SoylentNews is people
SoylentNews
I'm just informed enough about IT security to know that I really know very very little about it. That said, I probably know ten times as much as do 99% of people. I'm an expert in my field, and while I've been a jack of all trades on many fronts, today's threats to privacy and IT security require expert knowledge to combat.
I do not have time.
- For example, I hear that Microsoft added updates to Win7/8 that threaten my family's privacy...yet I have not yet gone and removed the offending updates. I moved myself to Ubuntu/xfce, but my son is still using Win8. I'll get to it eventually.
- For example, java script is a security risk, and I have No-Script, turn off 3rd party cookies, etc, but invariably I have to turn it off for some website (i.e. to pay my bill), and eventually, I stop turning it back to full security.
- I installed Cyanogenmod and Fdroid on my phone. And for the most part its great..and I have very few apps with permissive permissions settings....but my wife is still using an iphone and ipad, with all sorts of apps...with ridiculous permission leaks..and that is a struggle.
The long winded point I have is that it is now just too damn much work to do it all right. I'm tired after a 10 hour workday. I've obviously taken more steps than most, but it is still leaky as hell...
I need a company/organization that I can reasonably trust to manage my information security/property, to manage my computers, manage my vpns, e.g., to isolate my web browser windows over multiple vpns, ... all of it, and it can't be GOOGLE. My data is my property, as long as I can hold it, so it needs to be a company/organization that built in privacy obligations (like lawyers and doctors supposedly do).
-Signed: A Frustrated Tired Old Nerd (with children)
[Ed's Comment: Does such a company exist? Is it even possible to provide such a service? Or have we just identified a niche in the market for some enterprising person to fill?]
(Score: 2) by Fnord666 on Monday October 05 2015, @04:20PM
The concept is "Total Cost of Pwnership": How much effort does it take to compromise your system? If the TCP is far higher than the perceived value of the information stored on the device, then most attackers will simply move on to a softer target. After all, why spend valuable time trying to bust into somebody's FreeBSD system when you can just move on to your neighbors' unpatched Windows box?
Unfortunately this presumes that it is an either/or situation, which it's not. With automation, scripting and botnets, attackers can try to get into both of your computers at the same time. It doesn't require their undivided attention.
(Score: 2) by Thexalon on Monday October 05 2015, @04:39PM
I absolutely agree that they can do multiple things at the same time, but the automated scripts and such are likely to target easily-compromised machines with a large install base too. Why bother writing an automated tool that targets a relatively rare OS when you have so many really easy targets available?
The only thing that stops a bad guy with a compiler is a good guy with a compiler.
(Score: 2, Insightful) by https on Monday October 05 2015, @05:35PM
Because they are using other people's resources to run the attacks. They do not have to manage them efficiently or rationally, and an exploit is an exploit is an exploit is an owned machine, unless you don't actually implement the exploit.
Offended and laughing about it.