Smack those Hackers upside the Head! And pray...

Over the past week, several of my friends on Facebook have gotten their accounts hacked. And these hackers have a grand old time posting cruel and hideous things on their pages. This infuriates me. What is WRONG with these people? They need a good smack upside the head! Do these idiots have nothing better to do than to infect the lives of others? One friend actually said she chatted with one of the hackers on her Facebook Messenger. He commented that doing this was funny. FUNNY! They actually get their thrills this way.

Another friend this week had her email hacked. The hacker not only sent a very rude and crass message to some of her friends, but also deleted all of her folders with hundreds of saved email messages. Horrors! It makes me shudder to think of losing all of my email folders. It actually is making me consider transferring them to another account...just in case. What a mess my friend had to deal with!

Just more confirmation of a devil who is alive and well and wreaking as much havok on the earth as possible before his time is up.

It's sad, really. As angry as the whole thing makes me, the people who are doing this need prayer. We might not be able to turn things around, but last time I read my Bible (which was yesterday), it said that God is able! It also says that "greater is He who is in us than He who is in the world" (1 John 4:4). God is greater than the devil. WE have the power of prayer. Let's tap into that power and pray for these people who, really, "know not what they do."

BUT, in the meantime, there are things you can do to protect yourself from hackers. Here are a few tips:

1. Change your password regularly
2. Use passwords that include both numbers and letters
3. Don't give out your password to anyone
4. DO NOT use the same password for every account you have. This is probably the most important tip. Especially with your email account. Use a totally unique password for email.

Worried about keeping track of your different passwords? Fortunately, most sites have a password reminder option (which I have used many, many times) in case you do forget. But I just set up an index card system listing the site, my user name and password. You could also use a Rolodex, a small notebook, etc.

I also recommend keeping two copies, just in case one is lost or stolen. At least then you could immediately go in and change each one without trying to wrack your memory for the sites you belong to. Trust me, you'll forget a couple. And keep your list in a safe place, out of sight. Which means don't write PASSWORDS in a big bold print on the front of your notebook.

Remember to lift the hackers up before God. Even if one of them is touched by our prayers, think of all the people that will be spared the pain, humiliation, and upheaval of having their online accounts invaded and abused.