About two weeks ago now a relative found a Dell Inspiron 4500 sitting in the trash at the complex where he works. As the computer looked perfectly fine and it was obviously thrown out, he grabbed it to take a look at it. When he got it home and booted the system he found that the hard drive was still intact and other than running very slow the system seemed fine… Additionally, it was determined that the computer came from the Curves that resides in the complex.
I was able to find several documents (Word Perfect) that contained mostly trivial data, while still others contained phone numbers and addresses of both employees and clients. Even more disturbing the system still contained the Curves database “iGo Figure” which is really just an Access database. By looking at the features of the “iGo Figure” software you can see that the database potentially contains extremely personal information (i.e. credit card information). The database is password protected and while I didn’t; extracting the information from the database would be trivial.
No matter who you are or what your knowledge is if you run a business it is your responsibility to educate yourself (or pay someone) on how to handle technological issues like proper data disposal. There is simply no excuse for a scenario like this to occur.
How far into your life does a computer have to penetrate in order to remain a tool and not an annoyance or intrusion? What if your bank considered you a credit risk and could shut down your car if you were late on a payment?
Or, maybe you might have to take your computer in for service, and the Geek Squad just happens to pilfer through your computer looking for private photographs. So many people look at the computer like an automobile: it’s something to use until the wheels fall off, and then you’re looking at major repairs, you have to take it in, and then you’re at their mercy. I guess (thankfully) that they’re stealing pictures, and not financial information.
I know that I have been extremely lax about updating the last couple of weeks. It’s a combination of several projects coming to a head all at once. However, here are a few things to look at to keep your interest in the meantime:
Ten free security utilities you should already be using from ZDNet: your mileage may vary on these applications, but you might notice some topics that we covered in class, such as drive-by downloads and “crapware” that comes pre-installed on computers by the manufacturer.
Blockbuster sued for participating in Facebook’s beacon program: Facebook has a program that monitors and tells your Facebook friends about your e-commerce activity. In the case of Blockbuster, they tell your friends what videos you rent, which is a no-no according to the Video Privacy Protection Act, which was enacted after Judge Robert Bork’s video rental history was published during his Supreme Court nomination in 1987.
Computer hacker hits Advance Auto: It’s not just banks and credit card companies that are getting targeted by hackers. One wonders, though, why they still had information on file that was 7 years old.
Class, here is the PowerPoint presentation from our final night of class. In addition, I may ask some of you if it is okay with you to publish your final presentations for use as examples for future classes. I’ll let you know once I review them again.
I enjoyed teaching your class and wish you all the best of luck in your future studies with Indiana Wesleyan!
