Collecting and storing your personal data on your computer can be a major risk to your privacy. Your Personally Identifiable Information, or PPI, can be saved by websites and companies online that you didn't want to have it. Your PPI is specific to you, and can include your Social Security Number, SSN, age, race, date of birth, biometrics, etc. This information can be used to steal your identity. For example, someone can steal your bank account information, and then take your money pretending to be you. Search engines, like Google, can also save and maintain all your search history, email, and IP address. Dozens of advertising and marketing films use "cookies" to track your online behavioras well. To prevent this, don't put any sensitive information that you don't need on the internet onto the internet, and delete your search history regularly. Also, manage or completely deny "cookies" when given the option.
The Equifax Data Breach occurred in the Summer of 2017, where the Equifax credit bureau was breached and just less than 150 million people had their PPI stolen. This led to major security concerns and was one of the biggest hacks in history.
The Facebook-Cambridge Analytica data scandal happened in the 2010s where personal information on Facebook was shared to Cambridge Analytica without any prior consent from users.
The Marriott International Breach in 2018 was a data breach where about 383 million Marriot guests were affected.
Certain computing resources, such as procesing power, storage, networks, and cloud services, can be misused and have massive consequences on the user or company. These misuses can occur when people use systems without the proper authorization and/or illegally. A prime example of this is cryptojacking where hackers can install programs to secretly mine cryptocurrency on the user's computer. This can result in slower perfromace from the system, increased energy and operation costs, and other damage done to the computer. This could also lead to a complicated legal situation if the cryptomining is to be found illegal. A solution to prevent these misuses is to use firewalls and antiviruses. Regularly moniter your system's performance for any unusual dip or activiy as well.
In 2018, the Los Angeles Times' Homicide Report page was conpromised by a cryptojacking code, mining the cryptocurrency "Monero".
In 2019, 8 apps on the Microsoft Store were caught secretly mining cryptocurrency. These apps were soon removed.
The Pirate Bay, an illegal website used for sharing files was shut down in December of 2014. This was because they were misusing computing resources for unauthorized distribution of copyrighted material.
Unautorized Access to your computing resources can occur when someone gains access to your systems, whether that's through phishing, malware, or hacks. A phishing attack is an attempt to trick a user into providing personal information. These attacks can come in many forms, including emails. Phishing emails can often pretend to come from a trusted company, and tell a story to get to to clink a link or open an attachment. When clicked, malware, such as viruses, can be installed on your computer, giving the hacker unauthorized access to it. A keylogger can also be installed, which logs all of your keystrokes to gain information like passwords. To prevent this, only click on links you are 100% sure about, and never give interest to suspicious looking emails or texts. Also, use an antivirus and run scans regularly on your computer.
In 2013-2015, Evaldas Rimasaukas was able to scam Google and Facebook out of $100 million dollars though a phishing attack, showing that even the big comapnies are vulnerable.
An employee of an Austrian aerospace parts manufacturer, FACC, got an email in 2016 asking for the transfer of 42 million euros into another account. The email seemed to be from the company CEO, so the employee complied. It turns out it was a phishing attack, and all 42 million euros were lost.
Personally, I have gotten many phishing emails and texts, most commonly texts from shipping companies claming they need more of my personal imformation to complete the shipping.