This week in computer security

Originally Posted by Ripper
outsourced to some schmuck IT company that put in the best bid

This. As it's all about national security, I honestly can't understand looking for the cheapest (and most horrible) solutions.

I'm a big proponent of security through simplicity. They use large and unnecessary software stacks, because that's what they're used to doing. Most of the companies that provide "solutions" create raggedy bags of code, on top of a house of cards of other people's code, that just about work most of the time.

A voting machine and its software should be about as complex as a calculator, built up simply from basic principles, in as few lines of code as possible, and tested to destruction.

The people who make the decisions are clueless technically and have too much dark matter stuffed up their asses to understand just how little they know.

Originally Posted by Ripper
The sad thing is, so much of our IT infrastructure is still feeble in terms of security and quality. Things like voting machines, critical to the functioning of democracy itself, are outsourced to some schmuck IT company that put in the best bid, and delivers crap that no-one in the government understands well enough to analyze properly.

For now, stick to paper - it works well enough, and it's not that big a deal to organise properly monitored public counts.

It was only a matter of time.

Health insurer making fitbit tracking mandatory.

Orwell's 1984 was never closer.

That is so wrong.

Yet another reason to hate insurance companies.

Yeah, so when some poor bugger has finished working two jobs to keep food on the table, then he has to make sure he goes out and runs his laps so his insurance stays affordable.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=My10FLH5DT0&t=11

Wonder if this is legal; after all the military had to ban fitbit due to tracking.

Originally Posted by you
Wonder if this is legal; after all the military had to ban fitbit due to tracking.

If there's any question mark over the legality, I dare say the lobbyists will sort that out in due course.

I get why you're saying @Ripper, but I don't find it weird that someone who's never used their car insurance pays a lower fee. Nor do I find it weird you pay less for you health insurance if you try to live a healthy life, the opposite is much stranger to me.

No, and I have no problem with insurance companies assessing risk to determine a premium, within reason. Taking into account whether someone smokes, or their BMI, seems reasonable, to me. My objection is the requirement to wear a monitoring device, so that a company can monitor your personal activity, moment to moment. To me that's a completely unacceptable level of personal intrusion.

Apple's Tim Cook says that "personal data is being weaponised", and that tough new data protection laws are needed.

https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-45963935

Originally Posted by Ripper
No, and I have no problem with insurance companies assessing risk to determine a premium, within reason. Taking into account whether someone smokes, or their BMI, seems reasonable, to me. My objection is the requirement to wear a monitoring device, so that a company can monitor your personal activity, moment to moment. To me that's a completely unacceptable level of personal intrusion.

Well, if the device is voluntary to gain a discount I don’t see a problem with it.

I do however have a problem with car insurance companies taking your credit report in to account to figure your ins rate.

I haven’t had a ticket or accident in 25 yrs yet my insurance went up due to a credit ding because of a bad investment and business deal.

A bad business deal affecting the insurance rate of a driver with 25 yrs of perfect driving record is ridiculous imo.

Originally Posted by Ripper
Apple's Tim Cook says that "personal data is being weaponised", and that tough new data protection laws are needed.

https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-45963935

He's late to the party …

Originally Posted by Pladio
He's late to the party …

Yes, several years late. But, I do take some encouragement when corporates take this kind of position. It's not that I find them to be very genuine in their concern, but it does as least suggest that they see a market opportunity in saying it. And that would imply that they believe it's becoming more of a concern to the public, which I think is a very good thing.

Given Apples numerous data leaks (anyone remember celeb nude pictures leaked); I haven't much faith in Tim Cook.

Doing attacks becomes easier & easier … https://www.fortinet.com/blog/threat…o-botnet-.html

Anonymity heavily distorts people …

Hackers have been stealing a million dollars from the charity organization called Save The Children : https://www.bostonglobe.com/business…hRP/story.html

Now, that's cynism and narcissm in its purest form.

Sadly people do a lot worse…. Humans can be pretty scummy.

Originally Posted by Alrik Fassbauer
Hackers have been stealing a million dollars from the charity organization called Save The Children : https://www.bostonglobe.com/business…hRP/story.html

Now, that's cynism and narcissm in its purest form.

Originally Posted by Alrik Fassbauer
Hackers have been stealing a million dollars from the charity organization called Save The Children : https://www.bostonglobe.com/business…hRP/story.html

Now, that's cynism and narcissm in its purest form.

Especially if they stole it themselves.