The world of the internet never stops to keep the spice of thrill and scare in place. However, some are the only word of mouth while others are real. Doxing is the newest thing emerging from the hackers side of the web. It’s short for Document Tracing that simply means backtracking of the legally accessible document for illegal means. Let’s dig deep into the details of doxing and find out the answer to, Are You Being Doxed?(Also see, Are VPNs Truly Untraceable?)
Are You Being Doxed? Here’s How You Can Stay Safe
There’s a thin line that separates doxing from the old conventional method of stalking over the internet. However, this thin line can become the difference between you being safe and your information being used by wrong means. To avoid any such case, you need to get a full grasp on the details of details of doxing. Let’s begin with the basics:
What Does Doxing Mean?
Simply stated, doxing includes unknown parties accessing your private data. They may employ some very unimportant or negligible data like your email id to dig up something very private like your home loan payment records. Keeping that in mind; it is easy to see how and why doxing can probably be a significant threat to people.
But before you go bothering about this new online threat; let us tell you that most doxing victims are usually celebrities and other social stars. The basis for this is simple. The personal information of a star is considerably more valuable than any information about you and me. While a hacker might target you to know your bank accounts; a doxer will most likely aim somebody who is well known enough to sustain a reputation and would not like to see that jeopardized.
Are You Being Doxed? How To Workaround?
Perversely, doxing is something that remains in the grey area of the internet security. This implies that if a person gets any information of you; and anyhow manages to accumulate more private data like the number of mortgage dues you have left; there is slight that the authorities can do.
While doxing of renowns has been getting momentum; so has a mainstream recognition of this manner. Internet security groups and government agencies are investigating avenues to shut down doxers and make the easy sharing of publicly associated data safe again. After all, an internet where you could not even share your email address with someone for fear of doxing would be ridiculous.
How To Prevent Doxing?
Despite the fact that doxing as a general phenomenon is relatively new; the online safety community is promptly catching on to in. While useful tools to block such trials; a valid prevention policy, issued to the most privacy-conscious people amongst us. Here are some ways you can bypass doxing and remain safe online:
- Set two-factor verification on your accounts
- Apply strong passwords that are not readily inferred
- Get a reliable VPN(Also check, Best VPN With Most Servers)
- Don’t let anybody you don’t know view your social media profiles
While these solutions are easy to adopt; you must understand that their effectiveness in keeping you from becoming a victim is ultimately dependent on how careful you are when online.
Conclusion -Are You Being Doxed?
We understand that it is not always possible for people to hide their personal information. If you are an executive in a big company; your contact information will be easily available online. However, you can still retain a certain degree of safety by compartmentalizing your work from your personal life. Use different cards for business and leisure spending. Have your office IT people check any suspicious mail before you act upon its info. Remember, it is up to you to stay safe; and the best way to do that is to be smart and at par with the latest in the cyber world.
