In my last article [link] I outlined a few of the hardships we are facing with the constant uprising of technology and how it’s affecting our privacy and security. Hopefully I can shed some light on it, and reassure you that not all hope is lost.

Previously I talked a lot about how technology is making it easier for us to obtain information. This really only applies when the proper measures aren’t taken to protect that data. I mentioned how it’s only a matter of time before cryptographic keys can be broken. Well the real question isn’t how secure do you want your data to be, but how secure do you need it to be for what length of time? With RSA 1024 you’re still looking at a good 5-10 years before even the simplest of keys can be brute forced. Even longer before it’s a main stream breakthrough. Nothing is ever going to be 100% secure, this is a fact, but usually we only really ever need to secure things for a extended amount of time.

Those areas where human error come into play. We are starting to build an arsenal of tools and methodologies to help us automate and reduce the risk of mistakes. Whether it be a coding framework, more strict policies, with harsh penalties for those who don’t cohere to them. We really are trying, and I think we are making a good stand. The goal isn’t to lock down everything, but simply protect it long enough that those who are trying to get it give up.

When it comes to personal privacy, it really comes down to training the users/individuals. It’s a new world, you wouldn’t go leaving your wallet full of cash lying around anywhere would you, you keep it protected. The same goes for protecting your identity or credit information. Clean up after yourself if you use public computers. Secure your wireless. Don’t give out personal information. Be smart about it, and you’ll continue to stay on top.

We have a fighting chance, no one said it would be easy, but don’t go getting paranoid either. There are people looking out for you too.

This entry was posted on Friday, July 18th, 2008 at 6:00 am by Tim Donaworth and is filed under rants. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.