The last seven hours have been an interesting and informative experience.
A person can learn much about himself or herself, other people and our fundamental interactions with technology.
For example, I learned today that social engineering isn't all that difficult. In fact, social engineering is quite easy. Hackers, crackers, coders or an especially attentive, adroit home user can gain a staggering amount of information with a cleverly worded email, conversation or phone call.
It isn't that the victims of computer crimes are stupid "newbies", although, I would agree that that naivety plays a large part of the problem. No, I think the problems with computer security and privacy stem from a fundamental assumption in the minds of a more inexperienced, less savvy computer user.
As I write this blog post I find myself wondering. I wonder if people from generations past had the same problems with their interactions vis-a-vis technology. Or, as I postulate, their interactions with technology were more basic, more immediate, more visceral and grounded in survival. They were members of generations that depended on face to face interactions and the trustworthiness of those interactions. Alas, I digress and wax winsome thoughts about an age long since over...
The point is the very real difference between my mother's expectation of technology and the nature of those interactions. I think the majority of older users out there in cyberspace not only expect, but take it for granted that every single exchange of data on the internet, whether it be Facebook, Hotmail or some other site, will be an open, honest affair. I had to work really, really hard to convince my mother that clicking every link that mentions her being in a video or making her financial dreams come true is not a wise decision.
"If it sounds too good to be true Mom, then it probably is..."
That line elicited the most miserable, confused look I have seen on a human face in a long, long time. I couldn't help but feel a twinge of sadness at the thought of two worlds colliding and virtually ensuring that one or both would be irreparably damaged in the process. My mom, ever the guileless user, seemed resigned to this new aspect of her digital lifestyle.
"Mom" I continued "would you open a letter from just anybody?"
Perhaps this last analogy wasn't quite accurate. Many of the junk emails that filled her inbox (427 separate emails to be exact) included her name in their subject line. I went on to explain to her that her recently exploited computer and Facebook account in all probability gave these malicious spam messages all the data they needed to tailor a personalized message of destruction.
Finally I resorted to threats...
"Mom, I'm not going to do this again! I'm not going to fix this damned computer again!" I insisted, but I knew it was one of those rhetorical threats people make when emphasizing a point. Of course I would fix her machine again. However, I know this time I will have to take a more drastic approach.
Enter Ubuntu!
My mom was watching me work while running a live instance of Ubuntu 10.10. "WOW!?" she enthusiastically exclaimed after briefly glancing at the GNOME desktop. I am happy to report that my earlier fears of rejection were allayed when I heard her visibly coo at Ubuntu's clean desktop and generally sleek looking interface.
However, by the end of my visit I had restored her computer to its factory condition; with Windows 7 and all. I instituted all of the changes I planned on instituting and set her up under a somewhat restrictive "standard" user account. I hope my measures will prevent her system from being compromised in the future, but again, I feel a gnawing trepidation. I just don't believe that Windows is the answer for our parents and grandparents. I think its pretty needless to say, that at this point, I believe that her machines chances of reinfection remain exceedingly high.
I think the next three months will be very interesting saga indeed and I believe that there will be far more to come.
I see visions of Ubuntu in my mother's future. It will be a bumpy ride, but she and I are game if you're game...
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