Learning from hackers

hack·er
ˈhakər/
noun
1.
a person who uses computers to gain unauthorized access to data.
synonyms: cybercriminal, pirate, computer criminal, keylogger, keystroke logger; More
informal
an enthusiastic and skillful computer programmer or user.
2.
a person or thing that hacks or cuts roughly.

Have you ever noticed how the media glamorize the shenanigans hackers?

Most good TV shows and movies will have at least one character who specializes in computer hacking.

Can’t track the bad guy?
she can!
need to know what they’re planning on doing next?
He already knows and is sending the location out to you now.

But what about in real life?

I’m not just speaking for myself here but I’m not ashamed to admit that I have cheered when I have learned that a group of hackers has taken down an evil corporation revealing a closet full of ugly skeletons.

I’m not saying that their methods are something that I approve of but let’s be honest, they get the job done.

But when a hacker goes after one of “my own” I’m left scratching my head more confused.
What’s the reasoning behind it?

What could be gained by taking out a mommy blogger?
How threatening were her adorable valentine crafts? Or her recipes?
Or her tutorial for making liquid chalk?
Am I the only one left confused?

For the last few days I have been glued to my iPhone reading post after post as one of my fellow mommy bloggers struggles to regain control of her sites.

First her entire website was “mirrored” by a Hacker whose sole purpose was to siphon traffic away from her blog to theirs.

Then she discovered that several of her posts including her pictures were stolen by another mommy bloggers who shamelessly claimed the content “to be her own” and when asked to remove the content kicked up a fit.

Umm no, plucking it off Pinterest doesn’t make it your own.

Then my fellow mommy blogger lost everything.

All her posts and pictures to a hacker who brazenly flaunts his “victories” over Facebook.

Seriously, he lists each  of his hacks and displays them like cheap awards.
no matter how many people reported his page “it doesn’t violate any of Facebook’s terms” so they won’t remove it.
Confusing right?

Show a picture of a momma nursing her baby and they will punt you faster than you can say “pacifier” but slap a country name in front of the word “hacker” and they turn a blind eye.

Watching her go through all of this has really opened my eyes.

It’s shown me once again that there is an ugly side to blogging. A side no one really wants to talk about.

It had bothered me so much that I have spent the last couple of days re-evaluating why I’m crazy enough to even want to blog in the first place.

I wish I was sitting next to you sharing a cup of coffee.
Am I the only one who thinks it’s so much easier to share your heart when your face to face?
Life happens face to face.
Not screen to screen.
So let’s pretend we’re sitting in a coffee shop chatting.
I hope that you know that I am being transparent &real.
That the words you see on the pages show you my heart.
Even when they seem random.
I want you to catch a glimpse of who I am.
What interests me. What I’m worried about or brings me to smile.
I write this blog to share tid bits of my life.
I love cooking.
LOVE it.
But I’m not a foodie blog.
I love crafting.
LOVE it but I’m not a DIY craft blog.
I love reading other blogs.
And leaving comments on their posts.
But,if it’s something that not true to what I believe I am not going to tell you how great a post it is.

I hope my readers feel the same when they comment on my posts.

I love entering draws and winning stuff.
But,I’m only going to support giveaways for products I would use or want for myself.
I’m still going to stick with what feels truer to who I am.
I’m not a journalist.
I will misspell words, make grammatical errors and litter a post with slang.
I type the way I speak.
I want my posts to capture real memories.
Adventures with four is my sharing place.
My venting place.
My “be” who I am place.
My live life and share life place.
In 20 years it won’t matter how many recipes I shared or giveaways I blogged about.
What will matter most is capturing snapshots of my babies as they grow up.
One day at a time.
Are willing to walk with me one day at a time?
Now having said that I started to think.
What if I was the one who was hacked?
What If I was the one who had logged in only to discover that my entire blog was scrubbed clean and instead of my content I faced a stark black screen and a scrolling taunt that I had been hacked.

Ever post I wrote and photo I took gone.

How would I feel?

What would I do? Would I know what to do?

I’m sure that I am not the only blogger that automatically assumes everything I write Has been protected on some level or at least saved. Right? I’m not so sure.

I didn’t even know how to back up my blog until a few days ago and I have been blogging for years.

When I made the switch from blogger to WordPress One of the first things I needed to find a web host that would import everything over for me.
I pay my fees and understood that they would “take care of me” so I didn’t give it a second thought.
Rookie mistake. I may know how to “export” my blog and save it to my own personal computer but do I know what to do with the information next?
And where do I go to find that out?

Her experience had taught me a couple of valuable “take aways”.

* back up your posts and if you don’t know how to find out! If you use a web domain that auto backs up find out how often they do.

* keep a hard copy of all your photos and another watermarked copy online so if you need to replace a blog photo you already have it saved.

* change your passwords regularly.
For everything. Make sure not to reuse your passwords.

Blogging has been an awesome learning experience but beside protecting myself I need to remember that life happens away from the screen.
For every new experience there are lessons to be learned even if that lesson comes via a hacker.

As for my friend she still trying to protect everyone else and has asked that we don’t leave comments on her personal Facebook page or blog about what is happening because she is worried that we will be targeted next.

I’m pretty small potatoes.

She has an entire team behind her helping her working around the clock to retrieve all of her photos and years worth of posts.

She will be back.

Stronger and smarter too just you wait and see…

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