The Art of Attack

Chapter 10Staying Protected—The Individual

Attacker Mindset for Ordinary People

As we've discussed previously in this book, there's a large disconnect for most people—the Internet is still another world, not quite in the real world. This allows most people to think the bad things that happen on the Internet often have no real consequences here, in this world. The digital realm as a whole seems to be up against some modern-day folklore. A failing to bridge this gap for the individual is cause for concern. I believe our duty as functioning members of this community—a community built to secure other communities—is to raise awareness among the masses that have no insight into our world and to help them also think like an attacker, just with more everyday utility. Teaching people this way of thinking will also bolster our efforts from within the community—educating people so they can more readily identify and respond to attacks.

As an individual, maybe you are very security-conscious and security-aware. Maybe your cyber hygiene is the stuff of legend. In that case, you may stop the phish, but will your bank or cell phone company? If they don't, your data can still be given to an attacker, and you are then compromised, which is where learning about security and privacy (separate, but related categories of security) is helpful, which I will talk about later in this chapter.

Moreover some factions are acutely susceptible, such as the elderly, who may not be tech savvy and are often ...