Friday, September 30, 2016

Maybe You Could Apply The Updates AFTER

from here

There always seems to be something more important than applying updates but if you don't make time for it there's a good chance that you computer could get infected with something (even if you definitely aren't).

When Will The Stock Photo Insanity End?

found on Funny As Duck

It seems like the technologically impaired hacker has a teen daughter who's following in his footsteps.

Thursday, September 29, 2016

The Future Of The 'Internet Of Things'

from here

The more things there are that have computers in them, the more things there are that will need updates. And since we can't even manage to update all our existing computers, a future where there's a computer in just about everything is a future where just about everything will have known, unpatched vulnerabilities.

How Not To Stay Out Of Jail

found on Imgur

Thanks to Reddit user flamingboard for sharing this story about a funny interaction during an oil pipeline protest.

Wednesday, September 28, 2016

The Bike That Needs No Lock

from here (source image)

One of the more effective strategies for preventing theft (or other types of attacks) is to make things undesirable. If the rewards aren't there then the crooks won't come for them. In this case, I don't think anyone wants to steal that bike (it can't be comfortable to peddle).

Thin Walls Are Great For WiFi

found on Izismile

Somehow I suspect these two networks belong to people who live under the same roof but probably wish they didn't. Too bad they can't protect their IRL activities as effectively as they have their access points.

Tuesday, September 27, 2016

And They Had A Rotary Dial

from here

You might be thinking "who needs encryption on a phone?", but the truth is that everyone one does because phones aren't just phones anymore. They're computers that also happen to make phone calls, and there's plenty of things you can do with those 'phones' that really do call for encryption.

Trojan Protection

found on Izismile

Sometimes the security you're getting is a distraction to conceal a lack of security elsewhere.

Monday, September 26, 2016

Macros are like a 'Kick Me' sign for your computer

from here

It seems to me that if the feature now has to ship disabled by default in order to avoid providing fertile ground for macro viruses, maybe that's a sign that the feature was a bad idea in the first place.

10 Dumbest Criminals Ever


Watch on YouTube

It's always nice to be reminded that not all criminals are masterminds, and some are down right goofy.

Friday, September 23, 2016

Why Don't I Just Stick My Car Key To My Car?

from here

It's not as if Apple couldn't have chosen anything else. That high quality camera could easily have been used for facial or even iris recognition. Instead, Apple chose what is perhaps the weakest of all the biometric authentication techniques. Fingerprints - we leave that shit on everything.

How To Keep A Secret

found on Memebase

You know what they say about secrets. Three can keep a secret, if two of them are dead.

Thursday, September 22, 2016

Must Be Spyware That Only Works During A Full Moon

from here

Honestly, I'm not sure why else the security industry would be so fascinated by silver bullets.

They Might Slip Through The Defenses Too

found on Reddit

My grandfather told me that Lord Haw-Haw once said "Don't worry about the Canadian navy, they'll sink themselves". That seems to go double for these guys, but if it doesn't they have a decent chance of not being noticed (possibly even after they launch their 'attack').

Wednesday, September 21, 2016

How Ya Doin', Chum?

from here (source image)

I really have to wonder whether she's actually not visible to the shark. It's hard to believe. Camouflage is meant to help you blend in, not disappear, and I don't see what she's blending in to.

The Other Kind Of Computer Hacker


Watch on YouTube

If you're going to hack (whether it's with a sword or with your sharp intellect) it's probably better to be like this guy and do it to your own computer.

Tuesday, September 20, 2016

Your Advice Is More Dated Than This Movie

from here

It amazes me that people calling themselves security experts still give advice that depends on human memory for storing passwords.

Business Camo

found on This Is Why I'm Broke

There's business casual, and then there's business camo. This seems like the kind of suit to wear when your company is doing lay-offs. They can't hand you your walking papers if they can't find you. This is something you can actually buy, by the way, but in truth I suspect rather than avoiding termination, wearing this might be a cause.

Monday, September 19, 2016

Like We Don't Have Enough Malware To Study Already

from here

There's definitely no shortage of malware being generated by the bad guys and thus no reason for the supposed good guys to be creating and sharing more of it for the purposes of learning.

Can You Hear Me Now?

found on Izismile

While I suspect that some kinds of headgear could conceal such covert communications even with earphone cords, Apple's new AirPods could probably be concealed with little more than a good toque.

Friday, September 16, 2016

Then I Shall Call Him 'Wheels'

from here and here

Absurd as it sounds, it does seem to be the only way many people experience him.

The Social Media Idea Of Security

found on Imgur (tweeted by Nick Owen)

It's unnerving how many social media sites these days want your cell phone number in order to enable 2 factor authentication, especially right after they've suffered a breach. I'm sorry, but if you can't protect one piece of sensitive information, what makes you think I'm going to give you a second?

Thursday, September 15, 2016

They're Too Good At Leaking

from here (source image)

I'm not sure what the story behind this picture is, but the idea of an organization dedicated to revealing secrets trying to keep secrets seems a little ironic.

