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February 2024
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: Our February edition has Maureen The Clean dusting off her 'legalese' skills and questioning if privacy policies protect us or the company providing them. Jake The Pedantic finds a topic to address that gives him the opportunity to use the word 'skullduggery' in an appropriate way. In the meanwhile, Samuel The Harangued realizes that for the very first time that he cannot protect Aunt Mabry from new kinds of scams.
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You Clicked 'I Accept'. So, What Did You Accept?
by
Maureen The Clean
Research has shown that it will take 76 days to fully read every privacy policy that each of us clicks 'I accept' on in a single year! Privacy policies are legal documents and not every one of us is a lawyer. So, how do we interpret the legal agreement that we are entering into each time we use a web site, app, online service or an internet connected device? What are some key things to look out for to see if the privacy policy protects or violates our privacy? What rights do we have as consumers and what actions can we take? PIRG, a citizen funded, public interest research group has put together a primer on how you can cut through the 'legalese' and make informed choices for you and your family.
We trust anti-virus companies to protect us from the bad guys. We trust VPNs to keep us private. But there have been instances where both have been found to be untrustworthy. Their violations of our trust range from selling our data such as browsing data to installing crypto mining software to masquerading as legitimate companies to install malware in the name of VPN!! Some examples of skullduggery that consumers need to be aware of:
Well known anti-virus company, Avast, fined $16.5 million for selling consumer's browsing history!!
Consider this scenario: It is 2 am and you get a video call on your phone. It looks like your boss, sounds like your boss and he asks you for a password to one of the company systems. Says it is urgent. You are groggy and half asleep. You tell him the password. And just like that, the company you work for gets hacked and you will need to explain your role in it.
Consider this second scenario: You get a voice call from what sounds like your son saying he has been in an accident in another state and has been arrested. He needs money right away to post bail. You believe him and you transfer money right away.
AI powered voice and video scams are growing. Criminals are using them from everything from spreading fake videos of celebrities to disseminating fake news before elections to using them to scam people for money. As it stands today, there is not much technology can do to protect you and your sense of alertness is your best defense. The common theme amongst all these is that they are intended to cause duress and limit the amount of time you are given to react. Very often, these are targeted towards the elderly. The AARP has put together a handy guide on how to spot these scams and protect yourselves.
Change Healthcare, a company that handles up to half of US prescription medical claims, is unable to process claims because of a cyber attack. Pharmacies reporting delays in prescription processing.
A software glitch at home security camera maker, Wyze, has caused 13,000 customers to be able to look into someone else's home! The company has already fixed the issue but concerns remain.
A new vulnerability in the W-Fi functionality of Linux and Android devices enables bad guys to trick victims into connecting to fake networks and spy on all your internet activity.
