What RUINED your day today?

[psiberzerker]

One of the more difficult aspects of my job is explaining the different between a people (political) problem, and a legal problem.

The problem is that the Law has to deal in Absolutes, and people ain't.  Absolutes, we're a miasma of grey areas, trying to boil down complex combinations of emotions into "Truth."  And failing, all the time.

So, for an even more obvious example, we have Murder, and Intent.  The legal definition of A Felony Murder (A potentially Capital Offense) is whether they intended to kill, with malice aforethought.  If Dick Cheney had killed that guy, but then argued that he didn't intend to kill him, on the grounds of being a weapons expert, with a 28 gauge full of bird shot.  He has the Affirmative defense that "If I wanted to kill him, I would have used a deer slug."

So, it's Assault with a Deadly Weapon, instead of Attempted Murder.  (If he was actually charged.)  The legal difference between Execution, Life Imprisonment, or let go without so much as a slap on the wrist.  And this is with a case as cut an dried as "Did he kill him?  Did he plan to kill him?  Did he intend to kill him when he invited him out hunting, and only loaded a 28 gauge with birdshot?"

Then, we get down to "Lesser crimes" like denying a person of education based on subconscious institutional prejudice.  Which isn't againts the law, but partially, because it's extremely difficult to Prove, Legally.  "I didn't intend to subconsciously deny her because she was a mixed race transgender lesbian, but I got this here bribe to admit this bright young student, with better test scores, and a promising future that looks good on our recruitment poster, and she's a cheerleader!"

Exhibit A is a picture of her smiling in uniform with her boyfriend, and 2 misfits that just don't get it.



The bribery is reasonably easy to prove.

[psiberzerker]

New client.  Texas cheerleader mom, who wants to sue the school district because her daughter did not make the squad.  

By that logic my 6 year old could sue me because I don't give her cake and ice cream for dinner.

This is Negativity Bias with a healthy dose of Appeal to Absurdity.  Suing the ISD for her wannabe cheerleader daughter wasn't absurd enough, so you just had to make up an even MORE absurd example.

Just in case there were any performance moms here, that didn't understand how absurd the original true story was, you have to make up a more absurd fiction.

Also, "By that Logic" is a strawman.  "So, what you're saying is..."

Standard Disclaimer:  Not trying to start a fight, interesting topic, which is fun to discuss, between like minded adults.  Because apparently it doesn't go without saying.  Please don't STFU, I want to hear everyone's opinions to contrast with my own.  Nobody's wrong or right, this is all a matter of opinion.

[Athos_131]

One of the more difficult aspects of my job is explaining the different between a people (political) problem, and a legal problem.  Not every problem has a legal solution, and not every legal solution will solve a people problem.  Sometimes the best solution is to get on your knees and kiss some ass.

Tell the mother to save the legal fees she'd use on you to pay for her daughter's college tuition.

If the schools she's applying for get wind of the lawsuit they aren't going to want to get involved with that family.

#Resist

[_priapism]

One of the more difficult aspects of my job is explaining the different between a people (political) problem, and a legal problem.  Not every problem has a legal solution, and not every legal solution will solve a people problem.  Sometimes the best solution is to get on your knees and kiss some ass.

Tell the mother to save the legal fees she'd use on you to pay for her daughter's college tuition.

If the schools she's applying for get wind of the lawsuit they aren't going to want to get involved with that family.

#Resist

I agreed to review paperwork and give counsel.  I am not going to file a lawsuit.

[ChirpingGirl]

New client.  Texas cheerleader mom, who wants to sue the school district because her daughter did not make the squad.  

By that logic my 6 year old could sue me because I don't give her cake and ice cream for dinner.

This is Negativity Bias with a healthy dose of Appeal to Absurdity.  Suing the ISD for her wannabe cheerleader daughter wasn't absurd enough, so you just had to make up an even MORE absurd example.

Just in case there were any performance moms here, that didn't understand how absurd the original true story was, you have to make up a more absurd fiction.

Also, "By that Logic" is a strawman.  "So, what you're saying is..."

Standard Disclaimer:  Not trying to start a fight, interesting topic, which is fun to discuss, between like minded adults.  Because apparently it doesn't go without saying.  Please don't STFU, I want to hear everyone's opinions to contrast with my own.  Nobody's wrong or right, this is all a matter of opinion.

