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Post your comments for Tech Secrets: 21 Things 'They' Don’t Want You to Know here

[JimmySylakowski]

Someone remotely hacking your webcam is kinda scary.

[JimH443]

JimmySylakowski, on 30 March 2010 - 02:30 AM, said:

Someone remotely hacking your webcam is kinda scary.

After that news story about the school district tapping into their students' webcams without their knowledge, it shouldn't be a surprise. Anything the school can do, anyone else can do.

[imppaul]

JimH443, on 30 March 2010 - 03:34 AM, said:

JimmySylakowski, on 30 March 2010 - 02:30 AM, said:

Someone remotely hacking your webcam is kinda scary.

After that news story about the school district tapping into their students' webcams without their knowledge, it shouldn't be a surprise. Anything the school can do, anyone else can do.

It should be pointed out that the school "spying" laptops were distributed by the school itself. In other words, the school had physical access to the laptops, and had software placed on them to enable the spying.

[JimH443]

imppaul, on 30 March 2010 - 04:44 AM, said:

JimH443, on 30 March 2010 - 03:34 AM, said:

JimmySylakowski, on 30 March 2010 - 02:30 AM, said:

Someone remotely hacking your webcam is kinda scary.

After that news story about the school district tapping into their students' webcams without their knowledge, it shouldn't be a surprise. Anything the school can do, anyone else can do.

It should be pointed out that the school "spying" laptops were distributed by the school itself. In other words, the school had physical access to the laptops, and had software placed on them to enable the spying.

While true, it's actually comparatively irrelevant. Computers get infected with viruses, and these viruses can install webcam activating software. While I'm not aware of any that do, it's only a matter of time. If it can be done, it will eventually be done.

[gundark]

Call me paranoid, but I disconnect my desktop webcam when I'm not using it. Always have. This makes me glad I didn't buy the laptop with the built-in webcam.

[chevrolet1994]

In this world you have to take the good with the bad.

Nothing is perfect,never has been, never will be.

[rcprimak]

One more thing users of FlashPlayer may not know is that the Player itself, by default, allows remote activation of your web cam and microphone. Any web site can do this unless you go to your Flash Player Settings Page and check the appropriate Privacy Controls checkboxes. Do it NOW!!

[ChewbacaJones]

This is great information. With respect to all the fellows involved with creation in this industry, the end user must have some control.One bad apple inside of a trusted company inserting a back door trap can bring a compnay down and deprive consumers of basic privacy and or worse.

[mb56]

It is depressing to see how technologies that have so much promise to promote freedom and increase efficiencies are instead being used to slowly but surely enslave mankind. At the end of the day Ted Kaczynski may very well be proven right.

The most appalling aspect of this sad state of affairs IMHO is that we collectively as consumers are the ones putting the shackles to our own ankles. When will we wake up, get informed, and demand that WE have control over our privacy and personal information? That WE will not stand for being collated, sequenced, data-mined, stored and filtered as some commodity of private enterprise and government?

Today, watching the throngs of smiling sheep lined up at the Apple stores waiting for their IPAD - a closed system obviously designed as much or more for benefit of the manufacturer as the consumer, makes one realize that we are still eagerly putting the shackles on our own ankles.

[mb56]

JimmySylakowski, on 30 March 2010 - 02:30 AM, said:

Someone remotely hacking your webcam is kinda scary.

This is the *least* of your worries. RFID technology and it's potential... now *that* is scary. We will soon be able to add an identifying number to *everything* you buy or use, and a unique sequence of numbers from perhaps your credit cards or even the shoes you wear, or the tires on your car, will be able to uniquely identify and track you. Patents have already been filed by big names like IBM, Diebold, Seimans, etc. for various RFID tracking and monitoring systems. When RFID chips are placed in currency (as has already been proposed), it will even be possible for interested parties to determine how much money you are carrying or to be able to track even individuals *cash* purchases. This is scary, scary, stuff... and it's moving ahead with virtually no regulation or oversight.

[WinTard]

Simple fix: a little bit of electrician's tape (for the clueless, over the webcam orifice).

More sophisticated fixes: know exactly what goes in/out of your computer. Easy! http://www.zonealarm...ee-firewall.htm

http://www.peerblock.com/

Block absolutely whatever to your heart's contents.

Oh you don't have admin rights on your computer to install whatever?

