I'd hate to be the guy who stood in a crowded theatre (concert hall) and yelled
so I'm sort of wondering if this advice is superfluous. But knowing computer security, it's all possible. All of the shite that I write about is very real.
And right now we're all smelling a lot of smoke.
Hijacking blogs is ONE practical use for malware.
Now, if there is a security weakness in Blogger that we don't know about it, that's up for Blogger Support to find and fix. And we have to pray that they do, and we have to feed them clues, when we have any, about what to look for. Which means, if we discover that our blog has been hijacked, we have to report the problem.
If there is a security weakness on our end, we need to know about that too. And fix the problem. Here are several possible problems.
Communication with other Bloggers is the best way to stop the hijackings. If they are our fault. But knowing what the hell is going on is the first step.
FIRE
so I'm sort of wondering if this advice is superfluous. But knowing computer security, it's all possible. All of the shite that I write about is very real.
And right now we're all smelling a lot of smoke.
Hijacking blogs is ONE practical use for malware.
Now, if there is a security weakness in Blogger that we don't know about it, that's up for Blogger Support to find and fix. And we have to pray that they do, and we have to feed them clues, when we have any, about what to look for. Which means, if we discover that our blog has been hijacked, we have to report the problem.
If there is a security weakness on our end, we need to know about that too. And fix the problem. Here are several possible problems.
- Weak passwords, that are susceptible to password cracking, generally brute force activity. Strengthen your password!
- Password logging malware. This is a very common problem in computers; it's possible that there is malware out there that is targeting Bloggers.
- Become aware of what malware is out there.
- Check your computer, carefully, for malware. If you find anything interesting, report it, in the GBH public forums. Let other Bloggers know what to look for!
- Protect yourself. Layered security is a good start.
- Become aware of what malware is out there.
- Blogging on computers, or networks, that we can't (shouldn't) trust. Any time you enter your Blogger account, or password, using a public computer, location, and / or network, you are at risk. Think.
- Using a public computer, maybe one in a library or at work, that someone can later access.
- Using your own computer, but on a public network, maybe in a coffeeshop or at work.
- Using a public computer, maybe one in a library or at work, that someone can later access.
Communication with other Bloggers is the best way to stop the hijackings. If they are our fault. But knowing what the hell is going on is the first step.
Comments
Let's hope it stops a few (dozen? hundred?:-P) blogs getting stolen...
But...for an experienced user like me who knows to log off and erase cookies and history, is it still not safe to go on a public computer like the library?
Not that I do it, but I wanna know this.
Do you mean anyone or just noob users?
I monitor a few security issues forums, and some of the exploits discussed in there would make YOUR hair (YOUR hair, not mine haha) stand on end.
Most libraries and kiosks are becoming increasingly aware of these issues too.
Using common sense, and anyone should be safe. You just have to know the exposure, and plan ways to mitigate the exposure.
Well, that's it. I won't use any passwords ever again in any public computer. I don't really have to and all the times I've done was just for convenience. I prefer to be safe. Thanks for the advice, Chuck!