Technology (Skynet Lives)

Demolocke’s Agenda Article/Post Caveat (Read First Please: Click the Link)

“We use such things without thought to their origin, ignoring the fact that high-tech devices, all machines, all electronics, all circuits, are temptations. They insinuate themselves into daily life so that people blithely accept their pervasive presence.” - unknown

Billions Sold, Sound Familiar

Demolocke’s Agenda Article/Post Caveat (Read First Please: Click the Link)

Long ago in a world far, far in the past a fast food place put this on their signs and now you too can put this on your computers and media devices so that you can remind yourself that selling billions of devices that don’t directly effect you, indirectly you betcha, is not a good thing, it is dangerous, crafty and like identity theft a real bear to beat and get corrected. The onus is on YOU!

“Gartner Inc. forecasts that 6.4 billion connected things will be in use worldwide in 2016, up 30 percent from 2015, and will reach 20.8 billion by 2020. In 2016, 5.5 million new things will get connected each day, Gartner estimates. If only a fraction of these new IoT devices are shipped with sloppy security defaults — such as hard-coded accounts and passwords — the IoT problem is going to get a lot worse in the coming years.” - Krebs on Security

Just reading about the numbers is causing my blood pressure to rise and my vertigo to spin while my body does the hoochie-coochie with the chemicals my brain is releasing under the old flight-fight survival triggers. This shit is really scary. Don’t even get me started on the Banks iPhone/Smartphone ATM automation, Arghhhhhhhhhh! READ ABOUT ATM AUTOMATED TELLER FRAUD HERE!

Cyborg Revolution

Demolocke’s Agenda Article/Post Caveat (Read First Please: Click the Link)

Cyborgs are officially defined as, “A hypothetical person whose physical abilities are extended beyond normal human limitations by mechanical elements built into the body.” In our most modern of the technological revolution we are inadvertently creating another type of cyborg I define as, “A person whose physical abilities are extended beyond normal human limitations by mechanical elements ADDED ONTO the body.”

We as a species long before the agricultural, industrial and technological revolutions had all we needed to navigate, live in and survive the dangers of our world, the planet earth. Let me suggest an example that I read in some past research finding, i.e., the humans natural ability to navigate the world.

It suggested through a theory that was tested through research that humans naturally connected to the planets electrical grid that created the types of forces, such as negative and positive, etc., that actually allowed us to know instinctively where we were and what directions we would go such as north, south, east and west, etc., in traveling naturally without add on’s such as techno-revolutionary GPS and associated satellites. When returned to a more natural state of life in the proverbial wild our bodies and brains would kind of reconnect to nature and through that connection actually know where you are at any point in time and in any location. It was erie to hear the testimonials because it truly meant that we are, as a species, are losing out connection and touch with nature. 

Remember, in our brains, if we don’t use an ability that ability will atrophy and sooner rather than later simply stop functioning altogether. In a recent article I wrote about awareness and environment, a virtual kind, I suggested that to be aware of and conscious of our environments we had to change our perspective, a paradigm shift, toward that virtual world where our senses provided input data signals to our brains, etc. (You can read that article HERE). 

What I am suggesting is that we have fallen over the cliff of technology and have left ourselves vulnerable to all sorts of dangers that expose us to grave harm and death. We have and are adding on technology to further distance ourselves from our true natures as a species. We put on earbuds and add loud sounds like music to block out all the sounds of our environment, both positive and negative sounds. We focus our eyes on the small screens of those same devices that are pumping sounds into our ears further blocking out the sights found in our environment so we no longer see all around us for inherent dangers that may cause grave harm or death. 

We further exacerbate our exposure by using obstacles to block our natural need and critical socialization by using virtual social media so that we are no longer exposed to the closeness of others that are also a necessity of human survival by the creation of groups, etc. We are assuming that liking someone with a click of a mouse is the same as being exposed directly to a person so that our sense systems can detect, find and create close relationships that are further supported and validated by things like body language and emotionally mature interconnections that are impossible through media programs like Facebook. It feels like we are but is it actually creating those relationships so endearing and critical to our species survival? 