Google: Results 1 - 10 of about 39,400,000 for get admin rights on your computer. (0.20 seconds)

Isn't the Internet a great source for any kind of information?

~~~~~~~~~~
Where there's a will, there's a way.

Knowledge is power.

[JimH443]

mb56, on 03 April 2010 - 09:19 AM, said:

When will we wake up, get informed, and demand that WE have control over our privacy and personal information? That WE will not stand for being collated, sequenced, data-mined, stored and filtered as some commodity of private enterprise and government?

The only way to accomplish this is to "fall off the grid." And even then, you'll be saddled with whatever's already been mined.

This post has been edited by JimH443: 03 April 2010 - 10:39 AM

[hazydave]

Errr.. about that second one. Commercial airlines don't use GPS. And GPS is at 1.57542 GHz and 1.2276 GHz ... not close enough to cell phone frequencies (850MHz/1900MHz US, 900MHz/1800MHz Europe, for voice and sometimes data).

The filters used for even consumer GPS device put frequencies 50MHz away down 50-60dB from the GPS passband. Or, in English... you know how your GPS device has a Bluetooth speaker thing it for your cellphone, and how the GPS keeps working even when you and your 100 nearest buddies are yaking on the phone while commuting? It's like that.

Presumably, they also don't want you to know this.

Of course, as they suggest, cell phones aren't terribly useful in-flight anyway.

[rscme]

I am always looking for ways to save on my mobile phone and to outwit carriers. I got a free Bold 9700 from a vendor I work with because I discovered and fixed an issue they were having with a Blackberry Enterprise Server. So I have an unlocked, un-contracted phone. But AT&T charges me the same monthly fee regardless of whether I "own" the phone outright or under contract. It's still the same price for data/voice/text.

So this article about "buy your phone outright up front if you can and save money" is bunk.

[IcyPichu]

People, shouldn't we know better than to do 'compromising' things behind a school laptop webcam? 8/

[landsw]

i don't know about the rest of ya but if there is a one in a gzillion chance that a cell phone could impact the controls of the plane then i'm all for the ban. i don't want to be on the one documented case flight.
ol' ken can be colored highly skeptical with some fuchsia thrown in but i figure people can stay off the frickin things for awhile.
hail, they can't even stay off of them when they are the one and only guidance system of a 2 to 6 thousand pound missile barreling down the street.

This post has been edited by landsw: 11 April 2010 - 06:50 AM

[mjd420nova]

Wintard has it covered. ZoneAlarm is one of the best products I've used that lets you know every little bit that comes and goes from your computer and asks for your permission if you haven't approved of it already. Really a novel approach and I recommend it to everyone. Upon first installation it asks for permission for everything that comes and goes through its firewall. It is very enlightening for the user to know even simplest basics of internet traffic, what applications are calling home when you are not aware that they were even doing so. Bravo to GRC and ZoneAlarm.

[malignantpoodle]

1. "Your ISP Is a Copyright Cop"

Sort of, not really. The ISPs are vehemently resisting the RIAA and MPAA with regard to this. The reason is simple; the ISP cannot always determine when a copyright violation has taken place. Furthermore, they don't have the infrastructure to monitor all of this, make determinations on fair use policies, and the works. ISPs are not the copyright cops. Also, (and the ISPs know this), delegating the task of spotting copyright infringements means that they take on liability for when they mess up. ISPs react and cooperate when the RIAA puts pressure on them or delivers a subpoena or court ruling, but they are not the ones in general doing the policing.

2. "Cell Phones Don't Crash Airplanes"

I agree, they don't, but the article is flawed. First of all, 800mhz cell phones are not on the same frequency as other 800mhz services. Furthermore, aeronautical radio navigation is on the 1ghz band, not 800mhz.

3. "Incognito Browsing Isn't"

Of course, that's stating something that most people know these days. And yes, the proper solution is to use a proxy as the article recommends.

4. "You're Spending Too Much on Printer Ink"

This is commonly known and well established. I'm surprised that the article doesn't mention going to a laser printer for a solution. With my Dell 3100cn, I can print 49 pages for the cost of 1 inkjet page (cost of paper not included, of course). I've done the math.

5. "EULA May Not Be Enforceable"

Yeah, they may not be in some situations, but this statement is really non-sequitur when we consider that almost 100% of the time when people have gone to court over an EULA violation, the EULA has been upheld. I wouldn't risk it. Courts consistently rule that the EULA is legally binding.

6. "The Cyberwar is Heating Up"

Correct.

7. "Google May Rat You Out"

