Tuesday, August 01, 2017

"Future Crimes"

"How hard is it to break into the average computer system? Laughably easy. According to the Verizon study, once hackers set their sights on your network, 75 percent of the time they can successfully penetrate your defenses within minutes. The same study notes that only 15 percent of the time does it take more than a few hours to breach a system. The implications of those findings are profound. From the time an attacker decides to target your world, 75 percent of the time the game is over in minutes. You'll be punched, knocked out, and on the floor before you ever knew what hit you. In today's world, hackers are living unfettered and free inside your very own data systems for months and months, watching, waiting, lurking, and pillaging everything from your passwords to work projects to old selfies. You are easy marks and sitting ducks. How odd that we as a society tolerate this. If any of us noticed a burglar in our home watching over us as we slept or filming us in the shower, we would immediately dial 911 (or alternatively scream or reach for a gun). In cyberspace, this is a daily occurrence, yet most of us remain calmly, even blissfully unaware of the threat, despite our deep vulnerabilities and the bad guys looming over us as we sleep."

- From Future Crimes: Everything is Connected, Everyone is Vulnerable, and What We Can Do About It by Marc Goodman

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