This idea was at least described in early cyberpunk literature as an idea. I BELIEVE it was in Neuromancer, and I'm almost certain that the ideas were discussed in both GURPS Cyberpunk and Shadowrun. An argument could be made that this is no more than a spun up version of some prior ideas. The idea CERTAINLY wasn't new in 2000.
Can the "evil" wireless router just have a local system attached that has fake versions of a whole bunch of common banking websites, etc, and a fake DNS server, which redirects these DNS lookups to the fake versions of the sites? In IE, most users turn off the notification that the site is not secure(no certificate, no SSL), (or just click through it), and treat it as the real site, thereby giving up their login info.
The DNS server could even be set up to pass through to the correct site any that weren't spoofed on the local fake webserver, and gradually make up login pages for each of them in order to fool more people.
It seems to me that most people are so security unconscious that all the little telltale signs that would set off alarm bells for a security expert(http vs https in the address, etc).
Basic economic theory tells us that if people themselves find out what they may or may not be likely to suffer from in the future, they will only purchase insurance to cover a percieved risk. e.g. If I get an analysis of my DNA and determine that I am at risk for cancer or some other malady, I'll purchase insurance for it. If I determine that I am not at risk, I won't purchase Insurance for it. If this is carried out to it's logical consequences, only people who are susceptible will purchase insurance, and Insurance(gambling) schemes don't work at all if people already know the outcome. Imagine people betting on a horserace, and each person betting has a choice to bet on a specific horse, or not(You're either susceptible to cancer, or you're not). If they know ahead of time which horse is going to win, then hey will only place a bet if it's their own horse that will win, and the amount of money collected by the bookies will be redistributed to all the winners... Nobody will come out ahead, since nobody will have lost. Insurance companies cannot make a profit in this environment, and so the insurance method of dealing with healthcare will be a bankrupt business model. Face it, folks. We need a new system, because the days in our current one are numbered, and there are a lot more implications for that than I have time to go into right now...
--There are 10 kinds of people; those who understand binary, and those who don't.
Slashdot Mirror
This idea was at least described in early cyberpunk literature as an idea. I BELIEVE it was in Neuromancer, and I'm almost certain that the ideas were discussed in both GURPS Cyberpunk and Shadowrun. An argument could be made that this is no more than a spun up version of some prior ideas. The idea CERTAINLY wasn't new in 2000.
Can the "evil" wireless router just have a local system attached that has fake versions of a whole bunch of common banking websites, etc, and a fake DNS server, which redirects these DNS lookups to the fake versions of the sites? In IE, most users turn off the notification that the site is not secure(no certificate, no SSL), (or just click through it), and treat it as the real site, thereby giving up their login info.
The DNS server could even be set up to pass through to the correct site any that weren't spoofed on the local fake webserver, and gradually make up login pages for each of them in order to fool more people.
It seems to me that most people are so security unconscious that all the little telltale signs that would set off alarm bells for a security expert(http vs https in the address, etc).
Basic economic theory tells us that if people themselves find out what they may or may not be likely to suffer from in the future, they will only purchase insurance to cover a percieved risk.
e.g. If I get an analysis of my DNA and determine that I am at risk for cancer or some other malady, I'll purchase insurance for it. If I determine that I am not at risk, I won't purchase Insurance for it. If this is carried out to it's logical consequences, only people who are susceptible will purchase insurance, and Insurance(gambling) schemes don't work at all if people already know the outcome.
Imagine people betting on a horserace, and each person betting has a choice to bet on a specific horse, or not(You're either susceptible to cancer, or you're not). If they know ahead of time which horse is going to win, then hey will only place a bet if it's their own horse that will win, and the amount of money collected by the bookies will be redistributed to all the winners... Nobody will come out ahead, since nobody will have lost. Insurance companies cannot make a profit in this environment, and so the insurance method of dealing with healthcare will be a bankrupt business model. Face it, folks. We need a new system, because the days in our current one are numbered, and there are a lot more implications for that than I have time to go into right now...
--There are 10 kinds of people; those who understand binary, and those who don't.
The geek version of a Freudian slip....
Having their DNS sequence on the card would not have stopped them