Protect your privacy from hacker attacks

Our phone calls can be intercepted by anyone willing to buy the right equipment

PUBLIC uproar over the phone hacking scandal has re- ignited fears about our personal privacy and security as we struggle against the white-hot heat of technology. Many will this weekend be wondering how secure are their land and mobile telephones, their internet bank, credit card, savings and mortgage accounts?

They are about as safe as swimming with sharks. Phone hacking devices can be easily bought on the internet or at specialist security shops for less than 50.

Even so, it is against the law to intercept telephone calls, except for virtually every government department, which are exempt under the Regulation of Investigatory Powers (Communications Data) Order 2010. As well as the intelligence and emergency services, some 40 public bodies have the right to access our phone data, from local authorities, the NHS and Royal Mail to tax officials, the pensions regulator, child support investigators and the Office of Fair Trading.

But our spy society by no means ends there. Private detectives routinely offer surveillance services to trap a spouse suspected of infidelity or eavesdrop on teenage children. We called private investigators in Edinburgh and Glasgow to ask about these practices. They all refused to take our calls.

The Association of British Investigators was more forthcoming. President Tony Imossi said: "Phone tapping is illegal, as are other surveillance methods such as secret filming, but only up to a point.

"If any criminal activity is suspected, and you are trying to establish evidence, then it is permissible. The same applies for civil cases. If there is a marital breakdown and a divorce pending, then surveillance to establish evidence is OK."

Neither the Information Commission nor the police were able to confirm or rebut this interpretation of the law, but we know insurance companies routinely use secret filming and other surveillance techniques to smoke out fraudsters.

On top of this, our computers can be hacked by interested third parties but are also hourly under attack from global gangsters who employ armies to steal our personal data and take out loans in our names.

So how can you avoid falling victim to the cyber muggers? We give you the facts.Telephone

The explanation that the News of the World managed to hack into Prince William's and other celebrities' phones because the owners had not protected their messages with a personal identification number has now been largely discredited.

It seems investigator Glenn Mulcaire posed as a member of the credit control team to gain access to a master key which allowed him to break into mobile messages.

So while the first line of defence is to always protect your telephone with a personalised number, with different access codes for your office, home and mobile lines, this will not necessarily safeguard you from criminal activities.

Phone companies say they are now much more alert to such potential breaches, and customers are automatically notified if there is any suspicious attempt to access messages.

A spokeswoman for Orange said: "There is no default voicemail security code. If no personalised Pin has been set then there is no remote access."

Nevertheless, you should keep tabs on your messages to make sure your voicemail is working normally. Contact the company if anything seems unusual. In Prince William's case, royal aides noticed that messages which had not been listened to were registering as old messages. Change your access codes from time to time to keep security fresh.

But phone hacking can go much further than tapping into messages or texts. It is relatively easy to buy devices which allow you to eavesdrop on telephone conversations. The only clue to your phone being tapped might be a disruption to the normal ringtone, or the phone ringing at strange hours with no-one at the other end.

In the old analogue days, surveillance often did interfere with normal services. However, these sorts of clues are rarer in the digital age.

But Imossi said technology is not the first place to start. "If someone comes to see me because they fear their phone is being tapped, first I would assess whether I thought they were simply being paranoid," he said.

"But next I would go through how likely was the risk. Who were they? Who were they locked in some confrontation with? Why would a particular individual or corporation be motivated to organise a tap and what resources were they likely to have at their disposal?"

If there is a risk, then various kits can be used to check the electrical activity on the line, which can indicate whether other receivers are eavesdropping. These can again be bought over the internet or from specialist security shops.

Imossi added: "There are a million ways this can be done. For example, I am speaking to you on a landline, via a remote handset. This is connected via a radio signal. Someone could be sitting in a van outside in the road accessing that radio signal."

If you believe your lines are being interfered with then you should contact your phone company and ask them to check the line, and report your suspicions to the police.

Where evidence is found of an illegal tap, a criminal prosecution should follow. However, you may also be able to sue through the civil courts for compensation.

The News of the World has set up a 20 million compensation fund. Whether this will suffice, given the 4,000 suspected victims to date, remains to be seen.Internet banking

Internet banking has revolutionised the way we pay bills and manage our savings and mortgages. However, many customers secretly live in fear of money being stolen from their account by computer hackers and being left penniless.

It is possible to buy insurance against this risk, but this is cover you do not need to pay for.

If there are any suspected fraudulent transactions on your account, the bank is obliged to refund the money while an investigation is taking place under the Payment Services Regulations.

Provided you have not been negligent by, for example, handing over your security codes to fraudsters, then any loss should be refunded.

Indeed, the Financial Ombudsman Service admitted that it did not see many complaints about this kind of fraud.

Nevertheless, there is little doubt that bank accounts can be vulnerable, so institutions are adding additional layers of security.

HSBC is the latest bank to issue customers with a credit card-like secure key which churns out random numbers. Before you can access the account, you have to input the number.

An HSBC spokesman said: "Mixing static information like a set password with movable information like a random number improves security hugely."

Customers should also always ensure that their computers are defended by antivirus software and firewalls to ward off online attacks. These will need to be regularly updated.

Identity theft

Probably the biggest risk to most of us is having our identity stolen and used to set up bank accounts, overdrafts, loans and mortgages for which we can initially appear liable. It can take years to clear your name, and even then your credit record and identity can be compromised.

Treat security as a priority, so shred, shred and shred. Keep all important documents in a locked box and shred everything else. Never put bills or bank statements in the bin.

If you are going away, do not put luggage labels with your home address on your suitcase.

Never disclose any personal details about yourself to anyone over the telephone or internet.

Be particularly careful with plausible-sounding calls from so-called market research companies.These can be a front to obtain valuable information from you, such as your address, energy provider or bank account.

Always check bank statements or other bills for suspect transactions and report them immediately.

It is possible to buy insurance to protect yourself in case your identity does become compromised.