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Entries Tagged as 'Security'

The Parking Lot Concierge

September 21st, 2023 · No Comments

by Dwayne Phillips This is something we need. Shopping centers, please read. I’ve seen it many times. An adult steps out of their car in the shopping center parking lot. They have two or more small children with them. All the children are strapped into car seats. Let’s see, unbuckle the oldest child first, or […]

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Tags: Adults · Culture · Expectations · Observation · Rest · Security

We Have That Information (Tucked Away Somewhere)

January 30th, 2023 · No Comments

by Dwayne Phillips We know the answers. We have the information. Can we access it? More importantly, can you access it? We have the data silo. Some call it the data stovepipe. Some call it the sandbox. Others call it job (in)security. Enough of the metaphors and cliches. We have the information. I can find […]

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Tags: Accountability · Adults · Information · Knowledge · Security

Centralized vs. Disbursed

November 18th, 2021 · No Comments

by Dwayne Phillips We revisit an old tradeoff that moves to a different dimension, but retains the tradeoff. In the early 1990s, (yes, I am that old) we had about a dozen different computing systems in a laboratory. On any given day, one of the dozen would be “down” for repair. Too bad, but we […]

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Tags: Alternatives · Analysis · Choose · Decide · Security · Trust

Privacy versus Security: The Restroom at Starbucks

August 1st, 2019 · No Comments

by Dwayne Phillips The humble public restroom illustrates our tendency to security over privacy, even when we know better. Privacy: the door opens in such a way that the first thing you see is NOT toilet. Security (safety): the door opens in such a way to permit easiest exit in event of something bad. Security […]

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Tags: Privacy · Security

Facial Recognition Folly

December 1st, 2016 · No Comments

by Dwayne Phillips Facial recognition is easily fooled. So when will our law enforcement stop using it? The polygraph is one example from history of technology barred from court. Facial recognition is one of the latest hot technologies in law enforcement. Facial recognition software scans huge databases to identify a person at the scene of […]

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Tags: Security · Technology

The History-Story Gap

July 14th, 2016 · No Comments

by Dwayne Phillips There is often a gap between our history and our story about our history. I suppose, since most of us are not famous, that is okay. We have experiences—those comprise our history. Then we tell people a story about those experiences. Sometimes the stories enhance the histories. Barack Obama has some doozies. […]

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Tags: Communication · Excuses · Fable · Family · Security · Teaching

Don’t Connect to the Silly Internet!

January 14th, 2016 · No Comments

by Dwayne Phillips Governments worldwide are grappling with how to make their infrastructure safe from hacking. The solution is trivial. Everyone is afraid that their SCADA (supervisory control and data acquisition) systems are being hacked (here is one story of many). Bad people will cause dams to overflow and sewage to be poured into drinking […]

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Tags: Government · Security

Lie to Everyone but Me

January 11th, 2016 · No Comments

by Dwayne Phillips If someone could overcome the scientific and logical barriers to backdoors to encryption systems, they would still face one of trusting liars. Many of our elected representatives want our technology companies to build encryption systems with “backdoors.” (Here is a link to one story of such.) These magical backdoors would permit the […]

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Tags: America · Communication · Engineering · Government · Privacy · Security

CompTIA Security+

December 7th, 2015 · No Comments

by Dwayne Phillips Over the weekend, I passed the test for CompTIA Security+ certification. It was probably the worst test I have taken since my junior year of college (back when we scratched answers on cave walls with colored rocks). Anyways, I memorized a bunch of stuff and passed a test. Perhaps this will come […]

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Tags: Computing · Education · Learning · Security

Stolen Garbage

June 16th, 2015 · No Comments

by Dwayne Phillips Someone stole a copy of the OPM database. That database is full of errors. The thieves might make good money with an algorithm that finds and corrects the errors. Someone recently hacked the OPM database. I am certain that all sorts of good information about me is in that database. I’m not […]

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Tags: Competence · Government · Privacy · Security