The Vent and Rant Thread

[DMcCunney]

Originally Posted by Cinisajoy

Well now if the NSA is watching me, they are either bored or hungry.

Assume they aren't bored.

I knew someone that when an FBI agent moved in behind her, she thought the FBI was going to bug her phone.
Yes, I laughed.

Did she say why she thought the FBI would want to?

Years ago, a chap on a mailing list I'm on worked for Google. It was in the days when Gmail was still an invitational beta service. He offered invites to the other list members. I grabbed one.

A woman on the list was all upset as the prospect that Google could read her mail. The Google chap simply explained that the stuff that read the mail was algorithms looking for keywords, to better suggest links to products since Gmail was ad supported.

I carefully bit my tongue, and didn't ask why J. Random Human at Google would want to, when she was simply one more of potentially millions of Gmail users. The Gmail developers have more important things to do, like make sure Gmail is up and running, and haven't time to snoop.

But then, I've never considered email secure technology. If it's so private it would give me heartburn if it got out to the public, I either don't say it in email or use encryption (and I have yet to have a case where I felt the need to encrypt.) If you can successfully get to and read my mail store on Google's servers (and good luck with that), have at. Unless you're me, you'll be mystified or terminally bored.
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Dennis

[Blossom]

I could care less if Google reads my email but I remember when they introduced that feature and many did have a problem with it. Now we have services that will read your mail for invoices and give you money back on price differences. We're always being targeted by third parties wanting our information. I don't have a problem as anything on the internet is never 100% secured or private.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk

[Hitch]

Originally Posted by Blossom

Wow that's not a nice thing to say about your friend. Your friends fears are justify. Webcams and nanny cams are being hacked into everyday. My husband makes sure our devices have a sticker on them or turned over. It's a real security issue.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk

Oh, please. I said the same thing about my own self, regardless of the fact that I'm thin. I'm pretty sure if some wild-eyed hacker managed to get onto my webcam, and turn it on, and IF I actually sat on my home 'puter in the all-together, he'd sign off pretty damn quick. Scalded eyeballs, indeed. There are exceedingly few bathing-beauty ladies in the late-middle-age-to-older crowd.

Would it have been okay to say, if I left out the part about her weight? It would have been funny then? Sorry, but really--if someone's worried, why the hell would they sit around, on their computer, in front of their own damn eyeball, NAKED? If I was to do that, as I said, any hacker would get the eyeful he damn well deserved, and he'd probably have second thoughts before doing it again.

It's okay to laugh at the paranoid person, who had the FBI neighbor--but not someone who's paranoid about her appearance? So, laughing at dumb is good?

I refuse to sit around, thinking that spies and hackers and peepers are trying to view me on my own damned webcam. If people are actually concerned that electronic peeping toms are watching them, either a) dress up and make the best of it, or b) use whatever you have to cover up the lens. Use the slide, turn them around, or cover it with a piece of cloth.

What's the exact security issue? Seriously? WHAT, exactly, is that hacker getting, from your webcam, itself?


What, they can see what's behind your head, in case it's worth stealing? Hope they're all hopped up about my bookcase. Quite frankly, if some hacker gets into my webcam, I have MUCH bigger issues to worry about than whether or not he saw my bookcase. The webcam isn't the security issue--it's that they got that FAR.


Hitch

[Hitch]

Originally Posted by DMcCunney

Assume they aren't bored.


Did she say why she thought the FBI would want to?

Years ago, a chap on a mailing list I'm on worked for Google. It was in the days when Gmail was still an invitational beta service. He offered invites to the other list members. I grabbed one.

A woman on the list was all upset as the prospect that Google could read her mail. The Google chap simply explained that the stuff that read the mail was algorithms looking for keywords, to better suggest links to products since Gmail was ad supported.

I carefully bit my tongue, and didn't ask why J. Random Human at Google would want to, when she was simply one more of potentially millions of Gmail users. The Gmail developers have more important things to do, like make sure Gmail is up and running, and haven't time to snoop.

