Scary Tech: The Stuff of Nightmares

Forget the haunted house and bloody claw this Halloween. Your computer screen and smartphone offer plenty to keep you wide-eyed and shivering with fear in the middle of the night. From the truly bizarre to horrors that fail to frighten you nearly as much as they should, scary tech gives you ample reason to scream. Here are just a few examples.

Lightning and Chargers and Selfies…Oh My!

You probably never thought to be terrified of your cell phone or your tablet charger. Think again.

• Cell phones, headphones and thunderstorms — If you must loiter outside during a thunderstorm, take the headphones out of your ears and put your cell phone away. Metal interrupts the electrical current in a lightning strike and can leave you with burns and burst eardrums. Take the safe option and watch the storm from inside.
• Run from generic chargers and cables — At a fraction of the cost, cheap chargers may entice you, but resist the temptation. Third party manufacturers often skimp on safety standards, leaving you with a charger that may overheat or even explode. Save your skin, your electronics, and even your life: use the charger meant for your device.
• Selfied to death — Did you know that you are more likely to die by selfie than by shark attack? Be smart, people. If you must take a selfie, avoid precarious ledges, cuddly bear cubs and loaded firearms. Selfie deaths are on the rise.

Your Mother Warned You

Read this next bit with Mom’s voice in your head. You know she speaks the truth about these scary tech possibilities. Ignore her advice at your own peril.

• No texting and walking — Bloodied head from walking into a lamp post, broken arm from falling down the stairs, mangled body from walking into traffic: these horrors await you if you persist in texting while walking. Distracted walking can kill just as easily as distracted driving. Stop it…now.
• Listen. Can you hear that? — Of course, you can’t. Because, you have noise-canceling headphones and music blaring away while you run. Not only do you risk damaging your hearing, but you might just miss the blast of a train whistle or the sound of a car horn just before you get hit. Listen to the birds instead.
• The dreaded CVS — Computer Vision Syndrome. Yes, this is a real thing. You have felt the headaches, the eye strain and the dry eyes that come from staring too long and too closely at a computer screen. Take a break, look away, save your eyes.

You Are Not Scared Enough

For those of you laughing at the idiots who take selfies and text while walking, trust me. You have reason to be frightened. There is ample scary tech left over for those of you who think you are safe.

• They will steal your soul — Identity theft hit a record high in 2016. With the recent Equifax hack exposing personal data of over 145 million consumers, you can no longer afford to rest easy. Implement strong passwords. Monitor your financial accounts and your credit regularly. Avoid using public Wi-Fi for any transaction involving sensitive data.
• Quarantine — Have you forgotten WannaCry already? Never mind, there are still plenty of viruses to scare you silly, from the CCleaner malware to any number of Facebook viruses. Just last week, news surfaced about KRACK, a flaw in the standard wi-fi security protocol that affects all protected Wi-Fi networks. And then, you have Bad Rabbit and Reaper Botnet lurking around the corner.

The Antidote for Scary Tech

From bizarre scary tech deaths to the freakishly common computer hack, technology poses risks to both your health and your critical data. You can reduce those risks by educating yourself and taking precautions.

For organizations, the risks of scary tech affect not only your business reputation but also the personal and financial data of your customers. With increasingly complicated dangers, you need an increasingly sophisticated cyber security solution. Work with qualified cyber security experts to safeguard your business with world class security solutions tailored to your needs.

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