VisorCentral.com - What if SirCam threw around copies of your /palm/* file?

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-- What if SirCam threw around copies of your /palm/* file? (http://discussion.visorcentral.com/vcforum/showthread.php?threadid=17747)

Posted by Goyena on 08-21-2001 08:47 AM:

What if SirCam threw around copies of your /palm/* file?

PDA Security is always in the news...latest from news highlighted in PDABuzz...
http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/nm/200..._palm_dc_2.html

quote:
'Many users do not recognize that the information stored on
their PDA is open to compromise by unauthorized users, and
hence do not treat the data stored on their handhelds with the
same care as they do on their desktop,' they said in an article
for a security symposium sponsored by the USENIX Association, a
computer professional group.

They're not called CONNECTED organizers for nothing - 99.99% of users sync don't they? So what the article above should have said is that the data stored on ...handhelds is often the same data that is on [the] desktops...

I have friends who store their pins unencrypted on their PDAs...you can even global search for "PIN" to uncover them. Can you imagine what a catastrophe SirCam would have been if it had targetted the various Palm and PPC backup folders instead of the "My Documents" folder??? Who's to say that's not the next one coming down the wire?

I recommend encrypting your data, using the various products on the market (also freeware) or through a personal scheme. Better yet, don't save it at all, and keep it in your head. I remember someone's .sig in SlashDot as "If you think encryption is the answer to your problems, then you don't understand the problem."

P.S. For most users, there is no security issue, also one's privacy being comprimised could be...embarrassing. Even if you have no PINs or passwords, can you imagine giving a hardcopy of every bit of memo, address, DB, and other data to your neighbor?

Any takes from you guys? I posted the above to their BB there...and in the meantime I was thinking: I hope I don't open a can of worms by giving any potential virus writers bad ideas. I think I will relocate my data onto a PGPDrive (available in earlier versions of PGP...).

Posted by RSGMOOSE on 08-22-2001 01:35 AM:

Re: What if SirCam threw around copies of your /palm/* file?

quote:

Can you imagine what a catastrophe SirCam would have been if it had targetted the various Palm and PPC backup folders instead of the "My Documents" folder??? Who's to say that's not the next one coming down the wire?

h'mmm, this gives me an idea?

__________________
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I may be from the LEFT coast but that's not the correct political view in my mind!

Posted by Techie2000 on 08-22-2001 05:48 PM:

I once considered putting all my passwords on my Visor but decided against it due to the fact when I don't use my Visor i don't lock it and usually leave it lying around the house (my brother and dad like playing the games I downloaded on it even though my dad has a PalmIIIe). I use a program called Password Safe to store all my passwords on my computer. It encrypts the passwords in a database and all I have to do to get to them is to use 1 password (although I would perfer a thumbprint )

Posted by IanP on 08-22-2001 06:03 PM:

how about a retina scan? or why not both?

Hey, Techie2000, what do you think of all the palm apps that encrypt their data in the pdb?

Posted by Techie2000 on 08-23-2001 08:08 PM:

I was looking for something like that and found a nice one called YAPS (Yet Another Password Saver). It uses 256 bit encryption and you can only open the pdb if you remember the password otherwise its useless. I think that program is pretty good as long as you memorize your password for it and not right it down. Also if you turn off your Visor while the program is open then you have to reenter your password and I feel it is adequet. And I don't like retina scans as I wear glasses and don't want to bother having to take them off (I have a very strong perscription). I am just against writing them down in the memopad (that can be tempting).

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