Storage in iCloud, also a gathering place for predators

[Jo4]

Is useful storage in iCloud, also a gathering place for predators to shop and feed in?

In addition to my prized Linux, I have a Mac, which I have, just had to lavish 400 Euro on, to clean out the malware and the wanabe oportunists!

I mention this, because it seems obvious to me, in the troubled world of to day, that it is not just our homes and businesses that are under predator attack, and that more lucrative areas could be places like iCloud, help websites and much more. Is Linux getting lined up for this, or is it already there?

What do you think, are we doing enough? What else could we do, partition and fire wall the communications section of our computers, have a separate communications computer? Is innovation only for the experts in this respect, or could Newbies have answers?

Jo

[Jo4]

Is useful storage in iCloud, also a gathering place for predators to shop and feed in?

In addition to my prized Linux, I have a Mac, which I have, just had to lavish 400 Euro on, to clean out the malware and the wanabe oportunists!

I mention this, because it seems obvious to me, in the troubled world of to day, that it is not just our homes and businesses that are under predator attack, and that more lucrative areas could be places like iCloud, help websites and much more. Is Linux getting lined up for this, or is it already there?

What do you think, are we doing enough? What else could we do, partition and fire wall the communications section of our computers, have a separate communications computer? Is innovation only for the experts in this respect, or could Newbies have answers?

Jo

I guess you all like it?

[Habitual]

Yawn. It's the 'net. Everything is a target.

[Jo4]

Yawn. It's the 'net. Everything is a target.

So you are saying nothing can be done?

[colyn]

So you are saying nothing can be done?

That about sums it up. The internet IS NOT a safe place..

[scryan]

Yawn. It's the 'net. Everything is a target.

So you are saying nothing can be done?

Where did he say that?

I ran windows FOR YEARS (up until last year maybe), and outside of the 90s when pop up ads would litteraly fill your screen to the point of locking up your computer just by going to a URL... I have never really had issues. I also never really ran virus programs. I had one problem, I was trying to find an episode of a game show I was in the crowd at online and downloaded a "codec package" from an rediculously sketchy side, and ran their exe... pretty much knowing I was about to have to reformat and reinstall windows but wanting it to work enough to try.

Other then that, as they said the internet is not a safe place... LEARN WHAT YOUR DOING OR STOP DOING IT. You don't have to master everything, but pay attention, know when your giving things permission to run and what things exactly your giving permission to. Its not even that hard with the as much info as there is out on the internet. On windows I used to check the list of running processes and google the ones I didn't reconize to find out what they were. On mint I know what I have installed, what packages are running and again I check into any packages I don't reconize.

Linux is pretty secure in that not a lot can be run with out your permission, and the things that are run cannot modify your system with out further permission by way of password.

But the more we use programs and services from within our browser rather then the OS itself the more we open ourselfs up to not being in control.
There will always be bugs found, and some of them will compromise security. Don't make a plain text file of all your passwords and upload it to icloud.

You looking at this from the wrong side. You ask "Oh man could ______ service have a security risk?"
Yes. Of course. Obviously and forever. All of them.
But they can only loose or expose as much data as you give them, and the risk is pretty low. You can further lower it by properly protecting important data with encryption and STRONG passwords.
If you step out into the street there is a CHANCE you will be hit by a car. That doesn't mean you should never cross the street again... But you should have a basic understanding of how traffic works, and look both ways first. Even then you probably shouldn't play in the street.

[DrHu]

I think anytime you use the internet and especially if you connect to internet storage (cloud storage) from any service or use social sites (spotify, pinteest, facebook, twitter et al), you are risking your privacy
--unless name, email and any additional web browsing data doesn't matter to you..

If so, feel free to peruse the internet (open-shared storage connections) to your heart's content
--even vendor(commercial) web sites are at risk; see hacking of target home depot and others

• Banks don't consider NAD (name and address information) as private, simply customer contact data, and can be quite caviller in releasing or dropping such data elsewhere
  --governments are similar in regard to TAX data
  
  And don't forgot the spies + commercial interests in meta-collecting all/any user data patterns..
  
  I don't think any of us can avoid the BIG DATA collectives
  --no matter how much we try; although that might not be so important to everybody..

[Jo4]

Thank you for that, it is most helpful.
For the most part, I am reasonably Worldly. However, there is a conveyor belt of Jingoism, sales nonsence and criminal behaviour sailing past us at an increasing rate.
My Mac foolishnes (if that is what did it), was to download the new (recomended) OS upgrade, which included (I think) a question regarding 'Too much on my HD' and 'would you like to put it on iCloud'. That is when it all fell apart! I cannot go back and find the exact words, because the OS virtually fell apart and the only people available to help were two nice people from India.
Getting back to my question, which was centred around that experience, and the thought that if I had a separate OS on a small Pi like communications like device OS, I would not have been exposed to having to deal with reinstaling my whole PC.
Thanks again for doing the older brother thing for me, it is most apreciated.
Jo