Do Atheists Have More Privacy?

found on Meme Base

I wonder if religious people have fewer concerns about surveillance because they're already accustomed to being watched by an all seeing entity (a spy in the sky). On the other hand, the way the Seal of the Confessional works suggests that Catholics do recognize the value of keeping things secret.

Wednesday, September 14, 2016

So That's What A Cyber Hazmat Suit Looks Like

from here and here (source image)

I don't know, is it humanly possible to cover yourself with more ridiculous hacker tropes than this? I'm not sure it is.

Should All Locks Have Keys?


Watch on YouTube

Maybe someday the government will take a look at all the information that has been stolen from them and realize that in fact, no they can't keep golden keys out of the hands of bad guys.

Tuesday, September 13, 2016

The Silk Road Doesn't Use License Plate Readers

from here and here

Apparently Paul Howard wasn't the sharpest knife in the drawer, based on details from his court case.

Thanks to Emin Gün Sirer for tweeting raising awareness of this spectacular opsec fail.

How To Leave A Smear On All The Mirrors

found on The Meta Picture

The only 2-way mirror I ever encountered was in a subway station, and I didn't need any tricks to figure out what it was. There was an office behind the glass and the light from people's computer terminals gave them away.

Monday, September 12, 2016

To Whoever Buys The Security Company Next

from here and here

The company has been through many names and many owners and it's being sold again, but no matter what name people try to give it, it's always known as Mcafee. Even John McAfee hates to be associated with the company he made. It's that bad.

Maybe Try Not Making Enemies

tweeted by Ronda Zwierz

Thanks to Ronda Zwierz for tweeting this parody newspaper article highlighting an important concept in remaining secure against attack - don't give people a reason to attack you. At least not if you can help it.

Friday, September 9, 2016

The Brute Force Is Strong With This One

from here (source image)

Sometimes I wonder if there's any good way to keep a bike secure.

Now That's A Deterrent

found on Fail Blog

I don't know about you but I would definitely think twice about stealing food out of that.

Thursday, September 8, 2016

Do You Feel Pretty, Punk?

from here (source image)

Since there are apparently a number of prisons that force inmates to wear pink uniforms, I suppose it's only fitting that that punishment gradually move out into the streets. Maybe the higher profile will even help deter a criminal or two.

I'm The One Who Parks Here

found on Pleated Jeans

It's a novel form of deterrent, and probably a lot better than asserting your territoriality in a physical manner.

Wednesday, September 7, 2016

If Only I Could Lift That Sandwich Board

from here (source image)

I imagine someone who has just awoken from years in a coma might have some difficulty stealing the bike also.

That's Not How Password Security Works At All

found on 909sickle

There are as many ways of interpreting requirements as there are people who must fulfill them. Don't be surprised when (not if) someone says something like this to you.

Tuesday, September 6, 2016

Alone Time Ruined - Brazzers

from here and here

On the one hand it was just the Brazzers forums that were breached, but on the other hand that contains people's very personal thoughts and feelings, not just the fact that they're interested in porn.

The Many Faces Of "There Is No Cloud"

"There is no cloud, just other people's computers" was a catch phrase I proposed 2 years ago in response to Graham Cluley's assertion that the reality of cloud computing was getting lost in the terminology and we might be better off if we replaced "the cloud" with "somebody else's computer". As you might expect, I take great interest in seeing where the meme goes. I stumbled across one set of stickers with the exact wording I used and later another sticker with a variation on the phrase that merges Graham's and my wording.

Recently I saw a tweet with a photo of someone wearing a shirt with that latter design on it and it was pretty neat, but the tweet got deleted, so I went to Google and guess what I found - nearly a dozen different designs. I couldn't be more pleased to share them
found on Zazzle

found on Free Software Foundation Europe

found on Society6


found on Amazon

found on Amazon

found on Spreadshirt

found on Spreadshirt

found on Red Bubble

found on Chummy Tees

found on Sexy Hackers

found on Cafe Press

Have I missed anything? Let me know, I'm always interested in seeing how far this meme has spread.

Monday, September 5, 2016

You Made An Antivirus That False Alarms On Winlogon.exe?

from here and here

Thanks to Graham Cluley for bringing to my attention what is, frankly, an inexcusable cock-up in this day and age. In 2016 it shouldn't be possible for an antivirus to false alarm on a critical system binary like winlogon.exe and cause the system to crash, but apparently that is what Sophos has done.

Ever Felt Not Quite Safe In Your Hotel Room?


Watch on YouTube

It's not just that such a thing exists that concerns me, but that I could probably make one with a baking sheet and scissors.

Friday, September 2, 2016

These Fashion Police Are A Riot

from here (source image)

Obviously, if the woman feels safe enough to re-apply her make-up, then there isn't really any riot going on for those riot police to deal with.

Choose Your Battles Carefully

found on Meme Base

If you're going to face threats head on, make sure you don't bite off more than you can chew.

Thursday, September 1, 2016

How Else Can They Get The Cookies?

from here and here

I have a feeling that granny's browsing could be identified without browser fingerprinting.

The Computer Ate My Homework

found on Erin Davis' blog

I'm surprised this isn't a bigger problem for technology in the classroom.