“With an intellect, comes a great burden”
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I was reading an article today about how some car audio system that is connected to an onboard computer system was hacked via a malicious MP3 file, and was saddened. Not by the news that there is a weakness with a computer system, they will always be with us; but more shocking were some of the comments left on the article by people that don’t understand the purpose of such news. The comment was specifically;
Alexrobertson1991 2 weeks ago its **** like you that spread it all over the internet so people know about it. interesting though lol (*edited by the moderator)I’m concerned by this apathetic view of the article. Sadly, it’s seems to be the state of Computer Security all around. Let’s look at some data.
Event |
Year | Impacting | Notes |
| Computers introduced into the workforce:1 | ~1951 | Businesses | |
| First Computer Virus1: |
~1971 | ARPANET | Creeper & Reaper |
| First System Damaging Infection2: | 1975 | UNIVAC 1108 | Pervading Animal |
| First Virus in the Wild1: | 1981 | Apple II Floppy disks | Elk Cloner |
| First Mac Virus1: | 1988 | Macintosh/Apple ProDOS | MacMag, Scores, Festering Hate |
| First Internet Crisis1: | 1988 | Internet | Internet Worm |
And the list goes on…
The point is, that if there is a computer system, or other electronic mechanism, simply because it is too complicated for the layperson to understand, doesn’t mean that it cannot be used for evil. Computers, electronics, and systems are, for the most part, designed to make our lives easier, however, they can be used for purposes other than which they were designed. Have you ever used a screwdriver as a pry bar? A shoe as a hammer? A coffee mug for a planter? It doesn’t matter what the “tool” is, we have all used them for purposes other than which they were originally designed.
Since the dawn of time, man has found new and interesting ways to use the tools available to us. However, when we have tools that can harm us, or have not been thoroughly tested, who should be the ones to spread the news that there are issues with the tools? Should the public be kept in the dark? Should the researchers who find these vulnerabilities be chastised or applauded? Should the news outlets simply go mute with safety concerns?
I simply find it amazing that people today take the technology that exists for granted, and expects everything simply to “work” without any flaws. Then, when there is a problem, they decry the very makers of the technology, and blame everyone but themselves for their utter lack of knowledge. I’ve been saying all of my life, “With an intellect, comes a great burden”. And how true this is…
That’s my 2¢, YMMV.
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1 best estimates from the internet history archives, search engines, and general knowledge
2 From http://www.cknow.com/cms/vtutor/virus-history-summary.html
