Your Computer Has No Security

[fmdog44]

Reading Dec. 28 2020 Bloomberg Businessweek Magazine there is a two page article about hackers and it stresses the fact despite what you do to try to protect your info. it cannot be done. It touches on the CCleaner hack in 2017(downloaded two billion times) and the Target Store hack in 2013 (100million accounts hacked). It makes fun of passwords as being effective. Your protection is as effective as "a dead bolt for your front door based on how well it would stand up to an intercontinental ballistic missile." Another security comparison was "like hoping to slow down climate change by persuading enough people to turn down their home thermostats." Finally if that is not discouraging enough the author writes, "The individual control module doesn't work."

Bottom line is if they want it they can get it. But then we all probably knew that.

 

[HoneyNut]

They keep adding more layers of security at work, nowadays there are always team members who can't do their work because they are locked out by the security thinking they are a bad actor. But the human factor bites us pretty regularly, with people emailing sensitive data unencrypted. So now they have systems snagging our emails if they look like they might be exposing information, which so far seems to let the sensitive data through but then dislikes a perfectly fine email and responds with a scary 'You manager has been informed that you sent sensitive data'.
At least it is automated now, the first time it happened (some years ago) I got an actual in-person visit from the email security person.

 

[ManjaroKDE]

In your mind you think you are somewhat 'off grid'. I've said many times that Google knows more about me than I do myself. I had the need to make an online payment with Gpay, Google's app. I've never used it or thought I would need it. But alas I was having pipe dreams. Anyway I went through the login process using my old (unused since 2016) Gmail login (I remembered my old password). I still had an active account that showed 5 credit cards were available, so select.

The odd thing was that 2 of the accounts had been cancelled for one reason or another a few years back. I choose one of the active links and waited for a day or 2 to verify that the payment was made, then immediately went back in Gpay and deleted all 5 of the selections, I'm sure they're somewhere in their massive storage areas but hopefully if a hacker steals the passwords (it happens) I have made it a little harder on them.

The 'dirty' 7 include Google, Apple, Facebook, Amazon, Yahoo,,,etc.

 

[Jeni]

They keep adding more layers of security at work, nowadays there are always team members who can't do their work because they are locked out by the security thinking they are a bad actor. But the human factor bites us pretty regularly, with people emailing sensitive data unencrypted. So now they have systems snagging our emails if they look like they might be exposing information, which so far seems to let the sensitive data through but then dislikes a perfectly fine email and responds with a scary 'You manager has been informed that you sent sensitive data'.
At least it is automated now, the first time it happened (some years ago) I got an actual in-person visit from the email security person.

At my work they have hired a bunch more IT people ... I do not fully understand why as we have not had any breaches that staff has been informed but........ IT sends spoof test emails to see if we report to the phishing team. about 4 a week is getting really old at this point ... certainly they know who has failed the tests by now.