Battle of the AI Bots

I’m going to take a break from my python journey to dive back into artificial intelligence (AI) and what I’m calling the battle of the AI bots.

Previously, I have posted about 4 common AI fallicies and how AI is NOT going to take over the world.

Well, regarding the world takeover, I’ve changed my thinking somewhat, based on ChatGPT, a recent article on AI email, and some reflections on human nature (which was influenced by watching too many back-to-back episodes of the first season of Alone).

Mack Falls Prey to Phishing Email

It finally happened: I fell prey to a phishing email.

I actually clicked a link.

At work, no less. Not good.

Behind Locked Doors: Part 2

This time, it was my turn to call someone for help.

The phone rang half a ring before I heard a familiar “Hello?” on the other end.

“Hi, James, it’s Mack. I need a favor from you, and I need today, before 5 pm.”

“Not urgent, huh?”, James teased.

“Not really, I just need it today. And I need you to keep it quiet,” I warned.

This is the second post in a series. See Behind Locked Doors: Part 1.

Behind Locked Doors: Part 1

It all started when the phone rang, which was typical.

Typical in the days when I was a security manager…

“Information Security, Mack here,” I said, as I continued to read the magazine in front of me.

“Hey Mack, this is Leeda. I need your help,” the voice said, as my mind started coming back online.

Leeda was a manager in Internal Audit; when I heard from her, it usually meant I had to carve a few weeks out of my schedule. Fast.

SONY stored Passwords in Password Directory

And in unprotected documents.

Lots of passwords. Lots of documents. Lots of easy access.

If Your Password Disappears, Look 4 it

If you enter a password into a login box and your password disappears, look for it!

I’m serious, because it happened again today. Not to me, but to my colleague.

Out-of-Office Reply Tells All

I checked my personal email account and found I had 3 out-of-office replies from people who obviously belonged to the same organization. However, I had never emailed any of them.

At first I thought they were some kind of a malware emails, but they were text only and contained no links. So I just left them in my email box and wondered about them every time I saw them. Then I figured it out.

Quote of the Weak (Trojan=Password)

I’ve been absent from the blog lately due to a number of pressing projects, one which was rebuilding a friend’s Windows XP box after a trojan massacre (and I thought only auditors stabbed the wounded — you should have seen the legions on that box).

When I delivered the newly minted OS and applications, my friend informed me that another set of email spam was sent from her Hotmail account at 3:20 am that morning. She asked me whether I was working on the PC at the time. I told her that not only was her PC turned off at that time, it was unplugged.

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If you have a blog of your own, I’d urge you to add this widget. It will help drive readers who haven’t checked back in a while that you’re still up and kicking.

If Called, Don’t Answer

No, I’m not suggesting that you don’t answer your phone. Just be careful what you do or say when you are called or contacted.

What am I talking about? A principle I refer to as the CONTACT principle, which will keep your private information private:

System Down + Humor – Calls = :)

Having a system go down is no laughing matter. But if you’re going to notify your users, why not do it with a little humor? It will work as long as you don’t flash the message too often.

I received the following pop-up message below from Yahoo today.