Posted on 08/23/2022 11:12:33 AM PDT by Brian Griffin
On Saturday, my Windows PC went hog wild trying to update itself again. In doing so, it refused to respond promptly. On Sunday, my PC ran hot probably trying to seek out another viral infection. I'm really upset with this Microsoft update nonsense. Today, I noticed that a small dictionary I was keeping by my PC was very warm. The hypocrisy of Bill Gates babbling about global warming while Microsoft PCs waste vast amounts of electricity is truly galling.
In my opinion, Microsoft needs to force credit card (and other financial) account information off Windows PCs so Windows PCs are not an attractive target for thieves and hackers. It also needs to close off all security loopholes, even if that forces many other organizations to have to rewrite software.
I propose that credit card information and processing not be done on Windows PC or a seller's computer equipment. Instead, a mobile phone app would handle payment information processing. Neither Microsoft nor sellers would have internal financial software security worries. Instead, Google via Android and Apple via iPhones (and as usual, the banks) would have the security worries, and software security expenses.
Consumers would no longer enter their credit card information into their Windows PCs. If they tried, they might get a pop-up warning such as "4149 represents the first four digits of a VISA debit card. Do not ever enter financial account information into a Windows PC...."
Instead, Internet purchasers would see a box with say:
BIG RIVER BOOKS on the first line,
the purchase ID on the second line,
the name of the seller's bank (say CHASE) and the bank's ABA routing number on the third line,
and the seller's bank account number & the purchase amount on the fourth.
These seller bank accounts would typically be deposit only, except to the bank and the seller. A large company might utilize several bank accounts to cut its security risk.
If would-be puchasers don't recognize the bank name, they will probably not make the purchase.
The box would get scanned in sort of like a QR code. However, plain text would be used instead for security.
The app (and app maker) would then check the bank name and ABA routing number. An old bank name such as BBT would get blocked by the app, generating say BBT: obsolete bank name, with flags & asterisks, on the mobile phone.
A Northeast regional bank name might cause the app to place:
NY MA VT NH ME on one line and
PA NJ CT RI on the second line
to indicate the bank has branches in such states and that the seller should probably be from one of those states.
The app would then query the bank itself and ask about the account. The bank would provide the app with a response that might include:
the date the account was opened,
the name on the account,
the account type, and
the average 24-hour deposit amounts for certain time periods chosen by the bank, say for last 24 hours and the day a year ago and the day two years ago.
For large sellers, percentages of the last 24 hours might be provided instead.
On say a Black Friday, the bank might use the volume information from the two previous Black Fridays.
The app would display seller bank & bank account related text in various colors such as green, lime green, yellow, orange or red based on perceived security risk.
The would be-purchaser can then decide to pay or abandon the transaction. Internet purchaser payment account information might be set previously on the app or entered on a one-time use basis.
The bank would notify the seller of the payment and purchase ID by at least one means, other means being used to provide security check means. The seller can then ship the item or mark the service or hotel room paid for.
It's ordinary PC buyers like me that spend big money (indirectly) on Microsoft PC software, not Internet sellers of hotel rooms and Jeff Bezos. Microsoft needs to make Windows work well for PC buyers and users again, as its foremost priority. Microsoft needs to fully understand that its PC operating system business is highly endangered. I use my PC to get things done, every day that Microsoft lets me. I use more secure office grade Windows machines (or a Chromebook) to buy about one or two items a year.
They would not be blocked, only generating a pop-up.
They would be in a form.
The 16-digit strings you typed that were not for a credit or
debit card are?
Unless there's a version of Windows with which I'm not familiar (I've always worked with Pro or Server versions since the early 90s,) CC numbers are never stored anywhere in the OS. They are handled by applications, including web browsers.
But what you're talking about (software that discovers entering CC numbers, SSN, Passports numbers, etc, is called DLP (Data Loss Protection) software, and it will keep you from being able to enter those numbers into applications, files, etc. It's used to limit the possibility of saving or transmitting sensitive information outside of secured and/or legitimate applications and systems. It can be a huge pain to "train" to protect against "false positives" while still offering protection, and most companies have teams of users working with DLP.
Mark
If we're being technical, there simply is no such thing as a "secure computer," especially if it's connected to a network. We have to deal with levels of trust.
For instance, I have a linux system that I use for generic web browsing, and it's on it's own VLAN with a direct connection through a firewall to the Internet. I have other computers on my private network, including one that I use for banking, but it's on a separate network, isolated from my linux system.
There is no way to come up with a secure computer, there are so many different places problem with security will pop up.
To give you an example, check out the https://www.cisa.gov/uscert/ncas/alerts web site for current security alerts (not just Windows) and to learn more about security threats, check out SANS free webinars (you'll need to set up an account to participate, but it's free, as are the webinars) at https://www.sans.org/webcasts/
Mark
Because that's safer? LOL Google is a data collecting monster.
Have you searched for such on the Internet? Libre office. Wayback machine Firefox extension could help.
Why not press the Windows key and tap the i key, then go to Widows Update, and choose Pause updates? Or see https://www.thewindowsclub.com/turn-off-windows-update-in-windows-10
" In doing so, it refused to respond promptly."
What are your specs? Windows key and tap the Pause key
"On Sunday, my PC ran hot probably trying to seek out another viral infection."
Why not search how to tun off Windows Defender? Not advised, but one result: https://www.technewstoday.com/how-to-turn-off-windows-defender/
"I propose that credit card information and processing not be done on Windows PC or a seller's computer equipment. Instead, a mobile phone app would handle payment information processing. Neither Microsoft nor sellers would have internal financial software security worries. Instead, Google via Android and Apple via iPhones (and as usual, the banks) would have the security worries, and software security expenses. "
I do not think that is the solution, but will let others deal with it.
Again, a basic rule in asking for PC help is to provide your specs and what you have done to deal with the issue. Basic parts of a solution would be to do a deep scan and clean, and then use MS AutoRuns tto see what is loading at startup, pare them down, then reboot and check to see what is eating up your CPU cycles, and deal with any programs that use too much. Then clone your OS onto a 240GB (at least) SSD (using free programs as here) and boot off of that. Then add more RAM (to at least 16GB).
Use it for good and God.
Sounds like PayPal.
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