Cyberprivacy – Cyber-Cerber Blog

Don’t trust everything you see!

Don’t trust everything you hear!

Don’t trust everything you read!

One of the things that cybersecurity taught me is to have zero trust and to be suspicious of any information I see, read, or hear.

Your common sense, education, feelings and perception of normality it will be greatly impacted by the mass-media and social media avalanche of so called, information.

“Breaking news” (or just “breaking” … because are so urgent that writing another word, “news”, takes way too much time and energy), are coming almost in real time.

Publish it first, check it later. Or never.

News “from (credible or confidential) sources“, but impossible to be verified, will manipulate you in the direction desired by the owner’s news or the distributor.

The news is not anymore neutral but heavily connected to who is paying the monthly check. Or the big bonus.

Journalism, as in the ethical cod e(s) originally planned, is “rara avis”.

I will not keep you a lecture about journalism, as it is not my field of specialty.

But I would like very briefly, to reiterate few advises for a safer and better online #cyberlife :

https://www.enisa.europa.eu/news/enisa-news/ecsm-20 20

ThinkB4YouClick: Stop, Think, Act (is one of the very first advice you’ll get in a scuba diving class, in stress management).

Use a search engine and do basic research about the info you are just about to “like” and “share”. There are deeper and more complex tools to identify the original sources and to spot the dark side of that information, I’ll be back on this topic in a separate article.

Fake news, Misinformation, Disinformation, Deep Fake, with the aim of the advanced & powerful computer & dedicated software, and with the booming of the #ArtificialIntelligence (aka #AI) support (or… leadership), will produce audio & visual content almost impossible to be classified. This plague will affect directly or indirectly, almost everything and everybody. A fine-tunned “news” (written, audio or video) can crash companies or stock markets, can divert politically elections, can turn the World upside down…

Everybody can be everything, any scammer can be a CEO.
- $25 million video scam ( 2024)
Any crook can be a “public speaker”, any mobster can show off as a prolific businessman. Be suspicious with “overnight” booming businesses… Search who is behind that “successful story”! Search who is involved (politically, economically, “sentimentally/sexually”) in the background. Don’t trust everything you see posted on their “business” website!
Don’t get easily impressed by the high numbers of “likes”, “followers” or “comments” on certain websites, pages, groups or profiles. It is SO easy to buy your “celebrity”. I am not posting links to such “services” as I am not intending to promote such scammers!

And remember, a fake news or misinformation remains an information with no value.

No matter that there is partial reality or truth in that information, the diversion of it with the clear intention of manipulation, is canceling any value of it.

And to give you a harsh example: you have a bottle of water. But somebody is peeing in your water bottle. Just a bit. A very little. Is your water still potable? You will still drink from that bottle of contaminated water?†

I guess, no!

Same with the information. Don’t accept contaminated news, do your best and filter it before accepting it.

If you are not sure how to verify a certain information, drop me an email, or get in directly in touch with me, I will be more than happy to give you some tips to help you in your future #cyberinvestigations. Confidentiality is by default!

… and to end up with a smaile…

Stay #cybersafe!

Cyber-Cerber.com is part of OmnisMares.com

CV – Curriculum Vitae… or Resume… no, I will not go into this topic. You can find some good guidance in this Harvard Resume/CV guide.

Also, I will not go into the design concept, which format is better or preferred… as there is none. Every recruiter has their own view and opinion, therefore, whatever you’ll choose, you’ll not be good enough for all. Just kidding.

But what I will like to highlight now is your privacy. Your cyber-privacy!

We are all hunting for better jobs. Some of us are getting the dream job thru a direct recommendation, others by direct hunting, others thru a recruitment agency.

The recruitment agency has the privilege of working on our behalf, hunting and matching the best job as per our CV/resume. They deal with the bureaucratic details in the background, the interviews, etc.

And we are happy. And they are happy. So far, so good.

One of the duties of every accredited agency, at least in the EU, is to properly manipulate and store the data. Including our data. Our CV/resume. As per the GDPR. They have certain procedures and protocols, including cybersecurity and cyberprivacy.

And this is good, this is what we want. To have our data, our personal information, in safe hands!

But recently, over the past months, I started to see a lot of individual recruiters, advertising jobs and collecting CVs into, most of the time, Gmail accounts.

Nothing wrong with or against individuals offering jobs to others, don’t take me wrong. Not going into the professional recruitment process (background check, profile match, certifications and skills verified, etc)… if is properly done or is just passing the paper from one hand to another…

My main concern is how our CVs, or personal data, are manipulated, stored, and protected by the @gmail.com user. Is the device “malware” free? Is the user cyber-clean, cyber-aware, and with good internet and computer habits? Is the data stored in a cyber-protected and encrypted environment? For how long the data is stored? What happens with that data after the “recruitment” process is finished? Is deleted? When? How? Do you get any feedback on the status of your CV/resume after the recruitment process is done?

You may say… is just a CV. No bank details, no PIN. Nothing to lose. Right?

Let’s review… In your CV, you have a name, a picture, DOB, location/address, email, telephone number, in-depth details of your previous jobs, medicals & references details… And the list can go on. And what can happen? Well… sit tight and brace for impact…

Impersonating, fake profiles, spare phishing, or even whaling, and cyberbullying, online harassment are just a few of the real dangers behind personal data (CV) in the wrong hands.

Just do a quick test… type “CV” in any search engine? What you’ll get? Tons of data, private data. Add a name… and there you go. And you don’t want to be on that visible list. Not to mention the dark web and deep web!

Don’t post your CV online. Don’t give your CV to anyone who is just posting a job offer… Is that job offer even for real? Sometimes, we see “recruiters” of large (yes, large) yachts with Yahoo, Gmail, or other free accounts. If for a yacht of 30-40mtrs that is self-managing, this might be OK, for a large yacht with solid logistic support… it does not sound professional.

A few pieces of advice before sending your data:

Do a bit of basic research (searching engines, social media, etc) before jumping with “CV sent. Thank you Sir/Madam”…

Ask your recipient for an email confirmation and application status (forwarded, accepted, rejected, denied, etc). I know…most of the recruiters are demanding professionalism but they deeply lack basic polite feedback so… even fewer expectations from a @Gmail “recruiter”!
Ask for written confirmation of CV/resume/data deletion after the recruitment process is completed

Personal and professional data must be carried out in the most private and professional way. Treat the subject seriously and good luck in your job hunting!