Hackers Are Still Out There, Act Accordingly

By Dave Sniadak

My six year old is pretty amazing. He can work his way around my new smart phone with ease, dial up Angry Birds without blinking and eye, and find a way to snap pictures of his baby sister with just a few swipes of the screen. But one thing I know he can't do is send an e-mail. That's why I was taken aback when I turned on the phone this morning to find that I had -- apparently -- sent more than 400 e-mails to all of my contacts saying that I was capable of helping them become "the lover they've always dreamed of," among other strange propositions.

I'm sure you've all received these e-mails. They're from trusted contacts, but usually have strange subject lines -- if a subject at all. The temptation is to open the e-mail since you know this person. When you open it, there's a short line or two -- almost always with horrific spelling and grammatical errors -- and a URL to some strange website you've never heard of.

The tell for me that I was hacked was that I had more than 100 returned messages. Upon scanning my 'sent' messages, I saw more than 60 mass e-mails . . . unsettling and unnerving, to say the least.

And while in 2011, I would hope that my contacts are all smart enough to know not to click on the link, here are some tips, with the help of Jon Chase of Switched.com, on what to do should you find yourself the unfortunate victim of hackers.

1. Don't panic. There are worse things that could happen to you, like purposefully sending lewd photos of yourself across social media sites (e.g. a certain former US Congressman).
2. Change your password immediately. Obviously, you're old password wasn't strong enough. Find a combination of letters, numbers and symbols that you can remember, and hackers can't figure out. You may need to check for malware, which Chase outlines nicely in his article.
3. Assess the damage. A lot of times your contacts will respond and ask if you're aware you've been spammed. Be sure to send these people a thank you response (and make sure you personalize it so they know it's you!) If it's from someone you haven't heard from in a while, it'll be nice to reconnect.
4. Don't let it happen to you again. "Despite the many ways an e-mail account is hacked, the one common element is that you, the owner, essentially allow it," Chase says in his article. Be vigilant in protecting your online profile. Hackers make a living out of stealing your information. Don't make it easy for them!

This certainly isn't new info, but it's a great reminder that it can happen to anyone at any time. I've taken my lumps and learned my lesson. Life goes on, and so will my e-mail account. I just wish I was better at helping my friends become the lover they've always wanted to be.

The Next Best Thing To A Sarcasm Hashtag

There's been more than a few times that a seemingly-benign text or email I sent was taken the wrong way, leaving me to wonder why the person I sent that "too busy to meet now" email to is glaring at me from across the office because they thought I was blowing them off.

Miscommunications like this have been an issue for many people, as more and more conversations take place through email and texts rather than face-to-face. The problem is that nonverbal communication, which is such a vital part of face-to-face conversations, is lost with email.

This means sarcasm rarely makes sense, jokes tend to be taken the wrong way, and quick responses often come off as terse or rude.

Well, there's a new download called ToneCheck that reviews your emails before you send them, checking specifically for phrases that may be perceived as angry or passive-aggressive.

The free download is still in beta testing, and is currently only available for Microsoft Outlook. I don't know how well it works or if it would be embraced by users, but it does illustrate the growing trend for social media (and yes, I'm including email in this category) management tools.

Think about the rise in programs like Your Twitter Karma, ReFollow, HootSuite, and now ToneCheck. Many of the new products and services we're seeing aren't necessarily new social networks, but new ways of working with and monitoring existing social media outlets.

Obviously, double-checking that email (especially to the coworker you're already on thin ice with) is equally effective. But if ToneCheck takes off, we could see plenty more social management tools hit the market, and ones that are geared towards the more popular text-based social networks like Twitter or Facebook.

Until then, if you have a clever pun or sarcastic comment you just have to get out, it's probably a good idea to make sure that sarcasm is made clear.