{
  "id": 12719634,
  "title": "How a (Weirdly Chill) Celebrity Thinks About Personal Cybersecurity",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/07/how-a-weirdly-chill-celebrity-thinks-about-personal-cybersecurity",
  "topic": "tech",
  "section": "Tech",
  "published": "2026-10-07T21:31:51.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Wired",
    "slug": "wired",
    "url": "https://www.wired.com/story/how-a-weirdly-chill-celebrity-thinks-about-personal-cybersecurity/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Shaquille O’Neal, the four-time NBA champion and media personality, has spoken about his approach to personal cybersecurity. He discussed a video he has of himself \"beating up Charles Barkley\" that he wouldn’t want the world to see, noting that \"everybody needs to have control of their own information.\"\n\nFollowing a scam where individuals pretended he was attempting to buy a house, O’Neal discovered he needed to enhance his knowledge of cybersecurity and digital defense. He revealed he had been hacked for the first time, noting his initial lack of awareness about what to do in such situations.\n\nWhile O’Neal maintains that he doesn’t store particularly sensitive data on his devices, he acknowledges that his high profile makes him more aware of the need for additional security measures. He commented that he thinks about these issues constantly but strives not to let them consume him, emphasizing the importance of maintaining reaction skills when faced with security challenges.\n\nAs a tech investor with an early interest in AI, O’Neal aims to inform the public about cybersecurity. He highlighted NordVPN, known for its VPN service, which also offers antivirus, threat detection, and scam-defense features designed for consumer accessibility. NordVPN’s chief technology officer, Marijus Briedis, expressed surprise at a recent poll revealing that 73 percent of Americans overestimate antivirus capabilities, believing them to protect against threats ranging from identity theft to online tracking.\n\nBriedis pointed out that the weakest point in cybersecurity lies between the computer and the chair, and his team is focusing on education as a solution to this pressing issue. He shared that this focus on education is consuming much of his thoughts, even in his dreams.",
  "summary": "At a recent event for security firm NordVPN, NBA superstar Shaquille O’Neal revealed that he got hacked—and warned the public about the need to “have control of their own information.”",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}