Comments on: Sears & KMart’s Official Malware http://perimetergrid.com/wp/2008/01/04/sears-kmarts-official-malware/ Building Security in a Networked World Wed, 24 Feb 2010 02:00:58 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=abc hourly 1 By: Grant Bugher http://perimetergrid.com/wp/2008/01/04/sears-kmarts-official-malware/comment-page-1/#comment-79 Grant Bugher Sat, 17 May 2008 20:52:51 +0000 http://perimetergrid.com/wp/2008/01/04/sears-kmarts-official-malware/#comment-79 Was anyone harmed? Well, that depends on if you consider having your private data and web browsing history shared with various third parties with which you have no contractual agreement to be "harm." Is comScore out robbing people? Probably not. But is this a violation of law and of people's trust? Yes. And does it result in private information being shared more widely than the user intended to agree to? Absolutely. It isn't so much that this particular incidence has been harmful, as that it's indicative of a larger problem -- the tactics that used to be considered the province of hackers and thieves are now being used by "legitimate" companies for ad targeting. You may trust them not to abuse your data, but can you trust everyone they share it with? The more the data is shared, the more likely that someone along the chain of custody will decide to make a quick buck. The opportunity to commit a crime easily and without getting caught breeds crime even in normally honest people. Was anyone harmed? Well, that depends on if you consider having your private data and web browsing history shared with various third parties with which you have no contractual agreement to be “harm.” Is comScore out robbing people? Probably not. But is this a violation of law and of people’s trust? Yes. And does it result in private information being shared more widely than the user intended to agree to? Absolutely.

It isn’t so much that this particular incidence has been harmful, as that it’s indicative of a larger problem — the tactics that used to be considered the province of hackers and thieves are now being used by “legitimate” companies for ad targeting. You may trust them not to abuse your data, but can you trust everyone they share it with? The more the data is shared, the more likely that someone along the chain of custody will decide to make a quick buck. The opportunity to commit a crime easily and without getting caught breeds crime even in normally honest people.

]]> By: joe malley http://perimetergrid.com/wp/2008/01/04/sears-kmarts-official-malware/comment-page-1/#comment-64 joe malley Sat, 12 Apr 2008 01:07:30 +0000 http://perimetergrid.com/wp/2008/01/04/sears-kmarts-official-malware/#comment-64 grant; did anybody really get harmed? dude!........no one has said they really use sears website and ever went to site right? grant;

did anybody really get harmed?
dude!……..no one has said they really use sears website and ever went to site

right?

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