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[BandB]

I asked him recently about the cloud. His description of the cloud (which he does not use for any of his own documents, photos, records, anything) is that it's like the Wild West in terms of security and privacy. It's incredibly easy to hack into and steal stuff off of, according to him, and he feels we've barely seen the tip of the iceberg of massive security breaches and identity theft.

He told me that the cloud is a great idea operationally, but its security is next to nill at this point.

Anyone who lulls themselves into believing they have security in today's world is in for a rude awakening. As to the cloud, I would never maintain anything there for which security was important. Things like music or books are fine.

As to other things, when credit card processors and major retailers can't maintain security, you're subject to their shortcomings but also to issues on any computer hooked to the internet at any point. Windows is subject to problems, Android is, and Apple/ipads and iphones are. The more popular they get, the greater the number of hackers going after them.

I personally do not use my smartphone to do banking transactions and seldom use my tablets. Plus I don't maintain that information in them. I treat it as if I'm using someone else's computer. But the thing I'd most advise is have a plan in place for when everything you have gets compromised. That means a list of cards and accounts and phone numbers or a service so you can notify everyone quickly. Also bank alerts are very useful.

As to the bolded comment above, I agree 100%. So does my IT officer. So do nearly all experts. It will happen to you so just be prepared to survive and recover. The banks are doing an incredible job to try to control and limit it. In the last five years, I haven't had it happen to me but I've had at least 6 times the banks cancelled a card and gave me a new one due to risk.

 

[Skinny]

What the cloud offers is simple scalability for its clients. Need more speed or room...click...done. In a virtual world, things are simple to manage. That would have normally been a call to have an IT guy build a server, install it in your rack, and configure. Not any more. It also has multiple off site backups. Great, they have duped you with that because your information is now off site god knows where. ANYONE can intercept it at that point. If the data is going off site to another cloud, is it encrypted? Probably not even if they tell you it is.




The google guy is a very smart person, we haven't seen anything yet. Ever since the aviation industry went went to a reduction in radar coverage, they handled the increased traffic with the ACARS system. Basically your plane isn't physically seen by a radar signature. Your plane broadcasts an unencrypted digital signal on an AM freak that anyone can read and decode. All it takes is someone to block the channel with noise or transmit false data and the system is toast. We have yet to see it but give it time. A very scary system.


Watch here

, at 17:25 he discusses it in greater detail. The system is pretty much how the AIS concept works. Also watch videos about 'man in the middle' computer hacks. Anyone with some skill can get a computer to intercept and relay your information and grab it. Never use a free wifi system, only use wifi that is WPA secure, and I'd go as far as not using any banking apps on your mobile. I dig this stuff because I like reading how technology works but some people would rather just take your credit card and buy something cool with it!

 

[Donsan]

There are ways to provide further security in the computer world and the credit card world but they come with a cost and with inconvenience.

Some secure government agencies rely on a credit card like device with a computer chip. They utilize 2 factor authentication. To gain access to an information system, you need both the card and a PIN. It isn't perfect but it is a significant enhancement over login IDs and passwords.

The new credit cards that are being issued have a computer chip but I don't think they are to the point where a PIN will also be required to complete a transaction. But inevitably, it will happen.

By the way, a few weeks ago, my credit card was physically hacked without obtaining one of my cards. Now the funny thing about it is I just received a new card (same card number) with the new computer chip and a new expiration date on it and I had activated it. So, in the one week time I had it, there was no way someone could have duplicated the card. That implies they were making charges with a fake card with the wrong expiration date and yet charges were honored. I am convinced there is very little checking that goes on when credit cards are processed. The bank ended up sending new cards with new card numbers and a new expiration date. The total charges only amounted to $130 and I caught it the day it happened but it is kind of scary knowing someone can make a card with just your name and card number and get away with it because some swipe processing does not verify expiration dates.

Most of the fraudulent charges were made at gas stations in states that don't require you to enter your billing zip code. One was at a Macdonalds for $15.

I had been a customer of both Target and Home Depot so I suspect one of those entities was where the hackers got my card info.

 

[Marin]

Our company corporate cards are chip and pin cards. In coutries like China, Australia, South Korea, the UK, Poland, and France-- countries we have worked in over the last few years--- the PIN system is in full effect. If you don't have a chip and PIN card, some of the machines will still accept the swipe method. But more and more things seem to be going to the PIN.

