Get Smart about Business Spending
CBS video: Cybersecurity at the Olympics
At the Beijing Olympics, which officially got under way Friday, athletes from around the world will be striving to run faster, jump higher, and score more goals than their opponents. At the same time, warns the U.S. government, cybercriminals will be on the prowl for credit card information to steal, and security forces could well direct snooping efforts at unsuspecting travelers.
Just ahead of the games, Joel Brenner, the U.S. national counterintelligence executive, talked with Bob Orr of CBS News about the threats that travelers to China could be facing and offered advice on how travelers can protect themselves. The worrisome backdrop, according to Brenner, is a pattern of "relentless and ongoing" identity theft.
"Somebody with a wireless device in China should expect it to be compromised," Brenner said. For more of the interview, see the video here from the CBS Evening News. (And watch for us to be bringing you more such video on CNET News, which is now published by CBS Interactive.)
U.S. officials are offering a blunt reminder that any electronic transmission--from PDA, fax, computer, or phone--can be intercepted. Their travel tips include the following: change your passwords frequently; update antivirus and spyware programs; and avoid wireless networks whenever possible.
Click here for more stories on tech and the Beijing Olympics.
Jonathan Skillings is managing editor of CNET News, based in the Boston bureau. He's been with CNET since 2000, after a decade in tech journalism at the IDG News Service, PC Week, and an AS/400 magazine. He's also been a soldier and a schoolteacher. E-mail Jon. 
- by benjaminstraight August 10, 2008 3:19 PM PDT
- Too much lock down.
- Reply to this comment
-
(3 Comments)