For the past few weeks, we have been inundated with news of various security breaches from some big names. Here are a few of the biggest ones:
- Evernote - required all users to change their passwords
- cPanel - warned users to change their administrator passwords
- Microsoft, Apple, Facebook, Twitter
- Zendesk - held user data for Twitter, Pinterest, and Tumblr
- NBC - hack infected website visitors' computers with malware
- Multiple Twitter account hacks (Donald Trump, Burger King, Jeep, AFP)
- Bit9
- Goldman Sachs
- Bush family e-mails
Buzzfeed recently called 2013 "the year of the hack," noting "[t]he hackers have been getting better, and their targets haven't been keeping up. Meanwhile, some victims have begun to believe that rather than concealing their compromised data, their best bet is to speak up about it, in hopes of improving security measures."
An interesting question, however, is whether it works to publicize the hacks. Are people so concerned with information security that they will close an account with a company that is not doing what it needs to do to protect their data? Or, as I imagine is likely the case, are people just becoming immune to it?
I think you mean numb rather than immune. I would say the essence of that is true. There is a constant state of government created emergency (debt ceiling, sequester, etc) and people are glazing over. If it's not a big ticket cause (2nd amendment issues, abortion, or an "issue the media has spun people up about" de jour) the issue generally gets ignored.
ReplyDelete2 points of relevance to this conversation would be the libertarian streaked judge Kozinski write up for the Standford Law Review, giving a judges eye view as to where society sits with online privacy
http://www.stanfordlawreview.org/online/privacy-paradox/dead-past
Secondly, the fine gents over at Volokh Conspiracy (Baker and Kerr) just had another discussion about the hackback issue brought up here thoughtfully a few times:
http://www.volokh.com/2013/03/03/hackback-debates-the-rematch/
It can be found in the podcast linked in that article.
"Numb" is exactly what I meant. I should be sure to actually proofread my headlines! Thanks for the other resources.
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