Win an Internet!

[Tiberius]

Here's a fun competition for you all. The person that can spot the most errors in this BBC opinion piece wins an Internet...oh all right, you'll win many Internets.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-17032274

Factual errors, stuff that makes no sense, and places where the so-called "professor of cybersecurity" fails to understand the basics of cybersecurity. Points are awarded for unique finds (i.e. don't repeat what someone else has said), and bonus points are awarded if you can explain why the error is an error.

I'll be writing up a full rebuttal of this absurd article on my blog this week, so you don't have much time.

[reverendjeremiah]

I can already see the flaws in it

---

Quote:Security flaws prove that the way the internet works needs a complete re-think, Professor Alan Woodward argues

There will ALWAYS be security flaws in the net. There is no avoiding it. As far as "re-think the net"...well....isnt that ALWAYS happening every second of every moment in this cosmos?

Quote:Last year, the level and ferocity of cyber-attacks on the internet reached such a horrendous level that some are now thinking the unthinkable: to let the internet wither on the vine and start up a new more robust one instead.

All the more reason not to go on the net as a n00b. The net will NEVER wither on the vine. The net is the culmination of many, MANY things: free speech, creativity, sex porn and fucking rock and roll man! The net IS the reflection of humanity. For every single security code written, someone, somewhere, can hack the bitch. You might as well suggest building a lock out of 'unobtainium'. It isnt going to happen.

Quote:I was one of those. However, recently the evidence suggests that our efforts to secure the internet are becoming less and less effective, and so the idea of a radical alternative suddenly starts to look less laughable

The net isnt something you can just "hit the reset button" with. The net is a commune. To hit a reset button on this would mean forcing everyone to comply with the wishes of the very few or you. It is an evolution. A radical alternative is EXTREMELY laughable from my current standing.

Quote:One example of struggling security comes from Neira Jones, head of payment security at Barclaycard. She told me that in the UK alone, identity fraud costs more than £2.7bn every year and affects over 1.8 million people.

The net is not thief proof? My stars and gardens, who would have ever thunk it? In fthe banks dont want to get robbed then i suggest they no longer deal online. Whats that? They have to? Then they better be on their toes. Kill or be killed...especially if they want to fuck people over. Fuck over enough nerds and they will fuck your entire system to shit.

Quote:We also increasingly have other forms of cyber-attacks from political activists (so called 'hacktivists'), and cyber-espionage and warfare, where the internet has become another stage for global conflict between nations.

A casual glance through youtube will reveal people handing out death threats as if they are penny chewing gum. Also, what side are you relating to? Is it okay if your country hacks into other countries computers in the guise of "protecting the crown", but those who do the same on the other side are bad? honestly dude, how about a reality check? This is reality. This is a CONNECTION, not a standard that YOU get to chose. We humans are fighting over who sets the standard, as always.

More coming soon...

[padraic]

I protect myself by having the best security I can get my hands on. Not having confidential info on my HD .Not opening email from people I do not know.Having only a little money in the account I use on line. Other money is with a different institution,with whom I never do business non line. Also do a clean install about once a year.


Trivia: from QI the other night; 89% of all internet traffic is spam.

000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

Quote:QI (Quite Interesting) is a British comedy panel game television quiz show created and co-produced by John Lloyd, hosted by Stephen Fry, and featuring permanent panellist Alan Davies. Most of the questions are extremely obscure, making it unlikely that the correct answer will be given. To compensate, points are awarded not only for right answers, but also for interesting ones, regardless of whether they are right or even relate to the original question. Conversely, points are deducted from a panellist who gives "answers which are not only wrong, but pathetically obvious",[2] typically answers that are generally believed to be true but in fact are not. Points are also often deducted if an obvious joke answer is given. These answers are known as forfeits. In addition, bonus points are often awarded or deducted for various challenges or incorrect references to a certain thing or place, varying from show to show.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QI

[Cthulhu Dreaming]

Quote:99% of all internet traffic is porn.

Fixed that for you.

[RaphielDrake]

Its scare mongering, pure and simple.
Besides, if my internet does go down I'll just fix it the same way I did last time... with tears and ice-cream.

[leo-rcc]

(16th February 2012 00:21)padraic Wrote:  Trivia: from QI the other night; 89% of all internet traffic is spam.

Our Ironport says 93% of all incoming email is either spam or malware/phishing/virus so that sounds about right.

[Rokcet Scientist]

(16th February 2012 07:47)leo-rcc Wrote:  

(16th February 2012 00:21)padraic Wrote:  Trivia: from QI the other night; 89% of all internet traffic is spam.

Our Ironport says 93% of all incoming email is either spam or malware/phishing/virus so that sounds about right.

If 'spam' is newspeak for porn, that is.

[leo-rcc]

(17th February 2012 11:33)Rokcet Scientist Wrote:  

(16th February 2012 07:47)leo-rcc Wrote:  

(16th February 2012 00:21)padraic Wrote:  Trivia: from QI the other night; 89% of all internet traffic is spam.

Our Ironport says 93% of all incoming email is either spam or malware/phishing/virus so that sounds about right.

If 'spam' is newspeak for porn, that is.

No, spam. Porn is something internet users look up, spam is something that companies send out to you. xvideos doesn't need to spam, users can find that site without problems on their own.

[Doubting Thomas]

The problem is that even if it were possible to invent a new internet, wouldn't that one then become vulnerable as hackers figure out how to conduct cyber attacks? And stupid people will still fall for phishing scams. You can't fix the internet without fixing all its users.

[Cthulhu Dreaming]

(17th February 2012 23:30)Doubting Thomas Wrote:  The problem is that even if it were possible to invent a new internet, wouldn't that one then become vulnerable as hackers figure out how to conduct cyber attacks? And stupid people will still fall for phishing scams. You can't fix the internet without fixing all its users.

Yes. The biggest security issue by far is the one that is between the keyboard and the chair. All of the technical measures in the world won't keep the user from being phished, socially engineered, choosing shitty passwords, falling for a fake SSL certificate, letting their AV subscription lapse or not update, or having a MITM attack on a secure connection. And since many people seem to be perfectly happy to install trojan-ridden software as long as it's free...

This is not to say that there aren't technical flaws - there are, and they are being continually addressed. We have a larger problem with people, and that's something that apparently can't be fixed through technical means and is a much tougher problem. You can't force people to care about security.