I'm teaching a seminar on cybersecurity for seniors, and towards the end of the lecture, I have a list of things that are not worth worrying about that I see people worrying about a lot.
Junk email and text messages that know your name. Companies that you do business with using electronic DocuSign for legally binding contracts. Google and online stores like Walgreens asking for location data.
These are probably the top 3 concerns seniors in my life have. When dealing with people who are already vulnerable to fear based social engineering, I feel like it's important not to make them afraid of the one off data hack. Yes, there is slight risk with sharing location data with Walgreens or Google when searching for a local movie theater or restaurant, but that risk is not worth being afraid of to the point where you don't allow personalized search results. Besides many struggle to find local search results in the first place, so not allowing location data just makes it harder for them. DocuSign is not without risk, but again the risk is not worth forcing yourself and every company you do business with to do it on physical paper especially if it's interstate business (in the USA). When it comes to junk emails and text messages, most people have a name associated with their primary email and phone number, and that data is not hard for an automated program to comb through public info and find. Millions of people get scam emails with their first or last name on them, text messages with even their address, if they've ever done business with their cell phone and address that's accessible with public data.
The fears people have about location sharing and junk emails/texts knowing who they are seem to revolve around some bad guy's ability to come to the house to harm them. That's how it is with my parents and with some of my older neighbors I've talked to. At the end of the day, they believe they're at physical risk for something if the person on the email knows where they live. What does the forum think?
Junk email and text messages that know your name. Companies that you do business with using electronic DocuSign for legally binding contracts. Google and online stores like Walgreens asking for location data.
These are probably the top 3 concerns seniors in my life have. When dealing with people who are already vulnerable to fear based social engineering, I feel like it's important not to make them afraid of the one off data hack. Yes, there is slight risk with sharing location data with Walgreens or Google when searching for a local movie theater or restaurant, but that risk is not worth being afraid of to the point where you don't allow personalized search results. Besides many struggle to find local search results in the first place, so not allowing location data just makes it harder for them. DocuSign is not without risk, but again the risk is not worth forcing yourself and every company you do business with to do it on physical paper especially if it's interstate business (in the USA). When it comes to junk emails and text messages, most people have a name associated with their primary email and phone number, and that data is not hard for an automated program to comb through public info and find. Millions of people get scam emails with their first or last name on them, text messages with even their address, if they've ever done business with their cell phone and address that's accessible with public data.
The fears people have about location sharing and junk emails/texts knowing who they are seem to revolve around some bad guy's ability to come to the house to harm them. That's how it is with my parents and with some of my older neighbors I've talked to. At the end of the day, they believe they're at physical risk for something if the person on the email knows where they live. What does the forum think?
My Computer
At a glance
Windows 11 ProRyzen 5 3600X32 GB 3200RTX 2070
- OS
- Windows 11 Pro
- Computer type
- PC/Desktop
- Manufacturer/Model
- Me
- CPU
- Ryzen 5 3600X
- Motherboard
- ASROCK Gaming 4 Phantom Z570
- Memory
- 32 GB 3200
- Graphics Card(s)
- RTX 2070
- Monitor(s) Displays
- Asus MX27AQ
- Hard Drives
- Too many to count!
HAHAHA
