Is Web security hopeless?
As I read the constant stream of reports about scams and malware on the Internet, I am reminded of a post at TechCrunchIT called The Almost Hopeless Challenge Of Web Security. Nik Cubrilovic wrote:
Today we are trusting the web with our most personal and important data, from private photos and social graphs to finances and key work documents. Our hesitation to share such information has dropped over the years as our trust in our favorite services grows. Yet all the while, the web is actually growing less secure, as sites are left open to new attacks that can spread easily and leave users totally unaware when they’ve been compromised.
Given that there are hundreds of millions of untrained users, I am gloomy that much can be done with the present system. Consider this ZDNet post back in July titled Report: Americans dumber than a box of rocks about spam:
When it comes to spam, we Americans are quick to point our fingers at Russia, China and eastern Europe as the regions responsible for the bulk of it. But a new report issued today found that Americans are largely to blame – not because we create it, but because we’re too stupid to recognize that we’re spreading it.
And here’s a post from Lance Ulanoff at PCMag, Twitter’s Down and It’s All Your Fault:
The DDoS problem is a whale of a different color, however. All you people who I’ve warned over and over again to install or update your security software, everyone who can’t stop visiting HotSexyLibrarians.com or downloading music and movies from Igotyourfiles.com, and all those noobs who insist on opening every single e-mail attachment they get—you did this. You and your zombie PCs are to blame.
And here’s a post from PC World, Most Users Clueless about Cybersecurity, FBI Says:
According to two U.S. government officials, Internet crime rates will continue to increase because end-users and enterprises lack awareness and education about the current online threat landscape.
Unfortunately, there’s no easy answer to the security problems. Education would help but is not the answer. There are too many unsophisticated PC users and too many complexities in the current setups sold to consumers. With hundreds of millions of untrained Windows users, Pandora’s box has been opened. Microsoft and the technical experts have waited too long to understand the enormous change that happened when masses of people were let loose on the Internet who neither knew nor cared to learn about the intricacies of Windows security.
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