Hackers Have Set Their Sights on Journalists

We live in a time of incredible technological capabilities. At this point, it’s fairly unremarkable that we can send people into space. Instead, we’re working on sending people all the way to Mars. Furthermore, we now have affordable technology that is as powerful as a computer in the palm of our hands. Our cell phones are miraculous tools that have advanced society to an incredible degree.

But with our advanced technology and our constant improvements, we’ve also seen the rise of hackers who can access our information in ways we never would have thought possible. All of us, no matter who we are, are now vulnerable to cyberattacks and other forms of hacking.

While no one should ever have to worry about being hacked, it’s understandable that people in positions of power might be targeted by computer hacker groups. After all, these powerful individuals wield a massive amount of influence. Achieving access to the data of a politician or billionaire can be very valuable to the right buyer.

Because these powerful positions come with such high levels of risk, there are many layers of protections for the sensitive information found on devices of presidents, world leaders, and CEOs. They also will usually have teams of tech savvy individuals looking for any hacks that may have occurred and taking steps to fend them off.

Increasingly, however, it seems that hackers have turned their attention toward journalists and reporters. These individuals risk their lives every day to ensure that we are informed about major world stories. There needs to be a way to help journalists (and the average person) protect their information from those with malicious intent.

Luckily, GhostChat is up to the task.

Corruption Uncovered

In recent years, many journalists have begun breaking stories about government corruption at the highest levels. Luckily, there are countries around the world who still believe in freedom of the press and due process. Unfortunately, there are other areas where journalists are not always so fortunate.

Take, for example, the case of Daniel Nemeth. Mr. Nemeth had worked for a long time to expose the underhanded government operations that were taking place in Hungary. These politicians and their influential friends were living in extreme luxury, well beyond what one might assume they could afford based on their salaries. As Nemeth conducted his investigation, he became well known to the Hungarian government and other interested parties who feared he might expose their corruption. Thankfully, he was well aware of this and did everything he could to keep a low profile.

Sure enough, in order to keep tabs on Nemeth, someone had planted spyware on two of his phones and mobile devices. Through the use of this spyware, these groups were able to listen in on any private conversations, view any text messages, or gather whatever other information they wanted.

But the case of Nemeth is far from an outlier or a random occurrence. Situations like this occur constantly for journalists, reporters and those in other, related professions. In fact, a similar issue effected Ben Hubbard, a New York Times bureau chief. While Ben was abroad, working on stories in the Middle East, he received a seemingly innocuous message through the service WhatsApp. Ben didn’t click on anything and took no actions that ordinarily might have been characteristic of such a message containing spyware. He knew to be wary of any messages he received. He had recently even avoided falling victim to a phishing scam which could have compromised his work.

Unfortunately, technology has evolved to the point of what are known as “Zero-Click” attacks. In a Zero-Click attack, the recipient is nearly helpless. Truthfully, the recipients of these messages don’t have to take any action and the hacker can still infiltrate their system and access all of their data. It’s a terrifying piece of technology that leaves nearly everyone who uses free apps and unencrypted devices vulnerable to hacks.

These issues are especially troubling when they occur through WhatsApp, as it is owned by Facebook. Facebook is famously known for collecting user data and selling it to advertisers. Mark Zuckerberg, the CEO of Facebook, has had to repeatedly appear before congress in an attempt to defend his company’s actions in this space. There is seemingly no end to the amount of data Facebook, WhatsApp, and their partner companies will collect from users.

Furthermore, Facebook and WhatsApp have literally billions of users between them. That’s billions of potential victims who could be targeted by any of these attacks and who could lose their privacy, their livelihoods, and may even be placed in dangerous situations.

Some services can help to provide some protection from these attacks. GhostChat offers complete end-to-end encryption so that no one except for the recipient and the sender will ever truly know the content of a message.

The Importance of a Free Press

In the United States, freedom of the press is a fundamental right. But while we may not see such horrifying actions (such as the assassination of Jamal Khashoggi) on our shores, we still witness attempts to undermine the privacy of our citizens and journalists. In fact, every day we hear about a new hacking scam targeting older or more vulnerable people who may not know how to avoid common cyberattacks through email, text messages, or phone calls.

Journalists may be more aware of these scams, but they are no less vulnerable to them. Plus, much more sophisticated technology exists that can be planted on a person’s phone or device without them ever knowing.

For this reason, GhostChat offers features that no other companies can match. The level of encryption offered through the GhostChat service is unparalleled and will ensure, to the highest degree, that no one can access your data without your permission.

If you believe that your privacy is important, consider using a service such as GhostChat today. GhostChat provides the best available protection from hackers and anyone who might attempt to access your information. Don’t give up your privacy! Get GhostChat now!