Journal Journal: Computers and Users
Tom Liston posted this in the daily log at SANS late yesterday and I thought I'd pass it a long. Sortof conveys my thoughts over the past few years regarding computer use and users and he puts it very well...
"Every time I see one of the current spate of AOL television ads portraying their customers as clueless morons I want to scream. It's not that I have some sort of deep-seated respect for the intelligence of AOL users, but rather, these ads represent, far too well, the current industry mindset, which treats computers as home appliances.
"Don't worry about viruses and spyware," AOL explains, "we'll take care of that for you... Plug it in, turn it on, and disengage your brain..."
Pay attention, you're about to read something vitally important: COMPUTERS ARE NOT APPLIANCES. THEY ARE TOOLS. Tools require that their user be skilled. Tools require education and training to use. Tools require a level of involvement beyond that of an appliance because "tool use" carries with it an inherent danger.
And yet, over the past decade, the computer industry has deliberately ignored the nature of its product. It has attempted to grind off the sharp edges, to put padding on the corners, and to make a "consumer safe" appliance from these inherently dangerous tools.
The current state of security on the Internet is simply reaping the seeds we have sown.
Computers are not appliances. If something goes wrong with your refrigerator, it doesn't attack your neighbor's microwave. If you don't patch your toaster oven, the chance that it will join in on a denial of service attack against the White House is negligible. Yet we persist in marketing computers in a way that presents their operation as requiring the same degree of knowledge and skill as is required to operate a toaster oven.
Beyond the simple fact that computers are tools, and thus requiring more involved and knowledgeable operators, computer use in the twenty-first century is very network-centric. Thus, irresponsible and dangerous behavior on the part of an untrained user can have serious repercussions for, quite literally, millions of others. We don't allow untrained and inexperienced drivers onto our streets, but any yokel with $9.95 a month can get on the Internet.
The time has come for change. Users cannot continue to proxy their responsibility for their security to others. If they're going to use this tool, they need to be trained or they need to pull the plug.
What can you do? Teach.
Organize a community "adult ed" class to teach people security basics. Sit Aunt Sophie down and make sure that she has (and, more importantly, understands why she needs) a firewall and virus scan. Check with your local School District and make sure that while they're teaching the impressionable young `uns how to create a graph using Excel, that they're also teaching them safe computing habits. Scout your neighborhood over the next week, looking for discarded Christmas computer boxes, and knock on the door and offer your services.
We'll all be glad you did."
"Every time I see one of the current spate of AOL television ads portraying their customers as clueless morons I want to scream. It's not that I have some sort of deep-seated respect for the intelligence of AOL users, but rather, these ads represent, far too well, the current industry mindset, which treats computers as home appliances.
"Don't worry about viruses and spyware," AOL explains, "we'll take care of that for you... Plug it in, turn it on, and disengage your brain..."
Pay attention, you're about to read something vitally important: COMPUTERS ARE NOT APPLIANCES. THEY ARE TOOLS. Tools require that their user be skilled. Tools require education and training to use. Tools require a level of involvement beyond that of an appliance because "tool use" carries with it an inherent danger.
And yet, over the past decade, the computer industry has deliberately ignored the nature of its product. It has attempted to grind off the sharp edges, to put padding on the corners, and to make a "consumer safe" appliance from these inherently dangerous tools.
The current state of security on the Internet is simply reaping the seeds we have sown.
Computers are not appliances. If something goes wrong with your refrigerator, it doesn't attack your neighbor's microwave. If you don't patch your toaster oven, the chance that it will join in on a denial of service attack against the White House is negligible. Yet we persist in marketing computers in a way that presents their operation as requiring the same degree of knowledge and skill as is required to operate a toaster oven.
Beyond the simple fact that computers are tools, and thus requiring more involved and knowledgeable operators, computer use in the twenty-first century is very network-centric. Thus, irresponsible and dangerous behavior on the part of an untrained user can have serious repercussions for, quite literally, millions of others. We don't allow untrained and inexperienced drivers onto our streets, but any yokel with $9.95 a month can get on the Internet.
The time has come for change. Users cannot continue to proxy their responsibility for their security to others. If they're going to use this tool, they need to be trained or they need to pull the plug.
What can you do? Teach.
Organize a community "adult ed" class to teach people security basics. Sit Aunt Sophie down and make sure that she has (and, more importantly, understands why she needs) a firewall and virus scan. Check with your local School District and make sure that while they're teaching the impressionable young `uns how to create a graph using Excel, that they're also teaching them safe computing habits. Scout your neighborhood over the next week, looking for discarded Christmas computer boxes, and knock on the door and offer your services.
We'll all be glad you did."
