“Ransomware Doesn’t Scare Me; Listeria Does”
This case study highlights the consequences of over-networked systems. Despite the pros of easing operations, reducing costs, and increasing automation, over-networked systems can expose vulnerabilities that can lead to hacks. Apple’s password bank within Safari Preferences could risk public safety if managed by over-networked systems and then hacked. For a Safari power-user (like me), this feature is an all-encompassing password bank that keeps record of username, password, and associated website (including my log-in info to this blog post :p). If a malicious actor were to access this information through a hack, I would be in deep deep trouble and so would many others like me. None of this information should have access to the Internet, even the website because as a user, no one should be able to know which websites I have an account for or not. Having even this information on the Internet may provide a way for malicious actors to find patterns within my website usage that may be used as a lead to discover my passwords. To be completely honest, I’m not sure how this might work from a tech standpoint, but I wouldn’t want any data to be on the Internet regardless.
“Who Invited Her?”
Sara played a key role in even driving action towards new standards for Newhouse Cheese Company. Amidst a breach, she was the one to challenge the status quo and drive conversation to better safeguard the organization moving forward. Had she not spoken, the company still would have been left with vulnerabilities that their hackers (or others) would have eventually found. They would have lost thermization, pasteurization, and their recipes, which could’ve resulted in a public health catastrophe and the loss of an precious age-old family recipe. Sara challenged gender assumptions as a woman in a room with all men. She also challenged hierarchal assumptions, since she was just a deputy to the COO speaking up against the CEO. It’s also important to note that the COO apologized for her interruption, which signals that he thinks it’s not her place to talk – it was Chad who motioned her to continue. Finally, she challenged technical assumptions by speaking against the head engineer (and in a sense, Chad) who had fully believed in the $6 million technological investment. To speak up against this and have it result in a motion to take a step back from technology in order to safeguard their operations speaks volumes to the impact that speaking up can have. Sara did a great job.
My Project
The biggest concern with a product like Joyride is tracking user location. This will be an essential feature of the bike-app implementation, as the bike and mobile app will be in communication to ensure that the bike is left in a secure location. This, in turn, will reveal the user’s location, and this must be safeguarded during implementation of the system.