Thanks for reminding me you're one of the reasons I don't hang around here much anymore.

[psiberzerker]

Thanks for reminding me you're one of the reasons I don't hang around here much anymore.

I thought you're busy, but I don't want to ruin your day, nor drive you away.  So, I'll leave you alone, and hopefully you'll stay.

I'm sorry.

[Katiebee]

This is an official Moderator response.

Knock it off.
If you can’t follow the rules of behavior you are better off not posting.

New client.  Texas cheerleader mom, who wants to sue the school district because her daughter did not make the squad.   

By that logic my 6 year old could sue me because I don't give her cake and ice cream for dinner.

This is Negativity Bias with a healthy dose of Appeal to Absurdity.  Suing the ISD for her wannabe cheerleader daughter wasn't absurd enough, so you just had to make up an even MORE absurd example.

Just in case there were any performance moms here, that didn't understand how absurd the original true story was, you have to make up a more absurd fiction.

Also, "By that Logic" is a strawman.  "So, what you're saying is..."

Standard Disclaimer:  Not trying to start a fight, interesting topic, which is fun to discuss, between like minded adults.  Because apparently it doesn't go without saying.  Please don't STFU, I want to hear everyone's opinions to contrast with my own.  Nobody's wrong or right, this is all a matter of opinion.

Thanks for reminding me you're one of the reasons I don't hang around here much anymore.

[IdleBoast]

I've had some sort of virus for the last two days - fevered, seeing stars yesterday. Today unable to make a coffee without having to lean on the counter, voice is going. First day off sick in I don't know how long - spent it sitting on the sofa staring through random moving pictures.

Now my voice is going - I think there's another day or two in this.

:-(

[_priapism]

Hope you feel better soon IB.   

[Remington555]

A disturbing email.

The sender claimed to have control of my computer's camera and microphone and informed me that he had a video of me "pleasuring" myself while watching a porn site online. I have 48-hours to send $700 to a blind Bitcoin account or that video will be sent to all my contacts.

That's not the disturbing part. My computer has neither a camera nor a microphone connected so that part is a crock.

Two things about the email disturbed me though. One, the sender made a point of revealing the password to that email account... not the current one, but one I've used in the recent past.

The second thing that disturbed me is that it was sent directly to one of my ISP email accounts. I NEVER give out my ISP email addresses to anyone. Not even my family members have them.

The only email addresses I've ever given out are directed to my domain name and go first to my domain registrar, and are then forwarded to my ISP account. The forwarder know the ISP addresses, but not the passwords.

I used to tell people that the internet is becoming a scary place. Now, it just plain IS a scary place. I'd rather get the calls from Microsoft or the IRS. At least those I know how to deal with.

Remmy

[psiberzerker]

Two things about the email disturbed me though. One, the sender made a point of revealing the password to that email account... not the current one, but one I've used in the recent past.

The second thing that disturbed me is that it was sent directly to one of my ISP email accounts. I NEVER give out my ISP email addresses to anyone. Not even my family members have them.

Sounds like a Phisher (I didn't come up with the term.)  They use some sort of Store-and-Forward WORM (Write Once, Read Many) to pick up passwords, and the act of changing passwords is probably how he got the old one, in a database.  It's all automated, so you most likely got fished by their Bot.  (Why it made automatic mistakes, like assuming you had a webcam on your computer.)  

It's disturbing, but the facts that it tried extorting money by playing on your feelings of fear, invasion of privacy means that they don't have anything else.  Like actual History, or access to your Cache.  (The video cache holds buffered data for videos you download, and stream.)  I'm not going to say that it's Impossible to turn on your webcam remotely, and use it to spy on you, but it would take a lot of time.  Research to find out what Drivers you have, and where they are.  Basically Remote Desktop, or time on the actual computer while you're not looking.  The kind of thing that can't be done automatically with Scripts.  (Too many possibilities, and changing parameters.)

If it would make you feel any better, change all your passwords, clear your cache, and defragment.  It's always a good idea to defragment after a purge, because it basically chops up, and scrambles any data that isn't tagged as a file, or folder in your memory.  So, it's a lot harder to recover, and put back together remotely.  

[staci]

Isn't there some hacking method that can monitor keyboard strokes? I am not tech savey at all. Maybe my friend Rope can chip in some security advise in your situation. btw, did you cum?

