There are reasons to feel paranoid about who might be
looking into our private files. According to a Wall
Street Journal story on February 18, 2010, a major
operation has been uncovered.
Hands have been discovered reaching into the private
files of hundreds of companies. Your information or
mine might be involved.
Netwitness, a computer security company, uncovered the
scheme. What they found were hackers working from
centers in Europe and China, remotely using computers
of perhaps millions of unsuspecting users to avoid
detection.
More than 2,400 companies have been infiltrated, and the
thieves have gained access to credit card transactions
and intellectual property.
The story is just breaking, and we'll know more in days
to come. This is not the first incident of identity
theft, of course, and it surely won't be the last.
At stake in situations like these are financial
resources. How shocked would we be to find that our
bank account that was comfortably stocked yesterday is
inexplicably empty today? There are reasons why
companies like LifeLock have done so well!
Before computers and the Internet, an even more
sinister threat lurked, one that continues even today.
Peter wrote about it: "Be sober, be vigilant; because
your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring
lion seeking whom he may devour" (1 Peter 5:8).
Laugh if you must, but the Bible is a credible book.
The threat is real.
Satan does not share God's qualities of omniscience and
omnipotence. There is a limit on what he can do. If
anything, though, we underestimate his abilities.
Paul wrote about otherwise intelligent people when he
made this observation: "And that they may come to their
senses and escape the snare of the devil, having been
taken captive by him to do his will" (2 Timothy 2:26).
Like naive home computers that have been hijacked for
criminal activities by an evil hacker, we are often
found letting Satan utilize our minds and bodies for
his purposes.
Satan cannot win, however, if we take our stand with
Christ. That would mean learning from the Lord how to
live wisely: "Lest Satan should take advantage of us;
for we are not ignorant of his devices" (2 Corinthians
2:11).
Wisdom also means doing God's will in all things:
"Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will
flee from you" (James 4:7).
Close your eyes and pretend that no one is trying to
hack into your personal information. But wouldn't it be
smarter to be proactive? In the same way, believe the
Bible when it says the devil is trying to hack his way
into your eternal reward.
looking into our private files. According to a Wall
Street Journal story on February 18, 2010, a major
operation has been uncovered.
Hands have been discovered reaching into the private
files of hundreds of companies. Your information or
mine might be involved.
Netwitness, a computer security company, uncovered the
scheme. What they found were hackers working from
centers in Europe and China, remotely using computers
of perhaps millions of unsuspecting users to avoid
detection.
More than 2,400 companies have been infiltrated, and the
thieves have gained access to credit card transactions
and intellectual property.
The story is just breaking, and we'll know more in days
to come. This is not the first incident of identity
theft, of course, and it surely won't be the last.
At stake in situations like these are financial
resources. How shocked would we be to find that our
bank account that was comfortably stocked yesterday is
inexplicably empty today? There are reasons why
companies like LifeLock have done so well!
Before computers and the Internet, an even more
sinister threat lurked, one that continues even today.
Peter wrote about it: "Be sober, be vigilant; because
your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring
lion seeking whom he may devour" (1 Peter 5:8).
Laugh if you must, but the Bible is a credible book.
The threat is real.
Satan does not share God's qualities of omniscience and
omnipotence. There is a limit on what he can do. If
anything, though, we underestimate his abilities.
Paul wrote about otherwise intelligent people when he
made this observation: "And that they may come to their
senses and escape the snare of the devil, having been
taken captive by him to do his will" (2 Timothy 2:26).
Like naive home computers that have been hijacked for
criminal activities by an evil hacker, we are often
found letting Satan utilize our minds and bodies for
his purposes.
Satan cannot win, however, if we take our stand with
Christ. That would mean learning from the Lord how to
live wisely: "Lest Satan should take advantage of us;
for we are not ignorant of his devices" (2 Corinthians
2:11).
Wisdom also means doing God's will in all things:
"Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will
flee from you" (James 4:7).
Close your eyes and pretend that no one is trying to
hack into your personal information. But wouldn't it be
smarter to be proactive? In the same way, believe the
Bible when it says the devil is trying to hack his way
into your eternal reward.
-- by Tim Hall
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