Community Chat

[KathyPet]

I, for one, am getting fed up with web sites whose security is so weak that they cannot protect my data from these hackers. I must have user ID's and passwords for 15 or 20 different sites including my bank, various investments, E mail, insurance. now I have to change all of them! I am sick and tired of this as I also had my personal information breached during the Target scam although no monetary loss. I think that this sort of continual problem is going to be the down fall of the internet as more and more users just get fed up with this sort of hacking and just cut way back on internet usage.

[SydneyH]

I'm not changing my passwords. There will always be breaches imo.

[raven-blackbird]

as fast as a patch can be done to plug a hole.......another hacker will be out there breakin through the patch.............................raven

[gidgetgh]

I changed my password for my bank account, Amazon, American Express and one other this afternoon. I'm going to change the password for QVC and my Discover card tonight. I don't think I'm going to change the other 50 or so passwords that I currently use. They don't have any credit card information stored.

[Marp2]

"The breadth of these break-ins should serve as a chilling reminder of the skullduggery that has been going undetected on the Internet for years, said John Prisco, CEO of another security firm, Triumfant.

"This issue reminds me of an iceberg, where 90 percent of it is actually underwater," Prisco said in an emailed statement. "That's what is going on here... So many cyber breaches today are not actually reported, often times because companies are losing information and they are not even aware of it."

From: http://news.msn.com/science-technology/report-russian-hackers-steal-12b-passwords

I agree, this has been and will continue to be a common occurrence. Once one hole is plugged another will be opened.

[terrier3]

It's just another form of robbery.

These hackers are geniuses...it costs billions to just keep up with them!

[Marp2]

Something else to think about and be aware of:

Is Your Watch Or Thermostat A Spy? Cybersecurity Firms Are On It.

There is a sharp divide in the technology world. One camp is racing to connect our devices to the Internet, to make everything — from the watch to the refrigerator — smart, so to speak.

The other camp is terrified of what that means: everyday objects that can be hacked, easily, to spy on us and hand off valuable data to cybercriminals. The cynics are gathered in Las Vegas this week, at .

The Nest Hacker

People who hack for good have come to Mandalay Bay to share their research.

Meet Grant Hernandez, 21, who is an undergraduate security researcher at the University of Central Florida, and he hacked one of the smartest. The home thermostat uses sensors to tell when you're home and adjust temperature accordingly. With a shiny silver rim and black center, it kind of looks like a big eyeball. And Hernandez says, it's pretty easy to turn into a spy.

http://www.npr.org/blogs/alltechconsidered/2014/08/06/338334508/is-your-watch-or-thermostat-a-spy-cy...

[dooBdoo]

The publicity is important, because websites have a responsibility to be aware and provide up-to-date security for their customers.

However, we have a responsibility too.

We have valuables in our home, so we learn how to protect them. When we're out and about, working, shopping, etc., we learn how to protect the valuables we carry with us. We educate ourselves and we're vigilant.

It's essential to remember to apply the same practices to using the internet, using technology. Such things as strong passwords updated regularly, secure browsing, keeping our software up-to-date, and NEVER using the same password on multiple websites go a long way in protecting ourselves. It's the trade-off for the ease of using the internet.

Did anyone notice all the complaints because QVC began requiring a password instead of the antiquated 4-digit PIN for logins? We want simplicity but then we're upset when there's a security breach.

Identity theft and access to our financial information is a nightmare and is nothing compared to the annoyance of learning and practicing "safe computing."

[scotttie]

I worry much more about hacking into our electrical infrastructure.

[Marp2]

On 8/6/2014 scotttie said:

I worry much more about hacking into our electrical infrastructure.

Yep, electric, water and communication (including satellite) networks are particularly vulnerable and in too many cases antiquated.