"Why not take a break from negativity and learn about each other?"
©17 themediadesk.com
(Questions as posted on 'famous social media site' by a Friend of the Desk, and, of course, answers.)
Why not take a break from negativity and learn about each other
1. Who are you named after? Which name? First, Middle, or Last?
2. Last time you cried? None of your business, sorry.
3. Do you like your handwriting? Like it how, as hieroglyphics?
4. What is your favorite lunch meat? Whatever you're buying.
5. Coffee or Tea? Bourbon is never a choice on these.
6. Longest relationship? That would be my parents wouldn't it?
7. Do you still have your tonsils? I guess so.
8. Would you bungee jump? Only when there is no other option to escape.
9. What is your favorite kind of cereal? Grits with cheese and shrimp.
10. Do you untie your shoes when you take them off? Does Velcro count?
11. Do you think you're strong? Aromatically or otherwise? Be specific.
12. Favorite ice cream? Whatever you're buying.
13. What is the first thing you notice about a person? "Do they owe me money?"
14. Football or baseball? Hockey is never a choice on these.
15. What color pants are you wearing? White, dirty white, but white, believe it or not.
16. Last thing you ate? Fried pork chops, that I cooked for supper.
17. What are you listening to? The old dog snoring.
19. What is your Favorite Smell? I've never been asked that before. Probably Bourbon.
20. Who was the last person you talked to on the phone? The scam recording trying to get my credit card number.
21. Hair color? Gray.
22. Eye color? Bloodshot.
23. Favorite foods to eat? What is this obsession with food in this one? "Whatever you're buying" is still the answer.
24. Scary movies or happy? Documentary.
25. Last movie you watched? See above.
26. What color shirt are you wearing? Faded Blue-ish, mostly.
29. What is your favorite holiday? The one with the food.
30. Beer or wine? Ah, a booze question. BOTH! With a shot of... well, you know.
31. Night owl or morning person? Depends on what is going on.
32. Favorite day of the week? Tomorrow.
Come on....someone do this with me. Let's have some fun, take a break from negativity and learn about each other. Copy and paste into your status and just change your answers.
-- and now --
There are several very good reasons why The Desk does not 'cut and paste' or 'repost / retweet' stuff. We'll look at a few of them.
First, we'll get the obvious out of the way:
In some cases these sorts of questions have been used in what are called Social Engineering Attacks to glean information that may be useful in furthering crimes. Such as innocently asking middle names or other information that, when coupled with other facts, can make lifting your identity or gaining access to something else, such as a business network, easier. And, as it is all done automatically and remotely, such fishing (phishing) doesn't require the crook to lift a finger until all the pieces are in place for whatever their play is. More information about this sort of crime below.
Many of the other things reposted and shared on the various social media sites are little more than what are called "click-bait" items that are intentionally shocking, misleading, or even what has been so famously declared "fake news" by somebody who should know it when they see it. (we'll leave that right there)
Those who create that bait earn their pay by getting you to follow the link to their page where, different things, appear. The most innocent would be advertising that is paying them per unique view. Some of the worst that can happen is that when you click the link to see the story about the cruel teachers in India who used a page in a in an elementary textbook to have students conduct an experiment that would suffocate a kitten (which really did happen, see REAL news link below), something else happens. Besides seeing the article about putting cats in a box, you are also handed some sort of malware, computer virus, automatic script, an executable, whatever, that does everything from turning your computer into a mindless spam-spewing robot to stealing your bank account, to turning your computer into a brick.
Yes, it does happen. And more all the time. And the only upside to it is that after you've clicked One Too Many things like what we're talking about and all of the sudden your computer is locked up with some 'RansomWare' computer virus and you don't know how to get rid of it, you won't be posting some of this crap for awhile.
We're not kidding here. And the experts expect this sort of very profitable and low risk to the criminal crime to continue. See Trend Micro article below.
The point being, given the reality of the threat, is it really wise to Knowingly and Willingly put you and your expensive computer at risk to 'share' some cute video?
Back to the questionnaire above. The Desk answered the questions. Yes, it did. Now. Did you "learn anything" worthwhile about this writer that you didn't already know?
Probably not. But hey, somebody just said "you're overreacting, that was just for fun", so it was all worthwhile. Right?
Social engineering attacks typically involve some form of psychological manipulation, fooling otherwise unsuspecting users or employees into handing over confidential or sensitive data. Commonly, social engineering involves email or other communication that invokes urgency, fear, or similar emotions in the victim, leading the victim to promptly reveal sensitive information, click a malicious link, or open a malicious file. Because social engineering involves a human element, preventing these attacks can be tricky for enterprises...
http://digitalguardian.com/blog/social-engineering-attacks-common-techniques-how-prevent-attack
According to Experian Credit's ProtectMyID.com, social media is 'a new venue for old frauds'. The old fashioned ‘confidence man’ has gone online.
http://www.shapirofsg.com/fraud-and-social-media-phishing-data
"The real trouble is that click bait is often more than just a simple insult to our intelligence – it can lead to real trouble like malware and scams. Often times clicking on a seemingly-juicy article will lead you to nothing more than a useless pop-up for a fake video player or a fake survey, no article in sight. But if you take the, erm, bait, and download the player or fill in the survey, you’ll wind up with a PC full of malware and viruses...."
http://www.zonealarm.com/blog/2016/03/click-bait-scams-in-social-media/
Botnets are rogue networks of compromised "zombie" PCs. Your machine can become infected if you visit a site and download tainted code disguised as a video...
http://www.pcworld.com/article/170546/how_to_clean_bots.html
Ransomware is a type of malware that prevents or limits users from accessing their system, either by locking the system's screen or by locking the users' files unless a ransom is paid....
...With a profitable business model and a payment scheme that affords anonymity for its operators, ransomware development is expected to accelerate over the coming years. Thus, it is crucial for users to know how ransomware works and how to best protect themselves from this threat.
More: http://www.trendmicro.com/vinfo/us/security/definition/ransomware
Related items on the TheMediaDesk.com
The Desk's 2012 review of scams.
"You've got ... .... malware!"
And, the Desk's tech page (the graphic really is the best part!):
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