[psiberzerker]

Isn't there some hacking method that can monitor keyboard strokes?

Yeah, it's called a Keystroke WORM, if you want to look it up.

[_priapism]

A disturbing email.

The sender claimed to have control of my computer's camera and microphone and informed me that he had a video of me "pleasuring" myself while watching a porn site online. I have 48-hours to send $700 to a blind Bitcoin account or that video will be sent to all my contacts.

I typically get one of those a week.  There are websites on the dark web that sell passwords obtained by phishing and by database hacks.  When you hear that a major retailer had hundreds of thousands of accounts “compromised” that means they downloaded your account numbers, passwords, payment methods, etc.

Change your passwords frequently.  Ignore the emails.

[psiberzerker]

This is one of the reasons why I don't have a phone, and hardly use my Gmail.  I also use Amiga OS (On a gamer laptop with quad-core processor to emulate the architecture.)  It's almost impossible to hack, because all the programs are set up for modern OSes.  If you can get Ubuntu, or some other Linux based desktop software to run stably, it's a lot more secure than Apple, or Windows for the same reason.  They just don't write viral, and similar Malware for it, because it doesn't have a Standard system with Updates to exploit.  (With Trojans to emulate the Automatic Updates/Applets system.)

It's not about Identity Theft for me, it's for my Survival.  My identity isn't the type people want to steal for profit, but hunt down, and kill for being different.

[staci]

Isn't there some hacking method that can monitor keyboard strokes?

Yeah, it's called a Keystroke WORM, if you want to look it up.

Or, I could just wait until you run out of topics to respond to, then you will explain how it all works.

easier

[psiberzerker]

Or, I could just wait until you run out of topics to respond to, then you will explain how it all works.

easier

Okay, laziness on your part doesn't simplify the complex topic of electronic intelligence, and there's always the distinct possibilty that ALL of the other people on this forum will keep talking, instead of treat me as a Denial of Service Attack.

Educate yourself.  You're on the internet, Google is right there.  I'm not a computer security specialist, and I never claimed to be.  I'm an Industrial Engineer, and Robotics Technician.

It's your security, and not my responsibility.

[_priapism]

Or, I could just wait until you run out of topics to respond to, then you will explain how it all works.

easier

Woo.

[psiberzerker]

Woo.

How many woos is that now, for people being smartasses to me?

I guess if I have to point out the Keyword pun (That's what "Look it up" was supposed to do) it spoils the joke.

Glad I indirectly made someone's day, again.

[RopeFiend]

Isn't there some hacking method that can monitor keyboard strokes?

Yeah, it's called a Keystroke WORM, if you want to look it up.

I've ever heard YOUR term.  The rest of us call it a keylogger.  

Google has 38 hits for "keystroke worm" and 15,300,000 hits for "keylogger".  I win.  

Usually a keylogger is part of a larger program like a rootkit or malware engine.  A keylogger saves all of your keystrokes to a file, and may periodically send it off to a remote site.  A rootkit wraps that up with several other tools to give someone complete control over your computer... they can drive it remotely, look under the covers to see where you've been, silently search your computer for passwords, or set triggers when you access certain websites (like your bank).  All the encryption in the world won't protect you 'cos it's unencrypted once it leaves the tunnel, or else you'd never be able to read / see it.  If you can see it, so can a rootkit.  If you type it, a keylogger can monitor it.

I was cleaning what I'd thought was a virus from one lady's computer and found an early form of rootkit with a keylogger.  In it's log file I saw her log into her bank, and it had the userid and password in plain text.  I immediately deleted the file (even before I was done cleaning) and called her, telling her to go to a friend's computer and change her bank password and anything else important she'd accessed in the last month.  Do it now, as I don't know if this has gotten out yet.  Luckily we caught it in time, and she was secure once she'd changed her passwords.  They didn't beat her to it.

edit: The earliest form of keylogger was one I did back in high school.  I attached an analog electromagnetic sensor to a cassette recorder, and hid it behind the teletype we used at school.  Voila!, I caught the teacher logging into the school's system to enter grades.  I tested it later and it worked... I had his access to the school's grading database.  I never misused the information, but I *did* tell him what I'd done when the course was over and I'd passed fairly.  I'm sure he had conniption fits trying to figure out whether I'd spoofed the grades.