Computer Security
12/02/2024
I remember it wasn’t so many years ago we had to take some home security precautions to keep our young toddler out of certain kitchen cupboards. We put rubber bands around the door handles.
And phone security? We moved the phone to a higher shelf he couldn’t reach. Not to keep him from accidentally calling dial-a-porn, but to keep him from knocking the handset off the base, resulting in an annoying “off-hook” warning tone.
How times have changed.
Remember your first encounter with computer security: something called “userid” and then something called p-w-d,” short for password. It was the first initial of your first name and your last name, followed by your password, invariably the letters and numbers N-C-C-1-7-0-1, the Star Fleet registration for the starship Enterprise.
Remember when your password had to be eight characters, and everyone was using the eight-letter word “password” for their password?
Needless to say, the computer security people weren’t happy, but it was easy to remember.
So passwords requirements were changed to some incomprehensible combination of upper and lower case letters, numbers and special symbols. But only certain allowable special symbols.
And our computer systems became more secure, but not as easy to use.
Then came two-factor-authentication. Your regular user name and password, plus a code sent to your phone you had to enter on your computer to access some web sites, or even your computer itself.
Still more secure, but even less usable. Furthermore, security experts say the two-factor authentication has its own flaws, which we certainly won’t explain here.
Even more secure, and even harder to use.
Now I’m learning there are security systems, particularly on cell phones, that require you to not only use cumbersome log-ons to access the phone itself, but additional levels of security to access particular applications. Which could result in having to key in four or more entries.
So how about biometrics, where you use your face or fingerprint to access your computer or phone?
Nope, security flaws and vulnerabilities as well. Plus the danger of someone collecting your biometric information and using artificial intelligence to create a new you.
So to paraphrase my favorite philosopher, Princess Leia Organa, the more you tighten your grip, the more your data will slip through the system.
I’m Larry Burriss.
