.... I am not sure I agree it is widespread, as I've not seen much/any mention of it in security blogs. But I disagree it is easy to be tricked by it - only perhaps if you are a fool!
You need to look at both sides of the fence where security bulletins are concerned - The shaded side of the garden is usually the most informative.
For obvious reasons I won't list any links here to such resources but they're fairly easy to find.
Nobody is infallable and we're all fools at some time or other which is why I posted this.
.... People should pay more attention and stop being ignorant when using computers, otherwise they deserve what ramifications they get....
And if there were no vehicles there would be no road accidents.
You know that's an impossibility to achieve but my hope is that warnings such as this go some way to achieving a little piece of Nirvana.
By all means I am not sweepingly generalising all security issues as user fault but this one in particular pretty much comes down to them. The trouble is no doubt MS have already been blamed for this security problem in some shape or another
There is a point where computer user ignorance is so great that they just should not use a computer.
And it's getting worse - as new OSs simplify things more and more computer users are less inclined to understand this "model" of how things work, they don't understand basic concepts like files and folders, let alone anything else, their expectations they have are nothing short of asking computers to read their minds.
People have gone through life and learnt how to do many things, they have a good job and have qualifications, yet they simply cannot be bothered to learn the basics of using a computer - this is just complete ignorance (either that or they have a mental problem and are incapable of learning?) and very often when you even try and explain things to them, they don't listen to you anyway.
Now I don't use facebook but presume I do
-First of all, why have I left a tab open which I have no idea what it is
-Secondly, if I then go to facebook, I will log in (that is if it does not auto login), I will not leave it at the homepage and get distracted,
-When I come back I should know I was logged in and not be fooled by a dodgy web tab I had open which will be showing the homepage to which I am not logged into.
-I would have remembered what position the tab was in to further reinforce the point above, and realised the phishing site has magically turned into facebook.
-I should know that I only had one facebook tab open, therefore why are there two anyway?
-Lets say I have then been extremely foolish and entered my details into the phishing site, assume after I've done this it takes me to some bogus website or does not respond, then surely by now you realise what has happened and go and change your facebook password.
There are so many foolish things you would have to do to get caught out by this imho, it is possible luck is not going your way that day however, however, but we are talking very small probability....
Just some thoughts and ramblings on the matter of security for you, thank god it is friday eh?! (actually it's saturday now)
Perhaps it is time to go back to something like Microsoft Bob for the complete novices with
fully locked down applications and "paperclip" help and walkthroughs everywhere, and start to seperate things a bit, if people are not prepared to learn. (a contrast to my initial point re simplifying things but this would be on the principle that as the underlying OS is fully locked down from the user cocking it up, the simplification does no harm as stupidity can do no damage)
______________
Zen 8000 Active
Edited by Pipexer (Sat 12-Jun-10 00:25:51)