Cool, Smart, Secure: Proof You Can't Have It All

I never expect universal agreement, and I can predict the arguments against my ThinkerNet blogs. I also expect that the people who disagree will be the most prolific respondents to the column; the rest basically comprise the silent majority. However, there are more than enough people that have the non-negotiable position that if it is cool, the rest doesn’t matter. 

In my last blog, I expressed the view that Google's Street View is a reasonable risk for public spaces, but is more of a risk than a benefit for residences. Among the major proof points I provided is the fact that Google filters out the information on their own people for security purposes. After all, if someone's afraid to drink their own Kool-Aid, why should anybody else? 

However, even the most vehement critics of my opinion were afraid to provide a link to their home on Street View. One respondent was ignorant enough to post a couple of pictures to challenge me, instead of just providing the link I specifically requested. That was an ironic acknowledgment that a picture of a home, put in context of its location, on the Internet can provide a criminal with help. However, they still challenged me to identify vulnerabilities from the picture. 

I only perform my work when I am paid, but just for example, the home in question is on a relatively secluded lot, has a side entrance garage, and backs up to a tree line. This indicates that it is safe for a criminal to hide behind the house near the garage and run in as the garage door is opened by people leaving or returning home. I can go on about a third car, shrubbery placement, etc., but the fact is that when you are trained in what to look for, you can see major vulnerabilities that other people ignore. 

Frankly, there is very little genius required in identifying and exploiting vulnerabilities. Criminals are opportunists who are willing to cross the line, not masterminds. They rely on people to be ignorant of or overlook obvious weaknesses. 

Whenever a new technology comes out, you really have to consider what the potential risks are, if you think like a bad guy. Peer-to-peer applications are considered cool unless someone exploits your computer and steals your personal files, or drops child porn on your system and the police show up. It's really convenient to use the user ID as a password until someone breaks into your account. I even admit Street View looks cool, but there is more likelihood of the application to be used against me than for my benefit. 

Maybe the next time you look at a new technology, you should consider if you would trust it for your family, instead of just for yourself. If I tell a reader to think if it is a benefit or a risk to their daughter for their house to be pictured on the Internet (and for someone to see how they can follow her into the garage), instead of for themselves, maybe then they will look at a technology more critically. 

A general rule is to consider if an application requires information about you or provides a connection to the outside world. If information about you or your family is made available to the outside world, it is a big red flag. If there is a Bluetooth, wireless LAN, or Internet connection involved, you really must consider turning it off the connection. For example, it is baffling to me that parents are concerned about their children communicating with adults on computers, but are completely ignorant of the communication abilities of game consoles. 

I admit to erring on the side of safety over taking advantage of cool stuff, and believe everyone should. Criminals are relying on you being naïve, and sadly, there are many people out there who are willing to oblige. 

On a side note though, never go on the Internet and ask people to basically bring it on, like Jason_13 asked of me. I don’t have the time or inclination to make a person’s family vulnerable for the sake of proving something. (In this article, I had to use one example though.) You never know when you will find a nut with nothing better to do with his time.