Monday, March 5, 2007

https is all I need, right?

Everyone talks about only sending you information over a secured connection when ordering or sending personal information over the internet, but is that all you should be concerned about?
Using encryption on the Internet is the equivalent of arranging an armored car to deliver credit card information from someone living in a cardboard box to someone living on a park bench.
— Gene Spaffor
In other words both ends of the communication must be secure. With phishing, pharming, malware (including rootkits), drive-by-downloading, computers without passwords, etc. Your home computer is at risk. What are you doing to protect your computer?

Then there are all the security breaches and lost computers, tapes, etc at the web sites/stores you shop at. look at TJX the company behind JMaxx, Marshalls, Winners, HomeGoods, TKMaxx, AJWright, and HomeSensse. TJX experienced, and tried to cover-up, one of the most extensive long term security breaches in history. Additionally it has been the one that has had the most fraudulent charges directly linked to the break-in.

Don't let a secure connection lull you into a false sense of security. Your personal information my already be out there.

1 comment:

Unknown said...

o shoot.

How would I know if my information is already out there, that i'm a victim, or a potential victim of identity theft, or that my computer itself is owned.

How do I know. No one's coming up to my door dressed in black carrying a bible to tell me they've born witness to wrong doings on my behalf. (that would suck btw, not the notice but the fact that people doing bad things on my behalf, posed as me, like the commercial on tv with the big narly guy speaking in the voice of a 20 something girl identity theft hacker whose bought like majoe stuff on the card...)

Mr. Soapbox -- if https is not enough, and mine or the other's box may be already compromised, tell us, or give us some references to help us be in the know.

You've scared me. Now give me a warm cocoa -- damn it.

-- joe from 2gnj.com