Ever Been Harmed or Damaged . . .

[Rustward]

Have you ever been harmed or damaged as a result of something somebody did with data they took from your computer? Not talking about things like the Target hack or someone hacking into your Amazon account and having fun, or some fraudulent activity that originated someway other than a perpetrator using your data that they took from your computer or from cloud storage.

There is the thread about hackers potentially stealing personal data from the clouds.

I might be fooling myself, but I can only locate one file that a fraudster could use to try to drain some accounts.

 

[aaronc879]

I'm not very computer literate. I don't know what the cloud is. I don't think I have anything in the cloud but I wouldn't know if I did. I guess it's possible for someone to hack my online bank account but I don't know how they would get my money out of my account and into theirs. I have no credit cards so don't have to worry about that.

 

[heeyy_joe]

No.

 

[rbmrtn]

No. But on your local computer is different than " in the cloud".

 

[Rustward]

I'm not very computer literate. I don't know what the cloud is. I don't think I have anything in the cloud but I wouldn't know if I did. I guess it's possible for someone to hack my online bank account but I don't know how they would get my money out of my account and into theirs. I have no credit cards so don't have to worry about that.

Aaron, the cloud is a generic term. In the context of running programs, you input data, the data gets sent to [the cloud -- invisible to the user] the processing happens in the cloud, and the result is sent back to you. So the interface is at the edge of the cloud. How the cloud does what it does is known only to the cloud.

In the context of offsite storage, your computer makes a request to store data in a cloud [like sending it over the net], the cloud then stores the data in whatever manner it "wants" to -- the user really has no say in that part -- the cloud can use whatever technique it has available and the user really does not know the details. The actual media and storage techniques may -- and probably do change from time to time. But when you request your data back from the cloud, the cloud delivers your data back in a form that you expect.

I probably didn't do a very good job of explaining this.

 

[Rustward]

No. But on your local computer is different than " in the cloud".

If your data was compromised or stolen out of a cloud, that would be a "yes".

Another "yes" would be if someone got your data from a backup that was made by you or on your behalf -- like to an internal drive, an external drive, flashdrive, etc.

 

[harley]

Have you ever been harmed or damaged as a result of something somebody did with data they took from your computer? Not talking about things like the Target hack or someone hacking into your Amazon account and having fun, or some fraudulent activity that originated someway other than a perpetrator using your data that they took from your computer or from cloud storage.

There is the thread about hackers potentially stealing personal data from the clouds.

I might be fooling myself, but I can only locate one file that a fraudster could use to try to drain some accounts.

How would you know? Cloud, HDD, restaurant, Target hack, all you would ever know is your data was compromised. I've had credit cards get compromised a number of times. I assume it was either a store hack or a direct handoff of my card hack. But it could just as easily been somebody getting the info from a Trojan on my laptop. I've certainly had enough malware that I've had to clean off my machine. So I don't think you could really say for sure, unless they posted nude pics from your hard drive or cloud account on the internet.

 

[dallas27]

I am sure we all share the cost through fees somehow.


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[pb4uski]

No for me.

 

[Midpack]

No for me.

I backup to an external HD that's only plugged in when I am actually updating my backup files every 1-2 weeks (daily is unnecessary, my goal is to avoid losing everything, losing a few days data wouldn't be that harmful). The external HD lives in my safe. And my most sensitive passwords and info aren't on my internal or external HD, they're on a flash drive, with hard copy as backup in case the flash drive dies, both in the safe as well.

With a reported 13.1 million identity fraud victims in America last year, and data breaches one of the main sources of fraud last year, and only one in three people received notifications of a data breach discovering their identities were used for fraudulent means - I limit my online exposure to the best of my ability. I don't trust the cloud with sensitive info yet, but I'd welcome the convenience when/if security is more assured.

Unfortunately there are risks in any approach.

Identity fraud hits new victim every two seconds - Feb. 6, 2014

 

[savory]

No for me.

I backup to an external HD that's only plugged in when I am actually updating my backup files every 1-2 weeks (daily is unnecessary, my goal is to avoid losing everything, losing a few days data wouldn't be that harmful). The external HD lives in my safe. And my most sensitive passwords and info aren't on my internal or external HD, they're on a flash drive, with hard copy as backup in case the flash drive dies, both in the safe as well.

With a reported 13.1 million identity fraud victims in America last year, and data breaches one of the main sources of fraud last year, and only one in three people received notifications of a data breach discovering their identities were used for fraudulent means - I limit my online exposure to the best of my ability. I don't trust the cloud with sensitive info yet, but I'd welcome the convenience when/if security is more assured.

Unfortunately there are risks in any approach.

Identity fraud hits new victim every two seconds - Feb. 6, 2014

I am not quite as careful as Midpack but close. I backup my passwords on a flash drive that I keep in a fireproof safe. I also use Keepass and not the cloud for my password generator. If I have sensitive data, I put is on my thumb drive which has enough storage for my needs. I typically use Google Docs for a backup of my everyday stuff. And I shred anything that I think could lead to a problem.

 

[MRG]

Nope.

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[photoguy]

Not my computer, but a prior employer had someone's HR laptop stolen and it had SS information on it. I think the data was unencrypted (but I'm not sure). They offered to do credit monitoring.

 

[Rustward]

How would you know? Cloud, HDD, restaurant, Target hack, all you would ever know is your data was compromised. I've had credit cards get compromised a number of times. I assume it was either a store hack or a direct handoff of my card hack. But it could just as easily been somebody getting the info from a Trojan on my laptop. I've certainly had enough malware that I've had to clean off my machine. So I don't think you could really say for sure, unless they posted nude pics from your hard drive or cloud account on the internet.

Well, I excluded the Target hack.

I have had two cards compromised, but I can say with 100% certainty the card information was not stolen from my hard drive because that information is not on the hard drive.

If a criminal is going to steal credit card info, they are going to do it systemically such that they get a lot of accounts in a short period of time. Sure, the onesies and twosies happen, but that does not account for the majority of stolen data. Hacks like Target do. There have been many others over the years. But I excluded Target from my question.

I just don't see someone who has the means and talent to "break in" doing it at a personal level. Somebody who is that good will go for a Target like event -- and not sort through my bank and brokerage statements and my utility bills and emails from my friends.

I suppose some will take this as me saying "Just go ahead and throw caution to the wind." No, I am not saying that at all. But I do think that it is possible to overdo it.