So... here's a paradox... or is it a conundrum:
I choose to live in a world with as little fear or paranoia as possible
(some may not see that from my postings here, but I claim it to be true).
So, to secure my wireless network, to encrypt my e-mail, to encrypt my
hard drive, to use obfuscating proxies in my network/computer life would
be to invite a much more dangerous and scary world in than I want to
live in. Just as adding deadbolts to my doors at home or putting a
lo-jack in my vehicle, or keeping a loaded gun in my bedstand would feel
like inviting in the bad things they are supposed to keep out. I've
lived decades without any of those and I can't say I have any
significant reason to feel like a chump about it, while I know folks
(there may be some here) who are pretty sure that if they didn't shoot
their triple-deadbolt and set their "armed response" security system
every time they go through their door, that they would be victim of home
invasion, etc.
On the other hand, I understand the logic of wanting erstwhile criminals
to assume that "everyone owns a gun and knows how to use it", and the
logic of sending private communication by sealed envelope, or using
SSL/TLS for e-mail (and other) communication over an otherwise open
network.
So is there a "best of both worlds"? I try to strike this by leaving
my wireless network open to use by "anyone", but setting up my e-mail
client with SSL/TLS and only sending sensitive information over the web
via https . I can imagine using the disk-level encryption provided on
my system as a matter of course, but I *can't* imagine setting up an
obfuscating web proxy and insisting that all my co-mmunicants decrypt my
e-mails with PGP, etc.
This all smacks so strongly of immune systems and complex
population/prey/symbiote/parasite communities that I feel like I need to
go back and review Stephanie Forrest's work again.
On Haystacks: There are two types of cracking that can occur to an
individual
1 - Targeted: The bad guy (NSA, a malicious cracker...) is after you
specifically.
2 - Non-Targeted: The bad guy casts a broad net, or inspects a big
haystack, for exposed individuals
If 1), your chances are really low of avoiding being hacked unless the
bad guy is novice.
2) is a double edged sword. Being concerned about encryption email
routing and storage has merit if the trolling is simply putting up a
wall, saying "move along, nothing here". But it also puts up a sign
saying "I have a reason to hide"
My guess is that all of us using any sort of extra measures, such as
encryption, are definitely on the NSA books.
-- Owen
On Sat, Aug 17, 2013 at 5:35 PM, Steve Smith <sasm...@swcp.com
<mailto:sasm...@swcp.com>> wrote:
Marcus
Public advocacy for having ubiquitous secure transfers is a
stronger signal for them to contemplate.
Agreed.
yes, these are the fruits of a paranoid mind, but just
because you are paranoid, *doesn't* mean they aren't out
to get you.
Speaking of paranoia, here's a little Thunderbird add-in that
aims to check that all of the e-mail hops were secure. It's a
little buggy, but a nice idea (double check its work if it
gives you a happy face).
I get happy faces over the strangest things... and in fact, I like
highwire work without checking the net before I go up... it just
feels like bad juju. It is merely important (to me) to know that
I *can* check the net if I choose to... that it is checkable and I
am competent to do so and nobody gets too wIerded out if I do.
https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/thunderbird/addon/paranoia/
- Steve
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