Michael Gracie

Some months ago, a laptop containing a ton of personal data on students was stolen from an office at UC Berkelely. At the time, I had to wonder what all that sensitive data was doing on a laptop to begin with, but hell, I am just a dummy anyway.

Now, that laptop has been recovered, although it seems the hard drive has been overwritten with a new operating system, and may have passed through several hands before it was finally tracked down. Of course, the data is gone, and forensics specialists admit there is little they can do to determine whether the data was ever accessed.
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As of late, I have heard a lot of independent folks (you know, the ones working for themselves, hustling for their next mortgage payment, but not having to answer to “the man”) talking about heading back into the corporate world. The reason: health insurance. They say their individual and family policy premiums are just getting out of hand. Unfortunately, going to work for someone else may not be the answer, as rising premiums are threatening job-based coverage too.
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While walking my dog around lunch time, I bump into a neighbor who is an oil and gas hedge fund manager. I ask him what he is doing, and he says “just getting the hell out of the house…I am getting cabin fever sitting in of those screens.” He works from a home office - I do too, and I can relate. Then late in the day, I am chatting with an IBM executive (up at the local dog park), and she comments that the daily gatherings at that location are “her water cooler.” She works from home too.

Funny that on the same day, I read that the PC industry is getting all excited because more and more folks are going to be telecommuting.

Which begs the question: All these telecommuters will need new PCs, but will they all be buying personal water coolers, or all be getting dogs?

I am reading this “article” on the breakdown of spam filters, and could only wonder who the hell the “expert” was and what he was thinking.

The idea that 30 spams per day per mailbox is beyond critical, bordering on chaos, is simply ridiculous. I know I get five times that per day, and my server side and client side spam filters make sure only one or two mails actually get through. I recently opened up a Gmail account, and from it I not only get zero spam, but periodic views of the web-based spam folder lead me to believe Google’s filters are doing a damn good job (meaning I have found only a couple of false positives in several weeks of use).

As I read further down the page, I realize the expert is pushing some proprietary challenge-response system. While I personally have few issues with challenge-response, I now have issues with the publication for trying to pulling the fast one, even if they did call it a “media release.”

According to Professor Klaus Brunnstein of the University of Hamburg, as technology continues to grow in complexity, so will it’s security risks.

Brunnstein boldly points out that security needs to built into technology, not viewed as an afterthought. I wonder where he got that idea (for a clue, click here)?

After reading this article about eBay’s purchase of Skype, I beg the questions…is eBay really intending on selling Skype account details to junk callers? Does this mean they have sold eBay account information in the past?
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Marcus Ranum put together a nice list of dumb ideas in computer security, and I have to agree with all but one - that is educating users.

The fact is (and Marcus states it as well) that new computer users will likely have preconceived notions about online threats, and they will be more careful as a result. I say those notions come from education - getting the word out whether existing users heed it or not.

Like the tree falling faraway from a human that could hear it, is the obvious really so if nobody actually states it?

As part of its anti-phishing romp (deemed suitable only for US customers, of course), Microsoft is going to be blacklisting websites deemed shady. Which brings up an interesting question - how is such a nice gesture going to be implemented?

If Microsoft stores all these sites themselves, then you have to call on Microsoft every time you surf. Which means Microsoft gets a nice little picture of all your browsing habits, whether you go to check your VISA bill or arbitrarily hit “www.IAMGOINGTOSTEALALLYOURMONEY.com.” If the boys in Redmond pass the blacklist on to you, refreshing every time a new scam site pops up on the list (which is about once every tenth of a millisecond), then you are going to need a bigger hard drive.

I am posting the following article from the Washington Post in its entirety, in hope that at least one pet stranded in the Katrina disaster can find its way back to its owners, or find a new home. I am proudly owned by one outstanding collie dog - I couldn’t imagine him going through the same ordeal (or life without him for that matter). You can check PetFinder to find out more about how you can help these animals in need.
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Hot on the heels of spyware, adware, malware, and Tupperware comes our new friend “moralityware”. Not to be confused with something benign, this fairly new trojan first seen in Iran is nothing more than spyware that monitors the sites you visit, and drops some lines out of the Koran when you look at porn.

It won’t be long before the US Government hatches their own version, popping up big headshots of your favorite tele-evangelist every time you enter the words “viagra”, “morning-after pill”, “same-sex marriage”, or “offshore poker site” into your browser.