The problem here is that the article equates serving a subpoena with google willfully divulging information. If records are subpoenaed, google is compelled by law to turn over the requested information. Of course, the article makes good points in that google is a source of information which may end up in the hands of law enforcement, but the author is trying to create a picture here that google are the ones responsible for releasing the information, and this is a misnomer.

8. "Pacemakers and Other Implants May Be Hacked"

Of course! Any wireless device that receives data to alter settings could be hacked.

9. "Your PC May Be Killing You"

I won't debate that, but really the level of e-waste produced is releasing heavy metals into the environment at a rate and with a consequence so profound that it makes the concept of this article seem like they missed the mark. It's like looking at the elephant's footprints for evidence while the elephant is still in the room.

10. "Antivirus Software Won't Protect You"

This is absolutely true. Even in the day when viruses were the worst threats, many anti-virus applications had spotty performance. Today, traditional viruses are exceedingly rare, and have been replaced by malware, spyware, and adware. While major AV programs have some limited protection with regard to these, most are still searching for the old timey viruses, many with definitions in their bank on old DOS based viruses which will not function on or damage a modern machine. Still, nothing is ever 100% with this stuff, even when using the right tool for the right job.

11. "Your Cellphone is a Homing Beacon"

Very true, and most people aren't aware of this. But the thing is, turning it off doesn't always do the trick. Most reporters when working in high risk areas going to interview wanted persons or those involved in armed conflict are consistently told to remove the battery from the cell phone, because turning it off doesn't always do the trick. Removing the battery does though.

12. "A 'Cheap' Smartphone Is a Rip-Off"

Correct.

13. "Your Webcam May Be Watching You"

This is true, and most people don't know about it. Good to bring this up. There are however, more practical ways than plugging and unplugging the camera all the time. If you're going to do this, get a USB port saver (basically a USB extension so that you can wear out the cheap extension rather than the motherboard or hub). But it's more practical to have a webcam with a light when it's on, or setting up UAC to request permission any time the device is to be activated.

14. "Your Boss Can (and Probably Does) Monitor Your Computer"

This is true and has been going on for years. Many years back, an application called, "Game Cop" was produced that would log and alert management if it detected games being played on a system or over the network. You can bet that with loss of production at work due to individuals having their own boxes with internet access, the boss and IT are going to be watching.

15. "You Can Fight the RIAA and Win"

Good points and advice here. I'll just say that yes, you can fight the RIAA and win. People have also fought them and lost, and ended up paying $40,000 per mp3 downloaded and they got six of them...

16. "Your Passport Could Make You a Target for Crime--Wirelessly"

Interesting, I didn't know about this. The fact that I've never had a passport is probably a big reason why

17. "The Social Web Never Forgets"

So true! And great advice with regard to the Vanish application.

18. "You Can Escape Almost Any Service Contract Without Penalties"

True in some cases, not in others. Service contracts are governed by state laws, and they're all different. I'd change, "You Can..." with, "It's possible to"

19. "The NSA Is Tapping Your Data Stream"

So true and quite frightening. While all data passes through NSA and the telecom's (mostly ATT) datacenters, not all of the data is monitored. I saw a documentary on this awhile back where the NSA will have filters for certain terms. Perhaps, "terrorism", "war", "revolution" or what have you. They can even do something like, alert administrators of all data coming out of say, Mobile, Alabama that has the tag, "blue hummingbird". It's a very complex system. My point is that they can access all of the data within a certain timeframe, but that does not mean that people are reading every email or watching every google search.

20. "Your Facebook Apps Are Spying on You"

Yep, many do. If it wasn't for the constant spam the applications deliver to one's inbox, they might have more success as more people would use them. For me it's not an issue though; I just can't put up with their annoyances alone to even need be concerned about spying.

21. "Your Geolocation Data Is Not Private"

By default, it is private. Your own article states, " By law, carriers can't sell your CPNI without your permission..." It is accurate to say that your information is loosely protected or that it's easy to get out of having to keep your information private, but it's not accurate to say that it isn't. Just because the law is consistently violated, abused, or manipulated doesn't mean it isn't law anymore.

Malignantpoodle

[woodinvillian]

There are simple fixes for the RFID problem (at least for passports and possibly wallets).

http://www.thinkgeek.../security/910f/

It's basically an RFID blocker that prevents anyone from reading the RFID chip on your passport. For 18 bucks, its seems like a worthwhile investment.