On Tue, 21 Jun 2005, David Moss
deleted
"Floppy ears" is OK, too. "Old fart" is closer to being descriptive.
I'll wish you luck.
Yeah, but I've been reading the flamewars on the comp.* newsgroups way long ago. YOu know, "My Mac is better than your PC" and vice versa. I also read the trade rags (eWeek, inforworld, SysAdmin, and other periodicals including the Wall Street Journal).
Well, OK. But, I don't recall much kidnapping of ANY IT people appearing in our media.
Well, I can put "security audit" into google and get a lot of URLs. Lots of people have different ideas about what a decent human being is. Or, maybe there are two, or more, Mark Addinalls?
Yeah, but this happens to people in other professions, too. I hear stories, I read about them. I'd just as soon stay away from those situations. We hear about bad things happening down in Mexico (I was there once about 15 years ago).
Well, we've got our NSA and CIA. I actually know guys who work or worked at such places. Mark? He just answered me with "I'm a big shot, built all these networks for important people, defense departments....(blah, blah)." He sure was not "No one says anything about it" on that stuff.
Isn't it interesting how that works? Everyone (I've had the same experience) blows you off until lightning strikes, the earthquake hits, etc. Afterwards, not before, they get serious.
In my former line of business, we had HIV splashed around by accident a few times (not involving me), and THEN they decided to do something more serious.
Well, the lines can be tapped, but they would be better off busting out locked file cabinet (the old fashioned kind). Actually, they did break into our office about 4 years ago, smashed the metal file cabinets but interestingly while they ruined the file cabinets they didn't get into records! In the process of shoving in the crowbars, they made the drawers unmovable! They stole a computer (but I overwrote the free space with zeros after doing the backups and deleting the directory with all the 'confidential' stuff).
Also, are you *sure* you aren't continuously
My computers are not networked and only on the 'net for breif periods and only to one of two web sites (most of the time). For a while, I even had accounts on one parbreastion (FAT-16) and the internet access on the ext2 (Linux) parbreastion. All of the time I do email and newsgroups, its off a DOS terminal program that logs into a unix shell account and nothing important ever goes over that connection, anyway. They can hack the account on the unix ISP if they want (there's nothing there but my 'blather' like what you're reading just now), but I doubt if they can get onto my desktop.
I will never do WiFi, either. Or, any other kind of wireless & computers (but I am a licensed ham radio operator, since 1959).
Actually, at the end of the day, all the important account info is copied to Zip disks, original directory is deleted, and zeros written into all unbuttigned free space. Next day, I restore (I carry at least two copies of the backups). The boxes at the office are all old, cheap, "obsolete" by most standards boxes. If they got swiped, I'd laugh. But, they are good enough for account spreadsheets and printing the HCFA forms.
I appreciate the problems with a network. None of my boxes are networked (except for ppp-terminal protocols on a dialup line).
Nah, they'd have to use a crowbar. Only two keys, me and the other person.
Spreadsheets & WP (asci) files. Rest of the stuff is paper.
I'm not worried for the small operation we have.
File cabinet is right next to me. We have the entry door alarmed. Anyone comes in, or goes out, the alarm goes off. Nobody here but the two of us and clients who come one at a time.
See above.
I'm one step back: Mostly DOS. Nobody writes DOS viruses any more.
For our operation, if our phones are bugged, then its the CIA or NSA or a crank. We're not the "nuclear secrets" store room. Sure, the garbage truck might put a "trash cover" on our garbage (CIA-NSA again?) and the FBI can just subpoena and its legal.
Nah, but I did pet one 'roo running around on the sidewalk of Koala Park, near Sydney. Lots of the critters they let run loose. I even have a picture of me next to one (wife took pic), I can put it where you can see it if you want.
Do you know if the chlamydia is species-specific? Most host-parasite relationships are. Only a few will parasitize anyone, anything. Tapeworms, for example don't care if you are human or cow.
Like I said, I was impressed with Aussie territory. Wish I had the time & money to see more.
I would agree with your self buttessment. It sounds a lot like some of the reports I read about in our computer trade rags. Simple probes are very large, serious attacks are fewer, successful attacks are uncommon (but get into the newspapers sometimes). But the people who are really getting fleeced are the ones on desktops at home, cc numbers, phishing & pharming, keystroke loggers, & innocent people just click on anything and poof.
We have major hacks over here every few weeks. Maybe you read about Choicepoint, and just a couple days ago some 40,000,000 mastercards got exposed. Then theres all the other maleware out there.
Good luck in life! I enjoyed the chat.