This cybernetic-techno-revolutinary path is actually creating a human existence with no real meaning or substance even if if feels like it is real. We all end up like the borg in Star Trek, all cybernetic-like entities pretty much oblivious to our surroundings with added on devices that distract, distance and socially condition us so that when external stimuli not of the techno-sources hits us we are surprised, unprepared and inexperienced resulting in a freeze response that cannot be broken so external dangers can harm us or kill us. Since that distance and obstacle includes the collective association of a group with appropriate group survival dynamics we lose that collective ability to survive in our world, we become targets of any and all predatory hunters and hunting. You can bet your bottom dollar that predators both human and technological-humans are gearing up to take advantage of such juicy opportunities that are becoming more obvious and more prominent in our world both physical and technological. 

Technology is and has been about supplementing our way of life, it is not meant to replace human needs and interactions, etc. As a tool it helps us to achieve our human goals but today’s add-on cybernetic-like devices is quickly dominating our very ability to act and survive in the world. WE should be in CONTROL of technology and technology should not be taking control of US. 

Think about it! It is closing in on us and only a matter of time before the added on tech is to be developed, changed and created to be added in or built in to our bodies. Can anyone say, Borg: “Resistance is Futile!”

Why Security is a Big Deal

Article/Post Caveat (Read First Please: Click the Link)

Yes, security is and always has been a big deal not just tech-wise but otherwise in all areas and facets of our economic and personal/social lives. I worked in the security industry for almost twenty-five years and retired as a GS-11 Security type in 1998 so I have some sense of the need and critical use of security necessity. 

The problem in security outside of industries and disciplines that take it seriously for both … wait for it … overall security needs but also to the ramifications not just monetary as to budget but to possible economic, security and survival reasons. This is also why folks who applaud persons like Snowden don’t realize or understand what it means when someone goes outside the security and classification arena to express their emotionally ignorant beliefs on what they release. 

Once again, private industries who gather our data and fail to apply good solid security to protect it has failed miserably, i.e., now Yahoo has not just once, but twice, failed its customers with horrible security. 

In the tech-revolution we have made our selves and conditioned our society to depend heavily on technology such as cloud services, data mining and data brokerage, etc., but in ignorance. 

Listen, in business one of the main departments that hardly ever show profit is the security side of the house as well as the administration side although this side has support services that can be seen readily as beneficial. Security tho, is often treated as the bastard child because it does not show profit and benefit … wait for it … until … security breaches rise up and slam them in the throat. So, often security is given lip service and most gamble that they will never have to lose money and profit if some security is breached.

Now, in our modern tech-revolution the fact that predatory actions happen in milliseconds because of the speed and wide coverage of data by the Internet and Iot or Internet of Things means that security breaches can happen instantly, surreptitiously and often undetected until some person/customer or other mindful person notices something hinky going on … usually months to years after the fact. This is just not good.

Then there is this, “Must be first” mentality found in the industry where software, apps and other bells and whistles have to be pushed quickly out into the wild to keep ahead of the competition and keep the board members fat, dump and happy with profits. This means something has to be set to the back burner so the product can be put out there fast and FIRST to gain advantage and edge against competitors. Security is often at the top of the list and properly mind-state QA testing especially in regard to security is second on that list. 

One huge reason this continues even in the face of the new money industry of data brokerage is there are no repercussions of note or significance to drive the business toward making and developing proactive security measures, postures and software. There is only one motivator of value to them, money! Hit them hard where they hold profit and make it significant enough they won’t just assign it as “part of business” so they are hurt and they suffer on the profit side when security is found - lacking and vulnerable. 

This brings up our current security posture in the tech area, we are much like the police in this country who are conditioned to react over being proactive in serving, protecting and to safety of our cities, counties and country. The minute you become reactive to any dangers or situations where grave harm can and does occur along with potential violence you are behind the curve. You have to be proactive and there is no reason why the industry cannot become proactive in security after all the “Dark Web” of nefarious evil-doers are proactive not just in their own security but in their methods of attack as well such as viruses and phishing efforts. 

No wonder Yahoo got whacked, they were complacent in their efforts to secure things properly and they got by for a lot of years but now that the predators of the dark web have such instant ways to garner resources and effect, if they wish, effect nefarious processes against anyone, anywhere and regardless of the physical securities out there such as police, neighborhood watches and home security systems (not going to start on this one since this product is now connected by the IoT, arghhh). 

It is time to require and enforce security measures at all levels of the technological industry and it is time to make the profits gained from such efforts as data mining to the data brokerages less profitable without adequate proactive security measures. 

