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Helen awakened from her nightly slumber. She stretched her arms, looked through the window, and saw a mix of fading morning stars and the beginning of a rising sun.
She was cold. She rolled over in her bed and reached for her smart phone. She selected the app that controls her coffee maker. There was no response.
She checked the app for her digital thermostat to view the indoor temperature. There was no response.
Confused she rose from bed, grabbed her robe, and shuffled her way toward the bathroom. She mumbled, “Lights on.” The bathroom lights did not energize. She reached for the computerized wall switch. The lights did not come on. She relieved herself in the morning twilight of the small bathroom window.
She walked toward the house thermostat. The device indicated the indoor temperature to be 59 degrees Fahrenheit. That explained why she felt cold. She attempted to manually adjust the device and listened for the furnace to trigger. There was no response.
She walked into the kitchen to pour herself a hot cup of coffee. The coffee maker had never powered on.
Confused, she opened the lid of her laptop computer to check the weather forecast. She started the web browser and was greeted by a message.
“All of your files and devices are encrypted. Read the following directions to learn how to buy a decryption key that will unlock your files and devices.”
Eric and Hannah were enjoying a quiet evening alone at a restaurant. This was the first time in months they had such an opportunity. Hannah’s parents were visiting and they urged the young couple to spend time alone. Hannah’s parents would care for 8-month Jessie.
As Eric paid the bill for the meal, Hannah grabbed her smart phone to check the baby monitor at home. She was stunned by a vocal greeting.
“I own this device and can watch you and your baby any time I want.”
Melanie and her son Walker arrived home. After they completed the usual routines, Melanie settled into the comfort of an easy chair and booted her laptop. Walker plumped down at the family desk and powered on the computer. Both were stunned with a hard-core pornography video.
Samuel was tired from his day at work. He wanted to relax at home with his new smart TV streaming a Netflix movie. He powered on the TV and was greeted by a message on the TV, “Your TV is now infected. You can unlock the TV only by paying us.”
Jennifer was sitting in her easy chair reading news feeds. She was about to use Skype to talk to a friend when suddenly she heard a voice, “I see you. I have been watching you for days. You are quite beautiful. I would like to meet you.”
George arrived home for lunch. He opened the door to his new smart refrigerator. He immediately noticed the inside was warm rather than cold. He closed the door and checked the tablet-like interface on the door. He was greeted by a message, “I hacked your fridge. Your food is spoiled. I can hack any device in your home. I own you.”
Wendy greeted her young daughter Melissa at the bus stop. They enjoyed their stroll back to the house. Melissa asked to play a game on the family computer. Wendy granted permission. Melissa powered on the computer and climbed into the desk chair. A voice greeted Melissa, “Hello. How are you?”
Melissa answered, “Fine.”
“What is your name?”
“Melissa.”
“How old are you Melissa?”
“Six.”
“Would you like to play a game Melissa?”
“Okay.”
Wendy overheard the conversation. “To whom are you talking?”
“The computer,” replied Melissa.
Wendy froze. There was no software on the computer that talked in this manner.
William opened an email on his office computer. The email was from a coworker. The contents of the message seemed a bit odd. He grabbed the phone and called Sarah to discuss the email. Sarah denied sending any such email. William stared at the email. He did not know what to do and deleted the message. He continued working on his quarterly report. A half hour later he no longer could save the report. He closed the computer program and attempted to reopen the report. He could not. Suddenly the sole IT staff person Olivia barged into the office and screamed, “Everybody shut down your computer! Now! The network is infected with ransomware!”
The email William had opened contained malware, which was spreading throughout the company computer network.
Won’t happen to you? These kinds of stories happen every day.
Don’t want to be pwned?
Many security breaches are enabled through:
- Not keeping software and firmware updated.
- Not changing default login names and passwords.
- Social engineering.
- A desire to watch dancing pigs.
- Voluntarily sharing personal information online (social media).
You don’t have to be pwned.
Family time: What is the tip of a shoelace called? Think you know? Search the web.
Have you met Crazy Frog?
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