Cyber Security and Privacy in the 21st Century

                                                                                   The Darkweb World You may have seen or heard the term "darkweb" before, do you know exactly what was being referenced? Similarly the terms "bitcoin", "dark net market, "tor", or "onion browser" may have have been included in the same conversation. These are all part of a growing hidden world world known as the "darknet". The darknet idea and origins actually stem from the U.S. Navy doing research on how to store secret information back in the mid 1990's. It was adapted and released to the public in the early 2000's, and really became popular in the last decade. The darknet is basically a hidden internet, with sites and other information hidden from public view. A specific program has to be used...

                                                                             Writing vs. Art: One and The Same? The question has been asked before: What’s the difference between a writer and an artist? Or is there one at all? In viewing “Exit Through the Gift Shop”, a Banksy documentary involving street art and the people behind it- I ask myself the same question. What exactly is the difference in say street art versus literature? The obvious difference to cover first is medium. Clearly literature and writing is more of the mind while art is a visual experience. Art involves viewing a something and understanding its meaning, while writing involves someone's imagination much more. Regardless of these differences I feel that art is just a more abbreviated form of writing, or writing wi...

                                                                                     KEEP YOURSELF TO YOURSELF! A day doesn't pass without seeing some kind of news about lewd texting or pictures between people that shouldn't be sending them. We have all seen the warnings, telling us that it is never a good idea to send revealing or compromising pictures to others. You never know who they may show or where they may end up. So whats the news? Do not send naughty photos right? Well its not that easy- technology and the knowledge to use it has gotten better and much easier in their own right. People are now able to access your photo library without your knowledge. They can hack into and view your webcam without you knowing. They can use phishing links to steal your login inf...

                                                    With the past election as a prime example, the cyber security of entire nations can now be at stake- not just individuals. It has become clear through the media as well as leaks in the government, that Russia attempted to manipulate our 2016 election through a variety of ways, but social media being specifically one of them.  As reported by The guardian, TIME, and countless other news outlets- Russia used ads across social media platforms leading up to the election to not only promote Trump, but also cause intentional racial and civil divides among Americans. Chances are, you more than likely viewed one without even realizing it. Hundreds of millions of views are reported to have taken place on these intentionally misleading ads and announcements.  This is not an attack on t...

Doxxing An interesting phenomena that has developed within about the past decade is known as doxxing. Dictionary.com defines the word "dox" to mean to " search for and publish private or identifying information about (a particular individual) on the Internet, typically with malicious intent." It can mean even more than that actually, and we see more examples of it everyday in the media. A recent example of doxxing appeared following the Charlottesville protests and counter protests in early April of this year. Multiple people who were spotted at the Unite the Right far right rally waving confederate flags and holding torches were later ousted from their jobs and other memberships when they were identified through pictures of them at the rally.  New York Times - Doxxing The New York Times questions the ethics of such online vigilantism techniques, and even quotes certain people as calling passive aggressive violence. They also summarize multiple...

Hello everyone! My name is Morgan Thrift and I am here to explore with you the surprising aspects of cyber security and privacy on the internet. Although my research has only begun recently, there are already many incredible stories and facts that I want to share with you over the next few weeks! My goal is to make this blog applicable to as many people as possible, whether it is out of shear interest, or you take to heart as a warning. There are endless ways in which your identity and information and the digital world cross paths and can place you in jeopardy. Identity theft, credit card theft, social security fraud, scams, and phishing links are just a few that you have probably heard of, and I hope to discuss in the weeks following. Identity theft alone was reported 17.5 MILLION time in 2014 alone, and the rate has only risen since then. The Bureau of Justice states that this is about 7% of people over the age of 16, and that only half of those instances were able to be r...