Krebs on Security booted off Akamai network after DDoS attack proves pricey

Tue Sep 27 05:29:17 UTC 2016

On 27 Sep 2016, at 12:14, Mark Andrews wrote:

> I'm yet to see a set top box, DVR, TV, games console, phone, etc. that 
> didn't require selecting the WiFi SSID or require you to plug
> in a ethernet cable.

I've 'seen' tens of millions of them, worldwide.

You're generalizing your particular connection/personal provisioning 
model.

> As I said, they don't magically connect to the network.  Someone did 
> something to permit them to connect.

That someone quite often isn't the end-user.  And as noted previously in 
this thread, even when users themselves do this, they promptly forget 
how they did it, lose the documentation, etc.

> Why do you think people are incapable of calling in someone to help 
> them fix a known issue.

1.  Because they demonstrably don't.

2.  Because it's not perceived as a 'computer problem' - it's perceived 
as an 'Internet problem', and the 'Internet technician' = the broadband 
access operator's help-desk.

3.  Going along with the line of reasoning you've expressed, it seems 
that the user should call a 'lightbulb technician' when his 
Internet-enabled lightbulb is causing a problem.  Do you really think 
that's realistic?

4.  In most cases, the user won't have any idea which connected device 
is causing the problem.  Expecting the user to determine this by 
trial-and-error is unrealistic; most people don't even understand how to 
troubleshoot electrical problems by trial-and-error, much less 
Internet-related problems.

You are a self-selected specialist, and understand all these things and 
have a DIY attitude, because you're an expert in this field.  Most 
people aren't experts in this field.

Ask yourself how many people set up and use 2FA for any online service 
which supports it, on their own initiative (i.e., not having a bank ship 
them a pre provisioned dongle).  The number of people capable of doing 
this troubleshooting for themselves is roughly equivalent to the number 
of people who've successfully set up 2FA on their own initiative.

-----------------------------------
Roland Dobbins <rdobbins at arbor.net>