It must be a peculiar world in the American legal system. In recent weeks, the Federal Bureau of Investigation was chasing Apple through the courts and Washington. Yet, this week it was advising the iPhone company about a security flaw in its devices. However, it still refuses to tell the company, the public and the government about how it managed to break into the phone of the San Bernadino terrorist, presumably in the hope that Apple doesn't discover and eliminate the weakness that allowed the FBI and its hired hackers to access the phone's contents. 

To maintain secrecy, apparently the FBI was never told how the £1 million hack worked http://money.cnn.com/2016/04/27/technology/fbi-apple-hack/ so it can't be forced to tell anyone the details. However, in a spot of charitable neighbourly spirit, the FBI has told Apple about a different flaw it discovered, which could allow users to break into older iPhones (http://www.reuters.com/article/us-apple-encryption-fbi-disclosure-idUSKCN0XO00T). While it may just be an example of the FBI proving that it can play nicely, it does nothing to solve the pressing row between tech companies and the agency, with Apple wanting to know how the terrorist's phone was broken into. 

While their arguments roll on, and the US government tries to balance the need for privacy and encryption vs the need to know what criminals are doing, the very real battle over IT and data security continues. A UK council recently felt the power of a cyber ransom attack, after a worker inadvertently opened a malware-laden attachment. That left Lincolnshire County Council with all of its IT services inaccessible (http://www.lincolnshireecho.co.uk/click-brought-county-council-s-knees/story-29186400-detail/story.html) while IT and security vendors help clean up the mess. Presumably, it didn't have to pay a bitcoin ransom due to having adequate backups, but the impact on services provides a clear warning to all businesses about teaching users basic IT security and to be aware of dubious files, no matter how genuine they look. 

Companies and individuals should look to protect their systems and data with secure connections (HTTPS://) to the Internet, this ensures a secure link to the server, and is something we at 1stCallDetectives employ to highlight our commitment to security privacy and client discretion. Virtual private networks (VPNs) that create secure tunnel links between computers, and advanced defence hardware are also essential. But these were neglected by the Bank of Bangladesh, who lost £55 million (http://arstechnica.com/security/2016/04/billion-dollar-bangladesh-hack-swift-software-hacked-no-firewalls-10-switches/) as hackers accessed their network via a cheap second-hand router designed for home use, and the bank lacked even a basic firewall. 

The main issue people have with security is the belief that "it will never happen to me" or "I'm not worth hacking." The automated tools that hackers use sweep through millions of internet connections and PCs each day, trying to find a weak spot. They don't care who you are or what your business is, they just want the data. Similarly, when it comes to government's mass collection of data, they have no concern about what you are doing online, all they want is the metadata, which only becomes of concern if it links you to a criminal, terrorist or similar threat. 

For those reasons, everyone should take their privacy seriously, and rely on encrypted applications, secure connections and strong defences when connecting to any online service. Even when it comes to relatively low key services like Spotify, which recently saw some user data leaked online (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/2016/04/26/spotify-denies-hacking-after-user-details-were-leaked/), people should take precautions with unique passwords and different email accounts for casual use. Two-factor authentication is an increasingly common tool, which means you will get a phone or text alert if someone tries to make changes to one of your accounts; most social media networks and retailers now offer this, and you are well advised to use it. Otherwise, your account could be easily hacked – your credit card could be used and information stolen without you ever noticing. 

Leaks, hacks and data theft will continue across every type of online business and service, so taking steps to protect yourself and your data are essential. Being aware of online security is important on a daily basis. How many times do people see a pop-up warning users that their PC is hacked and to call a "Microsoft" number? This is a common ploy that many people fall for, and a recent scam saw an unknown number calling a smartphone, and the phone then invisibly making a call to a premium rate number (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/04/27/new-phone-scam-leaves-victims-with-300-bills-for-calls-they-neve/), proving that people can't even trust their own technology. 

Against this background, taking every possible precaution is the only sensible thing to do. Leaving yourself open to these threats is the same as leaving your front door open, or the car running on a public street. Using any and all available encryption and security methods to help maintain your privacy, and protect yourself from digital crime, is one of the key issues facing us all.