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Who's to blame for 'Hotmail-gate’?

October 07, 2009

Hackers access 20,000 names and passwords in Hotmail phishing scam.

"The news that hackers have access to almost 20,000 more names and passwords than previously thought, in today’s ‘Hotmail-gate’ scandal, should not really come as a shock to anyone.

What is shocking, however, is the fact that despite a constant stream of warnings from almost every imaginable source, people are still leaving themselves open to such simple attacks. How many times do people need to be told not to click on suspicious links or open emails from unknown senders?

As long as it remains so easy to compromise our accounts, the miscreants will keep on doing it. It’s an individual’s responsibility to maintain personal security on the internet – you wouldn’t go to an area known for pickpockets without securing your wallet or handbag, so why would you leave yourself open online? It is exactly the same but we don’t seem to be getting the message.

This is obviously a massive problem but as far as I can see, we have no one to blame but ourselves. The warnings are out there, start taking notice. Users need to start taking responsibility for their own security."

Rob Cotton, CEO, NCC Group

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