Thursday, January 15, 2009

Can the technology we use introduce risk?

The technology we use today makes our lives easier (sometimes). However this same technology introduces risk:
- Identity theft (impersonating)
- Cyber-war (facilitating)
- Terrorism (facilitating)

Some of the technologies we use today have a certain element of risk:
- Linkedin can be used to impersonate you
- Facebook can be use to collect information on you and your friends
- Unpatched windows can be used to propagate botnets, these computer once infected can be use to launch cyber-warfare (see case of Estonia attack)
- Twitter can be use to track you and has been used by Terrorist during the attack in India
- Skype and peer to peer, both these technologies can help bypass legal interception and avoid detection
- Google earth and World of Warcraft has been used by terrorist for planning and training

All the technologies we use today have both a good and bad side.