Am I an Internet Paranoid Schizophrenic?

[deepNdirt]

I realize lately with work being slow and it being to hot outdoors I find myself behind this Ol- puter more than usual, I read lots and probably post too much, But while reading deferent topics and threads, I can't help to be subspecies of some of them, example: the ones that are started from New members that only have 1-5 post and start a thread about what is your favorite hobby? or what is your dogs name? or how did you come up with your user name? etc,etc, I find some of the threads amusing to read but on the same time think about the WWW having information that could be used to hack your computer..... I mean think about it, some folks use the dogs name as passwords, or if one shares enough information about themselves that the pc's of a Information puzzle can be put together and enough of the right combinations can be used to figure out things about people....
I just wonder if I'm acting Paranoid or if anyone else might think about this as well?
I know I'm probably just crazy :confused2:

 

[Egon]

I mean think about it, some folks use the dogs name as passwords, or if one shares enough information about themselves that the pc's of a Information puzzle can be put together and enough of the right combinations can be used to figure out things about people....
I just wonder if I'm acting Paranoid or if anyone else might think about this as well?

You could right?

Being Computer Illiterate I just have to rely on Mr. Q to look after me.

 

[Marveltone]

Look, it's nothing personal. I only post what my handlers tell me to!
BTW... What was your mother-in-law's middle name again?

 

[RadarTech]

let me weigh in here--

I do computer network security and infrastructure for a living..
hence the reason why I am online so much..

Sometimes I get on the net while various background tasks are running.

To be perfectly honest, no computer security is perfect nor it will last forever and protect you for a great deal of time.

And old friend of mine who spent his entire life in the computer security forum, may he rest in peace, once told me that the only way to POSSIBLY fully secure a computer or information is to put it on a system, build a concrete vault bury it 100 feet down, surround it with rock, more concrete and then build something on top of it and when complete, eliminate everyone involved. then he said, you might have a secret that would last a year or two...

For every defensive tactic that is devised, there is at some point a weakness to be abused.

Now how do you deal with this? Always be deliberate with what you post on a public forum. But understand that if someone has your address or your real name for $40 or less in some cases, they can get your life history. There are websites that you can go to and request all kinds of information, and get it near instantly..

So should you be worried? yes-- should it keep you up at night? no.

should you do the same thing that you do to protect your home? yes

be careful, be deliberate, and as and old friend one said: " Keep your head on a swivel out there"

There has never been a lock that can't be picked, there has never been a computer built that can't be hacked, there will never be a secret that lasts forever.

It all depends on how determined someone is.

A friend that is in law enforcement told me about a thief that rented an apartment just to watch someone's home to see how to breakin...

they caught him because the neighbor had "his head on a swivel!"

Be careful out there!!!

J

 

[Bedlam]

One thing Ive found out, and its maybe not a big deal. But people will post a link to a pic in Photo bucket.when someone views it. they can then progress through the person photo bucket seeing all pictures . In photo bucket you can make an option to not allow this .Something I hadn't realized before.
Some people wont care about this but its amazing how much someone could find out like a mail box in distance license plate name on a truck etc.
Just food for thought..

 

[rekees4300]

I just wonder if I'm acting Paranoid or if anyone else might think about this as well?

You're not paranoid or crazy. When it comes to Internet security, the more cautious you are the better. :thumbsup:

 

[dave1949]

Yes, sort of

How many people drive by your home each day and know your address, license plate #'s, can guesstimate your personal wealth, etc?

When you take pics at a family/work gathering in a public setting, any number of strangers are there too.

Just like you wouldn't keep your gun safe on your front porch, you wouldn't post photo bucket pics of some things either.

So what did you say your dog's name is?

It's always good to be aware, but it can be overdone.
Dave.

 

[deepNdirt]

Yes, sort of

How many people drive by your home each day and know your address, license plate #'s, can guesstimate your personal wealth, etc?

When you take pics at a family/work gathering in a public setting, any number of strangers are there too.

Just like you wouldn't keep your gun safe on your front porch, you wouldn't post photo bucket pics of some things either.

So what did you say your dog's name is?

It's always good to be aware, but it can be overdone.
Dave.

True, I thought about this after my son shared photos of us and our grandchildren on his My space over the net, I asked that he remove them, and explained how I felt and how easy it would be for someone to click & copy anyones picture to their own personal files for what ever reason, same with the concern for my grandchildren, My son told me I was Paranoid, you might see me post picture in threads of tractor related items, But you'll not see my Mug
have same issue with my sister-in-law trying to build a Family tree through a Internet website, birthdays,locations Maiden names,where was born,who married who?, children's name, children are etc,etc, ....... Yes its true I become a member of some website and have to provide a certain amount of info, but you can bet its not all true info

 

[brin]

My Mrs. has had me working on here computer all day to day...I installed a Mallware program that just found 176 infected files and I am still not finished..This is the first virus, trojan etc. infection we have had and we have had computers and been on the net since it was invented by Al Gore..LOL...We have McAfee anti virus but this slipped through..

So do be careful...this is not fun and even after deleting the 178 malware items found we are still having problems so I am running a new and different virus scan ( AVG ) I hope I win...I won't give up but I can tell you I would like just 1 minute alone with the one that infected my Mrs. computer. All ideas appreciated.

 

[dave1949]

True, I thought about this after my son shared photos of us and our grandchildren on his My space over the net, I asked that he remove them, and explained how I felt and how easy it would be for someone to click & copy anyones picture to their own personal files for what ever reason, same with the concern for my grandchildren, My son told me I was Paranoid, you might see me post picture in threads of tractor related items, But you'll not see my Mug
have same issue with my sister-in-law trying to build a Family tree through a Internet website, birthdays,locations Maiden names,where was born,who married who?, children's name, children are etc,etc, ....... Yes its true I become a member of some website and have to provide a certain amount of info, but you can bet its not all true info

Our kids are grown and no grandkids, but that is an area worth protecting for sure. There are creeps on the 'net.

Dave.