But then, I've never considered email secure technology. If it's so private it would give me heartburn if it got out to the public, I either don't say it in email or use encryption (and I have yet to have a case where I felt the need to encrypt.) If you can successfully get to and read my mail store on Google's servers (and good luck with that), have at. Unless you're me, you'll be mystified or terminally bored.
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Dennis

Wow, here's an idea: maybe she should STOP expecting to get FREE bloody email. Nothing like someone who uses free email services, and then bitches about how they're used, eh?

Hitch

[DMcCunney]

Originally Posted by Hitch

What, they can see what's behind your head, in case it's worth stealing? Hope they're all hopped up about my bookcase. Quite frankly, if some hacker gets into my webcam, I have MUCH bigger issues to worry about than whether or not he saw my bookcase. The webcam isn't the security issue--it's that they got that FAR.

The folks paranoid about hackers getting onto their computer amuse me. I'm behind a hardware firewall in my router, secured with WPA2 encryption. The machines that connect to the router all have software firewalls, because several of them travel. My home network is fairly carefully locked down.

The only way anyone gets at what's on my machine is to sit down in front of it. If they can do that, I have far bigger problems than computer security.
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Dennis

[wodin]

Originally Posted by DMcCunney

The folks paranoid about hackers getting onto their computer amuse me...
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Dennis

Ya can't fix stupid Dennis. They have far more to worry about than a webcam, credit card and bank account number come immediately to mind.

[Blossom]

Originally Posted by Hitch

Oh, please. I said the same thing about my own self, regardless of the fact that I'm thin. I'm pretty sure if some wild-eyed hacker managed to get onto my webcam, and turn it on, and IF I actually sat on my home 'puter in the all-together, he'd sign off pretty damn quick. Scalded eyeballs, indeed. There are exceedingly few bathing-beauty ladies in the late-middle-age-to-older crowd.

Would it have been okay to say, if I left out the part about her weight? It would have been funny then? Sorry, but really--if someone's worried, why the hell would they sit around, on their computer, in front of their own damn eyeball, NAKED? If I was to do that, as I said, any hacker would get the eyeful he damn well deserved, and he'd probably have second thoughts before doing it again.

See If people are actually concerned that electronic peeping toms are watching them, either a) dress up and make the best of it, or b) use whatever you have to cover up the lens. Use the slide, turn them around, or cover it with a piece of cloth.

What's the exact security issue? Seriously? WHAT, exactly, is that hacker getting, from your webcam, itself?


What, they can see what's behind your head, in case it's worth stealing? Hope they're all hopped up about my bookcase. Quite frankly, if some hacker gets into my webcam, I have MUCH bigger issues to worry about than whether or not he saw my bookcase. The webcam isn't the security issue--it's that they got that FAR.


Hitch

By mentioning her weight you are implying that heavy set people aren't attractive. It's really insulting. I'm sure if she read your post her feelings would be hurt. It's just not nice.

You seem to think of a webcam as as stationary on a desktop but the truth is they are everywhere on your phones, tablets, laptops not only do they record sight but sound as well but I know someone who was hacked and her kid picture posted in one of those kiddie porn sites so yes it's a real security issue and the hackers are getting bolder everyday.

I too use to roll my eyes about it till I saw it happen to someone I know then researched about how more common it's getting.


Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk

[DMcCunney]

Originally Posted by Hitch

Wow, here's an idea: maybe she should STOP expecting to get FREE bloody email. Nothing like someone who uses free email services, and then bitches about how they're used, eh?

I don't offhand recall how she was getting email at the time. It was likely delivered by POP from her ISP, stored locally, and read in an email client on her machine. She was having various issues at the time that made her question her self-worth, and a level of paranoia seemed to come with that.

I've given up expecting any sort of understanding of how the stuff we use daily actually works. Too few people even try to find out.

