the end of email

[tenaciousdem]

considering how easy it is to hack into private email these days, is it about time we go back to communicating the old fashioned way? The world seemed to get along just fine prior to 1996 without email.

It wasn't until 2001 before it became mainstream. This whole email hack and just how easy it seems to be to hack into anyone's account, why on earth would public officials with sensitive or confidential information even consider using it?

[Jim Beard]

1. Email did not catch on with many businesses, one being the medical people.

They send very little by email. The huge place I go has its own server and reminds of appointments and to refill prescriptions.

[tenaciousdem]

3. interesting

i understand the medical field if you factor the whole HIPPA thing in. Seems government would be just as cautious.

[ileus]

22. Odd...I get around 7000 a year on my hospital email.

[JI7]

24. But what are they about ? I'm guessing most are just things like

Appt reminders and notices if public info.

[LisaM]

2. i read an article a few years sgo

That said Russian intelligence had ordered a bunch of typewriters cor privacy purposes.

[dalton99]

7. Yep. Typewriters and paper documents are back in use

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2013/07/11/russia-spies-nsa-typewriters-documents-computers/2508751/

In the wake of recent NSA spy scandals, Russia's Federal Guard Service has decided to revert to using more typewriters and paper documents, Izvestia reports.

Toward that end, the FSO, which protects Russia's top officials and Kremlin communications, recently ordered 20 Triumph Adler typewriters, the newspaper reports.

One key reason for using typewriters is that each creates its own unique "signature" that can be traced, the newspaper says.

The source notes that many critical groups, including the defense ministry, emergency situations ministry and the security services, have never switched over to electronic documents.

[tenaciousdem]

8. any guess to

when we start following their example?

[onethatcares]

19. probably

ass soon as this ATT merger gets approval.

[Warren DeMontague]

4. Not happening.

Instantaneous global communication has simply revolutionized just about everything. We're not going back to the pre-internet era, as much as some people may wish we would.

[tenaciousdem]

5. that is true

but there has to be some way to prevent the hacking. If they can get into anybody's email account at anytime day or night, seems crazy to have sensitive material just floating around out there.

[Jim Beard]

11. Probably more voice communication.

[Warren DeMontague]

15. From what little I've read about it, it sounds like Podesta in particular was super careless about

securing his email account, so that's what happened.

It doesn't take a genius to figure out something like enabling 2 step verification for something like yahoo or gmail. From my perspective that's a no-brainer, doubly so for someone with a sensitive high-level position. But I don't think he did even that.

[KentuckyWoman]

6. "It's in the mail"

Biggest load of hooey ever spoken. But the mail is so unreliable even with paying for return signature card. I send something to myself several times a year from my own branch drop box and the minimum has been 4 days.

[pimpbot]

9. its called encryption

I have no idea why these important people don't use it. Very easy to encrypt your messages. People are really sloppy with their online footprint.

[tenaciousdem]

13. sloppy

that's putting it mildly.

[Warren DeMontague]

16. I don't think it was a matter of not being encrypted, it was more like

using a password like "password". Maybe not that silly, but close.

edited to add: It looks like he fell for a phishing email, but kind of the same thing. Not exactly super-duper cybersecurity stuff.

http://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2016-election/email-shows-how-podesta-account-may-have-been-hacked-n674811

[tenaciousdem]

17. wow

something as simple as a password. Try and try again. a safe cracker of sorts.....

[randome]

20. It's not so much sloppiness as it is users being (rightfully) disconnected from security concerns.

Your typical user neither cares nor has the time to delve into complex questions regarding encryption and security.

Anytime a tech expert begins with "All you have to do is...", you know you're in trouble. Users have other things on their minds than studying the nuts and bolts of electronic communications.
[hr][font color="blue"][center]Never stop having childhood dreams.[/center][/font][hr]

[Travis_0004]

10. Email is good enough

Im not going to go back to us mail to send documents.

When we have to send more secure documents we encrypt them, or establish a direct connection.

[Jim Beard]

12. Can the average person do it and do they need it?

The way it is sounding everyone needs encryption.

[pimpbot]

14. probably not needed for the average joe

But large organizations with a lot to lose if their communications are compromised would be stupid not to use encryption. It takes some work to get it setup initially but any competent IT staff should be able to do that. Especially for an org with millions of dollars.

[Egnever]

23. Two factor authentication is dead simple and eliminates this sort of thing

[kentuck]

18. I agree.

Back to manila envelopes.

[meaculpa2011]

21. I started using email in 1981...

with a Compuserve account and a 300 BAUD modem.

I've sent and received thousands of emails and file transfers and never had any worries about someone seeing what I had written.

Government officials dealing with sensitive material, though, is a much different story.

What's most disturbing about so much of the email traffic that's been released is the banality of it all. They sound like middle schoolers cutting each other up in the playground.

[Jim Beard]

25. This all reminds me of Ken Star

[Sanity Claws]

26. Carrier pigeons can be hacked too

Once hacked up you can put it in a pot and eat the evidence. Tastes like chicken