Good and Evil of: Technology
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Yes, the good and evil of technology. Like any tool, it can be used for good and it can be used for evil. This is but a reminder that we, as Professionals and even Hobbyists, need to be good stewards of its use.
A hammer can be used to build a house, or used to smash a hard drive. Technology can be used in a similar manner. If one is of the mind, they can take the same computer a financial advisor uses to help grow a families 401k and use it to take that same 401k way.
And similar to the growth and expansion of technologies reach, the deceitful ways it can be used have as well.
Just a decade ago, using the telephone or SMS technology was not as common as an avenue for attack as it is becoming today.
Now with the ever growing use of VoIP and digital SMS services deceitful individuals have more ways to reach good people and take away their safety and their hard earned monies.
VoIP is great when it use used in the manner of conducting business, and the caller id is programmed as it should. But that same tool to set or mask the caller id can be exploited to allow an individual to masquerade as another business or agency; such as law enforcement.
While we see it happen way to often, we also should take time to re-enforce the education of staff, family and friends; That while technology and all it is able to do is a good thing, it is also a very bad thing. Be mindful - and EVER VIGILANT that it happens daily, and there is a chance it will strike them, or at the very last someone they know.
I write this as I am RAW with experience - not of myself - but of some one i know, is educated, knows technology can be used to exploit others, and that calls can be made to seemingly come from a place of business or of authority. They were made to think that things were about to befall them if action was not taken now. The call came from a ‘published’ number, and used a ‘verifiable’ name from said number.
Sadly, while they checked to make sure the number was legitimate, and that the person did work there, they didn’t go that extra step they could have to confirm the validity of the call, asking to hold on, and let me call you at the number.
Sadly, the exploit worked, and they got a amount that, while isn’t extreme, its enough to make a person angry and with the desire to take some sort of action, and recover the monies.
I am angry, I sit here with the desire to do something about it. But all I can do is calmly move on, educate, and try to prevent the next person for being exploited. Knowing that there isn't anything I can do to trace a call, a call that ‘came from’ a known legitimate number, since it was spoofed, and could have been any phone, phone system, any where in the country.
And even with educating people, it will still happen. There is always going to be some “play” that with be concocted that will grab ahold of the “what if” side of our brain...
“What if”
- that call did come from the hospital about my child.
- that call was about my daughter being in jail, having been caught with (x).
- that call said there was a bench warrant out for the arrest of,..
All we can do is educate,.. and reinforce that education. Deceitful persons have been around since the dawn of time, and they are not ever going to leave us, our families and friends alone.
Reinforce that they should call the number and verify - you have to challenge the person. Generally - it is likely that if they are challenged, they will give up, hang up and not call again - knowing that they lost the mark.
As we come to the end of the year, and important family and holidays - be mindful.
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The bad guys do get better and tech makes the "not good" bad guys even better than they a really are, thus creating an even larger pool of "good" bad guys. Rinse and repeat.
It seems there is rarely time to take a breath. I do understand the anger at the evil-doer's. We need a "Digital Dexter."
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@pmoncho said in Good and Evil of: Technology:
It seems there is rarely time to take a breath. I do understand the anger at the evil-doer's. We need a "Digital Dexter."
My previous boss was constantly on about them.. damnit - f'n updates, all those hackers fault...