I did that back when, downloading via POP from the ISP's server and reading/replying in Outlook (for compatibility with employers who also used it.) I learned the hard way that versions of Outlook back then behaved very strangely if the mailbox.pst file where your mail was stored grew over 2GB in size. (The symptoms were new mail not getting delivered and duplicates of existing mail breeding like cockroaches.)

Gmail was a revelation. No worries about mail bouncing because I was traveling, couldn't check mail from elsewhere, and my Inbox on the ISP server filled up. My mail store is a database, living on Google's servers, and searchable through standard Google techniques. I could have it downloaded via POP and read it in a local client, but don't. I prefer to read it online in my browser, and don't need a local copy. I can check it from anywhere I have an Internet connection and a current browser.

And I no longer care about spam, because I almost never see it. Google has the best spam filtering I've ever seen, and perhaps one new piece of spam hits my Inbox every two or three weeks. Click Report Spam, and I don't see mail like that again.

I have Outlook here but haven't used it in years, This makes me happy.
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Dennis

[Cinisajoy]

Originally Posted by Hitch

I have a morbidly obese friend, of mature years, who is CONVINCED that if she has a webcam on her computer, that strangers will hack into her webcam and watch her while she's working on it, at night...naked.

Hell, forget the weight--at our ages, it's a desperate man, indeed, who will risk the scalded eyeballs that peeping on ladies of a certain vintage will incur.


Hitch

At a job I once held, it seemed the wannabe sugar daddies liked the younger ones and the young studs wanted the vintage women.
Vintage is over 40 in this case.
I also met guys that liked twigs and others that would have loved your friend.
Of course there were a few that would have liked a combination.

[Blossom]

Originally Posted by Cinisajoy

At a job I once held, it seemed the wannabe sugar daddies liked the younger ones and the young studs wanted the vintage women.
Vintage is over 40 in this case.
I also met guys that liked twigs and others that would have loved your friend.
Of course there were a few that would have liked a combination.

Yeah my mom tells me stories like that with her senior group. She worries about my hubby working with all those mature women at his new job. She tells me some wild stories that have me giggling because just because you are older doesn't mean you start acting different.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk

[DMcCunney]

Originally Posted by Blossom

By mentioning her weight you are implying that heavy set people aren't attractive. It's really insulting. I'm sure if she read your post her feelings would be hurt. It's just not nice.

Attractiveness is in the eye of the beholder. For instance, I don't find morbidly obese people attractive. I know several of both sexes. They may be intelligent, personable, and capable. I won't insult or denigrate them, but I wouldn't want to see them naked.

You seem to think of a webcam as as stationary on a desktop but the truth is they are everywhere on your phones, tablets, laptops not only do they record sight but sound as well but I know someone who was hacked and her kid picture posted in one of those kiddie porn sites so yes it's a real security issue and the hackers are getting bolder everyday.

Security begins with knowledge. It's actually not hard to prevent such things, but you must be aware you need to and know how to do it.

There was an event discussed on Facebook a while back. A guy got busted for downloading kiddie porn. The cops were not gentle about taking him in and he was rather the worse for wear. The problem was, he was innocent.

Like half the universe, he had a home network and a router. The router was not secured. Anyone in range could connect to it and reach the Internet through it. One of his neighbors had done so and done the downloading, but because it was his router, it was his IP address the downloads were traced to. He was released and the neighbor was busted, but the damage had already been done. The problem was his ignorance and failure to secure his setup.

One of the commenters (who happens to be an old friend) asked "What are us non-technical folks to do?" The answer is "Find a friend who is technical, or pay someone to set you up. At least now you know you need to."

We live in an increasingly technological society, and a basic understanding of the implications and what we must do in consequence are requirements. Ignorance is not an excuse.

I too use to roll my eyes about it till I saw it happen to someone I know then researched about how more common it's getting.

I still roll my eyes about it, and I've been a computer professional involved with security among other things for 30+ years.

