are vulnerable to anybody that wants access that has these devices in their possession.
Mark Ackerblom, Fox 25 News.
Now, one big thing you can do to protect yourself is to log out of all of your programs like your email, banking, and Facebook when you step away from the computer. A hacker will not be able to get into those if your passwords are not auto-saved.
