All are naked to cyberstalkers and data thieves

Amazon founder and CEO Jeff Bezos in Seattle, Washington in June 2014. PHOTO | DAVID RYDER | AFP

What you need to know:

  • Bottom line, do not do what you could not want the world to know you do or did online. W

  • hether rich and powerful or poor and powerless, the mobile phone is an incredible equalizer.

  • We are all naked to the cyber-stalkers and information thieves.

  • Edit carefully what you put online. It will be consumed by even those not intended.

Away from the tiring drama of Kenya’s politics and the fascinating arguments by US democrats that want to nail President Donald Trump through an impeachment and republicans that unsurprisingly want to save him, the phone of Jeff Bezos, Amazon owner and the world’s richest man, was hacked!

The villain, it appears, is no beggarly slouch either but Saudi’s crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman. You may remember him as the principal villain in the horrific murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in 2018.

In Mr Bezos case, there was no cloak and dagger intrigue. A chance meeting led to an exchange of numbers, a casual WhatsApp message and later a video that when opened mined and transferred data from Mr Bezos’ phone.

Why a crown prince could want to steal information from Mr Bezos is a mystery of course but there are many reasons why getting hold of information relating to the life of the world’s richest man is a real coup. After all, he deals with equally rich and powerful people the world over, cutting deals that are shaping and reshaping the worlds of commerce, data and information. He owns the powerful Washington Post too.

So the crown prince has stuff on Mr Bezos that he might not use now but the theft is a matter of global interest and is being investigated. The incident, however, powerfully amplifies the message that cybersecurity experts have been warning about for a long time. Our personal privacy and security are under constant threat.

Kenyans consume the internet with an unparalleled gusto. We literally live on social media — posting some of the most intimate details of our lives there.

The really scary thought though is this: nothing that you record and store or share discreetly is safe. Not the picture of your cute little baby that you shared with your spouse; not the long confession to your boss or lover; not the raunchy video you took during your weekend escapade! Forget that reassuring note that messages shared between some accounts are encrypted!

Software exists now that can just about break any code. Not that those spying on us need to apply really sophisticated software. A New York Times report this week quoted the boss of a cyber-security company that works for high net worth individuals and celebrities in the US saying that there is an incredible amount of laxity displayed by people with regard to their cyber-security. Passwords are easily accessible “in black books on desks, by machines and files on computers”. People use the same passwords in multiple accounts. Once one is compromised, all the other accounts are open. Other people use very predictable passwords — even for sensitive accounts like banks and credit card accounts.

The deal is this: if you are online, and most of us are most of the time, your information is being used, can be used and will be used with or without your permission. It can, is and will be stolen from you because data is now the hottest asset in the world. Since you cannot really run away from this interconnected world, your protection is your awareness of the dangers you are exposed to and your behaviour. Bottom line, do not do what you could not want the world to know you do or did online. Whether rich and powerful or poor and powerless, the mobile phone is an incredible equalizer. We are all naked to the cyber-stalkers and information thieves. Edit carefully what you put online. It will be consumed by even those not intended.

Tom Mshindi is the former editor-in-chief of the Nation Group and is now consulting. [email protected], @tmshindi