Monday, October 22, 2007
Useless Laws In Action
This post is not going to be all that elegant because I'm writing it when I'm MAD. You shouldn't do that, but I'm doing it anyway. I've now been locked out of my online banking accounts at Associated Bank for the fourth time. Why? Because the federal government passed a shitty law about so-called security questions that you have to answer. There's this list of bullshit trivia they quiz you on and you're supposed to fill in an answer for. "What's your favorite candy?" "What's the name of the street you grew up on" and stuff like that. Yeah I get it, stuff only the user would know. Usually I enter just my normal password and get in, but every month or so it seems I enter the password and then the shitty, government-crippled system barfs out "You've been locked out cause your security questions were not answered correctly". Which is a damn lie because they didn't even ASK them. Either the system locks you out instantly or it is programmed to fail on some kind of timed interval. But you cannot call some automated line, a case where automation would be welcomed actually; instead you have to call during daytime hours to speak with a bank person to reset the fucking questions. IT IS THE LAMEST MOST BOGUS SECURITY AND THE BIGGEST PAIN IN THE ASS I HAVE EVER SEEN IN A COMPUTER SYSTEM!!! Fuck the Federal Government and fuck their laws that treat me like a fucking terrorist. I'M NOT SENDING MONEY TO AL QUEDA YOU USELESS BUREAUCRATS, I'M JUST TRYING TO PAY MY FUCKING BILLS!!! This is what you get with laws, good intentions, total failure in action. And what can I do, close my account? I'd LOVE to. I'd LOVE to rip Associated Bank a new asshole for this treatment, but it's not their fault, they're just OBEYING like everybody. I'm sure this pointless hot air piece of legislation makes ALL banks have to fuck up their systems with this silly hoop jumping. Fuck them. If this is security I don't want it. I'll take my chances with just my plain 'ol password, thanks. AND I DON'T WANT TO BE LOCKED OUT BECAUSE OF A FUCKING TYPO!!! I'm HUMAN for fuck's sake, I can't type perfectly every time! Hitting a Y instead of a U doesn't mean I'm a hacker trying to steal money. Forgetting which serial number I've added to the end of my regular password (thanks to the ordinary bullshit practice of expiring passwords) doesn't make me a guy hellbent on funding terrorists!
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2 comments:
Isn't it a bit too convenient to always blame govn't for the things you hate? I don't know where you heard that the govn't is the one responsible for the exact method a bank uses to implement security. The government provided guidelines which were well overdue. Companies did not change their ways because they considered the changes too costly and figured the customers would be confused. Other countries seem to be able to manage two key security. It is frightening the lack of security practiced by people using our data. My company has what I consider a medium level of security. We have to change our passwords every ~60days. The password must be 6 characters or more and be unique. 6characters is actually pretty lax by todays standards. A good cracking program can crack a 6character windows password in less than a couple hours. To get onto our network from outside the company we need to use VPN software with a unique login and numeric pin combined with a 6 numeral rotating keyfob. The keyfob generates a unique 6 number password every minute. My company does it because they want to protect their information. It makes a guy wonder why a bank would have such lack security. Maybe because it is not their data that is lost, it is really yours.
As far as I can tell the govn't mandated that more security measures be put into place. They are not responsible for your banks specific implementation. My online bank has a very nice implementation. Jen's is even better by my opinion.
I assume you heard this from an anti-govn't rant. How often do you substantiate the information heard on those shows? Their are very few outlets I trust anymore. I am even more suspicious when I hear information from the extremes. (liberal extremists, conservative extremists, libertarian extremists)
It was a pain when my credit card info was stolen. Thankfully it was just a credit card and not my entire identity (as far as I know).
From Symantec:
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The FFIEC is blunt in its opinion of the reliability and security of current methods used to authenticate online customers: "single-factor authentication, as the only control mechanism, [is] inadequate in the case of high-risk transactions involving access to customer information or the movement of funds to other parties."
Where risk assessments indicate that the use of single-factor authentication is inadequate, financial institutions should implement multifactor authentication, layered security, or other controls reasonably calculated to mitigate those risks.
The FFIEC's guidance couldn't be timelier. As the latest edition of the Symantec Internet Security Threat Report observed, there has been an ongoing shift in the threat landscape toward threats motivated by profit, with a corresponding rise in identity theft, extortion, and fraud. The government's new rules make clear that an effective authentication system is necessary for financial institutions' compliance with requirements to safeguard customer information.
As Avivah Litan, an industry analyst with the Gartner Group, told TechNewsWorld: "The government initiative gives a clear and loud wake-up call to a procrastinating U.S. banking industry that has not moved beyond relying on single-factor reusable password authentication."
"
I get "this" from my own mind, I'm not parroting anything. My views derive from principles that I believe in. Yeah, it's convenient to blame the government precisely because they are so infused with every aspect of our lives. No they are not responsible for everything bad, but many stupid things have their roots there. I am sick of paying into a system I don't believe in, I'm sick of the unquestioning faith people have in so-called authority. Politicians just want the power to craft society as they see it. I have no such desire, so the two of us are natural adversaries. We just don't really appreciate how enormous and far-reaching the government is and how far they have violated their own rules. And it will continue to grow. And why wouldn't it? It can print money, tax people, wage wars, put you in jail without charge and it has no competition. Now THAT'S what I call convenient!
America is a good country in spite of its government (as are all countries) and we have a lot of freedoms, but they are being eroded bit by bit. We are moving in the wrong direction. That's where my anger comes from. That and getting locked out of my account! Heh! I am really careful now with the typing. Even the bank lady suggested I make the answers to the security questions all the same thing! Hmmm...practical advice, but it's kind of humorous given the circumstance.
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