See above about security through knowledge. If you don't know something, that's curable. You can learn, once you are aware you are ignorant. If you can't be bothered to learn, I roll my eyes. If you are incapable of learning, you have real problems. I won't roll my eyes, but I'll avoid dealing with you. You will be a danger to yourself and those around you.

Most of what I roll my eyes about is the assumption by folks that anyone is specifically targeting them. In the vast majority of cases, nobody would be. I secure my systems as a matter of course. I can detect at least a dozen different wireless networks from where I am. I can think of no reason why anyone might want to deliberately hack mine. I'm nobody, and have nothing of any interest if they tried. One thing I am happy about is seeing an increasing number of secured networks over the years. Back when I first got broadband, unsecured was the norm. These days it's a glaring exception, and is generally a specifically public hotspot, like in a Starbucks.

(And when my ISP upgraded my bandwidth and sent me a new combo cable modem/wireless router, security was on by default, and part of the setup process was chaging the password. This made me happy.)
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Dennis

[Cinisajoy]

Originally Posted by Blossom

Yeah my mom tells me stories like that with her senior group. She worries about my hubby working with all those mature women at his new job. She tells me some wild stories that have me giggling because just because you are older doesn't mean you start acting different.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk

Well now as far as hubbies and women at work, some over the years have gotten very dependent on him. Thing is I trust him completely and he wouldn't have touched the most dependent one at all.
He has worked with young and barely vintage. Several have been young enough to be my daughter or his granddaughter.
My youngest daughter and his oldest grandson are 6 months apart in age.

[Blossom]

Agreed knowledge is key to staying safe in day and age of technology. Her case was a trojan installed that her AV failed to catch. She probably got it from ads maybe even Facebook not really knowing about ad blockers to keep herself safe.

My mom Facebook account got hacked last month. I can't convince her this guy isn't interested in her and isn't who he says he is. I reported him but Facebook did very little.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk

[Hitch]

Originally Posted by Blossom

By mentioning her weight you are implying that heavy set people aren't attractive. It's really insulting. I'm sure if she read your post her feelings would be hurt. It's just not nice.

So: it's okay to laugh at people who are stupid, about the FBI tapping their phones, but appearance--specifically obesity--is bad?

I wrote a rather lengthy response to this, but I've decided I'm just going to say this: the cognitive dissonance about obesity, and political correctness, in the US, is bloody appalling.

Back to webcams:

You seem to think of a webcam as as stationary on a desktop but the truth is they are everywhere on your phones, tablets, laptops not only do they record sight but sound as well but I know someone who was hacked and her kid picture posted in one of those kiddie porn sites so yes it's a real security issue and the hackers are getting bolder everyday.

And, if people persist in treating their computers like toasters, then yes--they'll probably have these issues. The WEBCAM didn't hack your friend, and take images, presumably from her image directories. That's just same-old, same-old hacking. What part, specifically, what role, did the webcam play?

I too use to roll my eyes about it till I saw it happen to someone I know then researched about how more common it's getting.

I run a slightly insane number of firewalls, at multiple ingress locations. I think it's irresponsible to do anything less. If I get hacked, I get hacked. However, let's not confuse "webcam hacking" as some different type of thing that happens in a vacuum. Generally speaking, the ENTIRE system has been hacked, giving the hacker control over the computer--not simply the webcam. They (the computer owner) open a virus, download a RAT--and the being-controlled webcam is a SYMPTOM of a much, much larger issue. Webcams don't open and download rats by themselves. They don't install themselves on computers with unsecured wifi connections and broadcasting beacons.


Hitch

[DMcCunney]

Originally Posted by wodin

Ya can't fix stupid Dennis. They have far more to worry about than a webcam, credit card and bank account number come immediately to mind.

I don't even try to fix stupid. I just do my best to avoid it.

I had a conversation with an old friend a while back on the issue. She said "The problem is, we're smart, and we surround ourselves with people who are also smart. It can be hard to comprehend that some people simply aren't smart." She was quite right.
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Dennis