 

[BryanF]

According to my card processor the USA is the last place in the world to do the switch to cards with chips. 24% of card transactions are in the US while over 50% of the fraud is in the US. One has to wonder why we have been so late to the party.

 

[BandB]

According to my card processor the USA is the last place in the world to do the switch to cards with chips. 24% of card transactions are in the US while over 50% of the fraud is in the US. One has to wonder why we have been so late to the party.

Cost. Changing equipment and systems.

Now while we read about the breaches at retail, there are still breaches in all other areas too. You ever write a check, you're exposed. Very simple to use your coding and do electronic checks or print checks. You ever use a card in a restaurant you're exposed. That's one place your card leaves your sight and there have been many cases of someone taking the information. If you have a credit file, then you're exposed to identity theft. We have an incredible amount of convenience today, but it comes with risk.

 

[ktdtx]

I recently acquired a Surface Pro3.
This is a real Windows based computer with the ability to be a touch screen tablet.
Keyboard connects/disconnects instantly and securely.

After I got over my dislike of Windows 8 the machine is growing on me.
Much slimmer and lighter than a regular laptop.
Has USB port so can attach external storage and other hardware.
I'm liking this more every day.

 

[Skinny]

I too disliked Windows 8 at first...it has grown on me. Certain aspects that you can't change with the start menu aside, it actually is a pretty decent operating system. I wouldn't hesitate to run it on a tablet.

 

[siestakey]

Obviously did not have spell check?

yepper that si the one I had

 

[siestakey]

I too disliked Windows 8 at first...it has grown on me. Certain aspects that you can't change with the start menu aside, it actually is a pretty decent operating system. I wouldn't hesitate to run it on a tablet.

same here at first but getting use to it

 

[Skinny]

With an SSD drive, it is almost an instant on speed boot up. I like the interface too. I do long for the conventional start menu.


Then again I have my older Windows 7 machine have the Win95 appearance just to feel like I'm back in the good ol' days

 

[BandB]

When they changed from Windows 3.0 to 3.1, I didn't like it.
When Windows 95 came out I didn't like it.
When Windows 2000 came out I didn't like it.
When Windows XP came out I didn't like it.
When Windows Vista came out I didn't like it. (actually chose to not use it)
When Windows 7 came out I didn't like it
When Windows 8 came out I didn't like it.

The other day I actually came across a computer that was still working and had Windows 3.0 running. I thought it was the most backward system I'd ever seen and wondered how we ever got by with it. Thank goodness they kept making changes and dragging me along. I guess the reality is most of us don't like change. We want the few improvements that we think benefit us, but don't touch the rest of it. Then we adjust.

But then remember when we used dial up internet and maximum speed was 56k? And now I have 105mb at home. And a VSat system or even Wifi on the boat seems slow.

 

[Skinny]

I think the main reason I dislike new (especially with computers) is the perpetual wheel of bullshit. New OS which doesn't do much compared to the old one. Yet it requires a bigger faster machine to run it. Then it gets slow with all the updates. You guessed it...time for a new OS.


Fortunately you can strip or located some hacked versions to run on old machines that are simply awesome as long as you can for go some of the setbacks like losing fancy add ins.


I remember when I was 18 I got a cell phone because I was commuting 3 hours round trip everyday to college. It was necessity in case I broke down. Not many people my age really had one. Fast forward 12 years later...my 12 year old cousin has an iPhone 4. We are all doomed!!!

 

[BandB]

We are all doomed!!!

Wifey B: Doomed, doomed, doomed....

But I like that stuff. My man is like have to have every new thing that comes along and he corrupted me. Well, just in that regard. Otherwise I corrupted him, but back to computers and phones. I think sometimes we no longer realize the additional features but we'd freak without them. Like hubby and I rarely type, we just speak and correct. And tablets and smartphones are like God's gift to internet addicts and techie geeks. I mean seriously the topic was tablets and think back and think how super cool it is to carry around a powerful computer that weighs like 5 ounces or something. My phone will do things faster than computers would 12 years ago.

Oh and I love my Samsung Galaxy Note 4 and my Surface Pro 3. Guess that makes me bi. But the Galaxy for just carrying around and using and the Surface when I have serious stuff to do at home or on the boat. We ditched our laptops. They seem as obsolete now as the old portables that were called luggables or something like that. The big ones in boxes. I can't imagine carrying those around.