Kawasaki Concours Forum
Mish mash => Open Forum => Topic started by: VirginiaJim on October 23, 2024, 10:42:37 AM
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Just saw this one about robot vacuum cleaners...
https://www.malwarebytes.com/blog/news/2024/10/robot-vacuum-cleaners-hacked-to-spy-on-insult-owners?utm_source=iterable&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=b2c_pro_oth_20241021_octoberweeklynewsletter_v3_172924832474&utm_content=Robot_Army
The vac starts insulting the owners...hard to believe but anything that communicates to your home network can be hacked unfortunately. This is for the Ecovacs Deebot X2. The above link is from Malwarebytes..
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This is scary. Worse is when hacks happen to those home security cameras or baby monitors.
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There are far, far too many internet-connected devices in most people's homes. Most people have no idea of the danger from being tracked, spied on, and malware. Everything has to be a "service" now with never-ending fees. It is kinda gross.
A video streaming box or your computer- sure. But please tell me why a clothes dryer or toaster, or vacuum cleaner needs to be connected to the internet 24/7?
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so you can have Live updates on the moisture levels in your clothes... And so you know when you toast is done just right. some of us love our clothes to have a certain level of moisture and our toast to have certain level of burn.
These millenniums are stupid.
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The biggest risk to your privacy is your cellphone, and yet people carry those with them 24/7.
Yes, the IoT (Internet of Things) devices are generally higher risk because they are built down to a price (since everyone has to have a "bargain"), but you get what you pay for.
Some of the worst offenders are security cameras and systems. <LOL>
My portable Air-Con and 6 power sockets in my house are "connected" and can be controlled by apps on my cellphone.
They can be switched on/off according to a preset schedule, or remotely, but that functionality is merely convenient.
Other than that I don't have any Virtual Assistants (Siri, Alexa, etc.) in the house, so our only real risks are our cellphones, tablets, and our PCs.
I also have never seen the "need" for IoT fridges or washing machines or toasters, but then I also don't see the "need" for shiny chrome bits on a motorcycle or for new clothes because your existing ones are no longer "fashionable", yet people blow vast amounts of money on both of those presumably because they want to impress somebody.
Personally, I don't think that most people give a hoot about their "personal" data or privacy so long as they don't have to get up to change the music or the TV channel.
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Phones and checkbooks... For those that don't know about this, your phone could be taken over by a scammer and bump your ownership off the phone. This happened to one of my friends. I would think that most cell companies these days have a mechanism to not let this happen to you. I know that Verizon has it and I've set it so no one can bump me off my phone.....in theory lol.
Checkbooks are probably the worst thing to lose as they have account information. My wife still writes checks. I don't unless I have to mail a payment in. I prefer online payments personally. The bank wanted to close the account. Then you have to find all the payments coming in and reroute to the new account. Thankfully, the store called and said they found it and we weren't compromised.
Be careful out there.
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And please do not show your email address or phone number in posts. I don't know why anyone would want to do this but it happens more than you think.
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I have a moderate amount of connected things. I try to mitigate my risk with a decent firewall. Only my Ring doorbell stores anything off-site.
By far and away, the biggest risk to my cyber security is my kids. 1000x worse than any connected device. You can teach them, tell them, remind them until you're blue in the face. They are still going to connect to public networks and say dumb stuff online.
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You got that right! That actually scares me more is my grandson doing something and compromising my network. The only thing I can do to mitigate it is to have a halfway decent netgear router (that's up to date) and using auxiliary software on the router to increase the protection.
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Children (at least of a certain age range) should never have unrestricted/uncontrolled access to internet-connected devices. It is a shame that there are not better-designed, kid-friendly devices that make it easy to lock down and restrict access through a white-list only. It can be done now, but most parents would need significant help with it. I think we are reaching a crisis epidemic of mental illness due to young minds being subjected to things, all day long, that they neither can understand or are prepared to process. It is driving them crazy and creating young adults who are confused, shy, lack social skills, no attention span, full of phobias, mean, narcissist, unproductive, and hyper-polarized.
I am so thankful that I am part of the last few generations that didn't have to grow up with being hyper-connected. I think the American public is finally starting to wake up to this, but it has taken far too long. Although I am glad to see action on this, the push to try and just "age verify" who is on certain social media platforms is not the solution.
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I guess you're right. All we did was shoot bb guns at each other or darts (both hurt by the way). And drink ourselves silly. LOL
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Somehow I managed to make it through childhood without breaking any bones, getting BB'ed or darted, or using any drugs/alcohol. Although I did have a few stitches. Got into the new concept of home computers at age 13, I think, with a 4K CoCo 1 (which I saved for a very long time and then combined with birthday and Christmas present request, they were pretty expensive). Was a few years before a 300 baud modem...
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Children (at least of a certain age range) should never have unrestricted/uncontrolled access to internet-connected devices. It is a shame that there are not better-designed, kid-friendly devices that make it easy to lock down and restrict access through a white-list only.
My kids should work for a cyber security company. They excel at using backdoors INSIDE approved programs to do things they've been blocked or locked out of. Deep down I'm proud, but as a parent it drives me insane. For example, you can have an authorized app that has an innocuous child approved ad. You click on the add, the software launches a browser window INSIDE the app that usually doesn't have the same restrictions as the OS. Then they can go through and do what they want. White-listing only works when they're on my network. I also cannot turn just their data access off with my phone service provider. Short of handing them a phone they're completely locked out of, they find ways. It's pretty remarkable, really.
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Many years ago my sister asked me how to keep her VERY tech savvy son from accessing "unsavoury" websites. I told her she had already lost that battle so her best bet was to educate him as to what was acceptable behaviour and what would happen if he caused damage to any of her personal and business systems, if he should "inadvertently" infect them. It worked as the fear of being COMPLETELY cut off (no cellphone, no computer access) is scary for that generation.
A few years before that she contacted me asking if Grand Theft Auto was an appropriate game for an 11 year old. I told her that if she thought that stealing cars, selling drugs, banging hookers, shooting people, and various other criminal activities was appropriate then go ahead and buy it for him for Xmas. I also pointed out the PEGI 18 rating on the box and sent her a link to the PEGI website.
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Fortunately and unfortunately, my kids were never that reliant on tech. And being completely cut off from tech isn't that scary. Teenagers are great. :facepalm:
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I have a rotary phone, no cable TV, 12 y/o lap top, flip phone for a few texts a month, old cable internet, use mostly visa gift cards for online stuff, pay all bills with checks, signed up for SSA over the phone, dont carry my credit card or phone.
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Wow.
Advancements in tech is not necessarily all bad. I have some old tech as well, but I usually upgrade once that "new" tech matures-- becomes middle aged with some hair loss and pre-diabetes.
I am looking to upgrade from the C10 to the C14 next year.
I have a rotary phone, no cable TV, 12 y/o lap top, flip phone for a few texts a month, old cable internet, use mostly visa gift cards for online stuff, pay all bills with checks, signed up for SSA over the phone, dont carry my credit card or phone.
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Forgot to add, pay with cash for just about everything. If its big like our house remodel, car, new bike, we get a cashiers check at our bank drawn off our account there. I don't download apps, don't get rewards, don't watch utube, don't stream, don't send pics, don't open pics, attachments or forwards, only answer phone if from my existing contacts and then always ask, "who is calling" as opposed to "speaking or yes" when my name is said.
Nothing is free.
If its important, they will leave a message and I can call back if I want.