Speak up to your representatives and let them know that you are tired and not going to put up with it anymore, you want adequate security measures at ever level of the industry possible from the IoT’s to your accounts and especially to your personal data. It is also time for us, the users, to take up our own personal responsibility in our own Tech-Sec (Technological Security) by learning about how security is breached and what personal actions we can take to support and reinforce our own security of data, etc. It is our responsibility as well as the industry, don’t buy or use any tech until you are assured of its security and remember, just like todays news media you have to fact-check, i.e., in other words seek out information as to the validity of such security measures such as reading KrebsonSecurity site. 

Read this: 14: Yahoo: One Billion More Accounts Hacked https://krebsonsecurity.com/2016/12/yahoo-one-billion-more-accounts-hacked/

The Dangers of the IoT

Blog Article/Post Caveat (Read First Please: Click the Link)

It’s been out there for a while but, at least to my perception, until recently it has not gotten the press or attention it should have received. It just tells me, personally speaking, that almost every component, big or small, that relies on updates through the network via a back door by the manufacturer is vulnerable and usable by those nefarious predators out there hell bent on doing harm, they are either/or/and process and/or resource predators and they are a danger to all of us connected. 

Krebs on Security has provided, and suffered the slings and arrows because of the articles, another article that informs us once again to the dangers of the IoT, the Internet of Things. I suggest every person/reader/listener to contact their representatives to push for some form of effort to get those who make all those IoT’s to secure them by default and set up some secure method to use security to open/close when a need to patch or update. 

Here is KrebsonSecurity’s article, read IT HERE. And, so you may remain informed he also provides an initial list of who makes the IoT used for such nefarious attacks of predatory origins. 

Bibliography (Click the link)

“In order for any life to matter, we all have to matter.” - Marcus Luttrell, Navy Seal (ret)

I HAD a Great Software Product

But, thanks to the “Unusual Business Practices” of the software company that software is now gone. I paid a large sum of cash to purchase that software package and after a crash tried to reinstall the software only to find that the software company had not just taken the software off their market but set it up that when you try to install or reinstall it, it connects to their servers where you get a message that the license is no longer valid. What happens is if you want to get a replacement you have to shell out more money for a more complex and higher learning curve set of software programs. This really sucks.

I had used this piece of software for over a decade. It was simple, easy to use and the learning curve was the shortest I have ever encountered in my time testing out such software programs. What piece is it, well it is a simple program in the same area of other like programs such as Photoshop. It is NOT photoshop because that is still out there but it was a program that when coupled with other like development programs made life easy, fast and productive.

I found a open source program that some say is similar to the one taken from me unawares but it isn’t, it is not the simple, easy and short learning curve, it requires a lot more work to use in creating certain types of graphics.

I can’t help but wonder why the company decided to trigger the license as no longer valid for an old program they no longer sell or support except I can theorize that they wanted everyone to buy their new, improved and yet most difficult to learn programs. It seems that a deliberate programming effort was created to force people to upgrade but here is the rub, the old software was all I needed “ever” and would have served me for many more years so it bothers me that they would create a license killer sub-routine. It pissed me off so much that I went open source for a replacement and all the other programs on my work machine (the old program was on my personal machine), we use the same vendor for work, that I refuse to use those packages and refuse to lead them on my workstation (I removed them all from the machine after my old program was killed by the vendor).

I have seen or observed other vendors going this way by using the cloud installer where they check, it appears to check your machine for old software, then possibly kill your bought and paid for life licenses. That sucks! It is a bad business practice and when it becomes more prominent in software purchases I hope the buyers protest vehemently. 

IoT Security

Take a read at KrebsonSecurity for the article HERE. I recommend reading it then I also recommend taking a look at the devices you have at home and/or at your business. Since certain sources are selling less than secure devices, some that I feel were deliberately created to allow surreptitious access, to our companies who are using the devices as a part of a package puts us at risk.

If we as individuals, for it is us the individuals most at risk and who will pay the highest price of such insecurities, speak up and have both those companies as well as our legislatures, etc., take a positive role in making the IoT more secure and those that fail pay large sums of money, the sums that really hurt in relation to the offender be it individual or large business, then we will have gone a long way to create a more secure, a more safe and a more profitable Internet environment, both the surface we all see and the U-verse hidden underneath. 

The idea is to hinder all those fly-by-night predators that rely on the more nefarious ones who create ways to use and circumvent security in software, hardware and all the related IoT’s. 

Just sayin!!! Oh, and those nefarious dudes who are making IoT products the way they are, all such devices being imported must past rigorous testing before being allowed and then having a tariff like tax added to pay for it all. Just sayin!!!