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Expert: Password is key to privacy [Montgomery Advertiser, Ala. :: ](Montgomery Advertiser (AL) Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) Sept. 02--After hackers allegedly stole hundreds of nude photos from celebrity cell phones and posted them to the Internet over the weekend, one of the victims went online to express her outrage. "Knowing those photos were deleted long ago, I can only imagine the creepy effort that went into this," actress Mary Elizabeth Winstead tweeted. But security experts say the delete button is no longer a sure way to get rid of a photo. Kindred Technology Group's Kenley Obas said he recently took a photo with his phone and then got rid of it, but it popped up on another phone because he shares an Apple account with his wife. "Even though I deleted it, it was still on her phone," Obas said. That's because Apple uploads and stores photos on its iCloud service so users can still access them if they delete them by mistake. Even if you opt out of the iCloud service, anyone else who gets the photo on their phone could have it on their iCloud. This weekend, hackers reportedly used an exploit in that technology to access the photo accounts of the celebrities, including Oscar winner Jennifer Lawrence, model Kate Upton and actor Kirsten Dunst. Some victims confirmed the authenticity of the other photos, but others had not been verified. After the images appeared, Engadget, a Web magazine that covers consumer electronics and technology, reported that Apple had fixed a bug that could have enabled hackers to gain access to iCloud accounts. According to Engadget, the Find My iPhone software was recently found to have been vulnerable to hackers who repeatedly try different passwords, seeking one that provides entry. While there's no way to be certain that hackers will never get access to your private accounts, Obas said you can help protect yourself by using more complex passwords. The program allegedly used by the hackers focuses on a list of the most common passwords. "They didn't hack everybody's account," Obas said. "(The victims) more than likely had very simple passwords." Better passwords Don't use the same combinations across multiple accounts Use unique characters in your password Don't use easy to guess phrases Change your passwords frequently Kenley Obas, Kindred Technology Group ___ (c)2014 the Montgomery Advertiser (Montgomery, Ala.) Visit the Montgomery Advertiser (Montgomery, Ala.) at www.montgomeryadvertiser.com Distributed by MCT Information Services |