By: Midnite Writer
Recently, there has been quite a flurry in the media about 
who they are. In case you haven’t run across it on one of the major news sites and without mentioning any names to keep their identity private (snicker), you know who they are. You can find them if you don’t. Just watch the bottom of your screen as your webpage loads. They stick out their ugly heads and snatch up information on every click you make, where you go, what you like, what you’re shopping for at light speed. They are the Internet pimps who whore out your private information to any paying trick. They make the money and all you get is fucked. So now we know why they do it; but how do they do it? But Alas! A giant has been hit between the eyes of a lone hacker and cracker and has fallen to its fate of cyber-stealing. Ya, your stuff. Your private emails and your names. At least that’s all the media tells us. Gawd knows what else about you they stole off that multi-terabyte-server. Don’t be so naïve as to think these Cyber-Voyeurs are being kind. They are watching every move you make and raping you of your personal information behind the screen.
I am talking about the E-mail Giant, Epsilon. I’ll bet many of you received warning e-mails that their client’s databases were compromised and big clients they were! You can view the list here if you haven’t already been alerted by one of Epsilon’s clients. http://www.securityweek.com/massive-breach-epsilon-compromises-customer-lists-major-brands Sadly, poor Epsilon was just one of many victims to come.
So who are these big guys that lurk in the cobwebs behind your screen? They are the Clouds and the Harvesters like Ooogle, YeeHaw, Double_ick, Amaze-a-zon, Ace Book, and Crisco to mention only a few. (shhhh…..Ace Book has been reported in Time Magazine to actually have “assisted” the gubment with information; but don’t tell anyone, ok?) These server farms, constructed of pods containing hundreds of mobile terabyte servers or miles of warehousing space, are usually built or located near high-energy power sources for obvious reasons. There are many, many other smaller firms that will gladly store the data of big firms in their Cloud for a price.
I work for a law office and not surprisingly received a bot-call asking if we want to give our information to an Ooogle data compilation search service. (Oh, hold on a minute! Let me drop my pants for you and make it easy for ya! You’re going to take it anyway; but at least you asked first), And not any more surprising, the American Bar Association Journal just published an article on large legal firms with bulging client databases heading for the clouds instead of going through the expense of up-grading their own servers. Why? Because Cloud computing can help even the smallest guy to gain access to top-of-the-line technology, computing power, and crap loads of applications that once were only a dream at a significant cost reduction.
Why is this all bad? Any untrustworthy cyber criminal armed with your confirmed email address and your name will have a much better success rate at targeting their victims.http://www.cnn.com/2011/TECH/web/04/04/epsilon.stolen.emails/index.html?hpt=Sbin Innocently entering your zip code in a local search box is an instant magnet to your vulnerability on the Internet.
The second reason why clouding is bad is when is it going to get so big that it trickles down to us consumers. We won’t need a desktop or laptop with a hard drive. They will do it, store it, and move it all for us and allow us to access their mega-servers for one low price. All you will need is a ghost machine comprised of a monitor, keyboard and a modem. Actually, when you come to think of it, your smart phone and its applications is only a Cloud. You just stick it your pocket and click, surf, and yak away. What fun! So while you’re shopping, sending a pic of your check to the bank, searching on your smart phone for a restaurant, surfing the net for the best buy on your next vacation, or downloading your next novel for the flight; they are watching you. Convenient and fun, isn’t it? Bend over!
What can you do to protect yourself? Not much; but you can hide in the “white noise” of cyberspace. Don’t give them a reason to cast their eyes upon you and, most importantly, don’t be so trusting when sharing your personal information. The Internet is the biggest money-making effort of all time ever, and nobody owns it. They just sell you through the Clouds. Scary……….
