MULTI FACTOR AUTHENTICATION !!

[Silent Mistwalker]

6 hours ago, bigmoe Whitfield said:

well it's going this way for a reason the bad apples have ruined it for every one and security measures are having to become common place in today's world and it's not going to go away, sorry.  this is now life.

Sorry but you are wrong. Only I get to pick and choose what security measures I take (or don't take), not you, not any company, not any industry standard. Me and only me. There is no way I will ever "sell my soul to the company store".

[Silent Mistwalker]

2 hours ago, Catrie said:

Blizzard has had authenticators for years now,  so has ArenaNet.  I recently decided to play GuildWars2 again and had to get my old authenticator removed.  I haven't played on there for at least 7 years.  If I ever decide to go back to WoW, I'll have to do the same thing. 

 

https://www.ign.com/articles/sec-activision-blizzard-federal-investigation

[Lucia Nightfire]

5 hours ago, Sid Nagy said:

Cut them some slack.
Afteral we are talking about a LL implementation.
"NEVER the first time right" is part of their TAO, no?

"We'll add it in a follow-up!" is also part their tao now which, at this point, has been either one broken promise after another or just straight up lies.

[Lewis Luminos]

Yanno, this thread will be easy pickings for someone with criminal intent who might want to check and see which users are not likely to be using MFA...

Just saying.

[Coffee Pancake]

8 hours ago, Alwin Alcott said:

there is no, none, non, geen, absoluut geen, reason for you to decide for others that there is no reason.

2 hours ago, Alwin Alcott said:

behind every tree hides a bear, and under every rock is a snake... sorry i'm not going to live like that.
It's optional, no matter your opinion that we all should. For quite some people it's even impossible.

Yes actually.

The bear and the snake are hosts of automated bots that spend their days pretending to be people logging into websites. Turns out people are stupid and use the same login credentials all over the place. They also really hate taking even basic steps to thwart simple attacks for incomprehensible often emotional reasons.

• Use a password manager - Keepass is free and open source.
• Use a different password everywhere. 
• Use passwords that look like this -> KLJUHuy&7985F5YTfhG&f4*(hg8iu%^4GgUKY45%$ 
• Don't use any passwords based in whole or part on ones listed in the human's self published book of all the bestest passwords evah.
• Use MFA everywhere it's provided and demand it be enabled everywhere possible, especially places linked to email or finical services.
• If you don't have a smart device capable of running an authenticator, GET ONE. Even a basic Android / Amazon tablet will do, no phone or cell service required. 
• Don't moan about extra security like a child refusing to eat peas (even though they are disgusting). Robot BearSnake doesn't care about your feelings.

Second Life's MFA implementation as it stands today is basic and while it doesn't provide nearly the required level of coverage, it is a very welcome first step. I look forward to LL aggressively rolling this out to ALL areas of SL authentication.

Sure it's "oPtIoNaL", but so is leaving your car unlocked with the keys in the ignition.

[yestothis]

Implementation may not be perfect for everyone, but it is a step in the right direction. For those of us with thousands of real life money attached to our accounts (business owners, estate owners), this is a welcomed addition. For everyone else, use it if you want it. When LL makes it mandatory, see ya. But I doubt you’ll leave so, shhh.

[Istelathis]

2 hours ago, Catrie said:

Blizzard has had authenticators for years now, 

I still have my SecurID token from years ago, I remember getting it also gave you the core hound pup.  I just pulled it out of my drawer to see if it was still working, and it is not.  I believe the last I checked was about two years ago and it still displayed the numbers.  I think I got it back in BC, so that little token must have been running for nearly a decade.

I remember many years ago, I worked in a call center and the majority of my calls were for synchronizing SecurIDs, that must have been around 2005 or so.  People would use them to connect to through their VPN.  

[Qie Niangao]

22 minutes ago, Coffee Pancake said:

• If you don't have a smart device capable of running an authenticator, GET ONE. Even a basic Android / Amazon tablet will do, no phone or cell service required. 

I agree, with a couple caveats.

• First, I'd recommend carrying something like a smartphone everywhere you go, or at least a phone capable of both placing emergency calls and recording video, either of which one day may save your life or somebody else's. (A sim card is not needed to call 911.)
• Second, however, all devices need regular updates to reduce security vulnerabilities, and that means a reasonably up-to-date version of the operating system, and that tends to mean a pretty new device (or, in the case of Android, an up-to-date third-party ROM).

[ETA: I meant to add (redundantly) that I'd expect most MFA implementations to (eventually) support authenticator registration by some means besides scanning a QR code, and then basic desktop browser-based authenticators work just fine without access to cams or scanners. Also, I would never push for SMS text-based authentication; security-wise it's pretty obsolete even though some places definitely still use it.]

Edited September 22, 2021 by Qie Niangao

[suzyst]

18 minutes ago, Silent Mistwalker said:

Sorry but you are wrong. Only I get to pick and choose what security measures I take (or don't take), not you, not any company, not any industry standard. Me and only me. There is no way I will ever "sell my soul to the company store".

Quite right! I'm one of those annoying people that reads T&C and tos before I sign anything , either physicaly or electronicaly. I may not be able to quote it word for word, but I'm sure there was no mention of smartphones when I signed up, nor any mention of having to buy extra equipment to use the basic service.

Of course people should exercise some care to protect themselves online. I've been using computers long enough and taken courses to know how to keep myself secure (probably more than most). One thing I've noticed reading tech journals, is as soon as something becomes industry standard the crackers start targetting it. My knowledge of smartphone tech is limited, but I'm not convinced they are as secure as my PC. Just came across this article  and it doesn't make me want to trust them. https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-58652249

[Kimmi Zehetbauer]

3 hours ago, Coffee Pancake said:

• If you don't have a smart device capable of running an authenticator, GET ONE. Even a basic Android / Amazon tablet will do, no phone or cell service required.

 

No thank you. Don't want to depend on a dumb smart device.

Edited September 22, 2021 by Kimmi Zehetbauer
Typo.

[Arielle Popstar]

7 minutes ago, Kimmi Zehetbauer said:

No thank you. Don't want to depend on a dumb smart device.

Better turn off the computer you are messaging with then.

[Silent Mistwalker]

3 minutes ago, Kimmi Zehetbauer said:

No thank you. Don't want to depend on a dumb smart device.

What I'd like to know is where am I supposed to get the money to buy a phone with in the first place? I have a home phone. That's all I can afford.

I wonder what these companies will do once it reaches the point where only the 1% can afford their services and products, keep raising the prices? Brilliant! Now where are they going to find the workers needed? Everyone else has already starved to death.

[Istelathis]

6 minutes ago, Silent Mistwalker said:

What I'd like to know is where am I supposed to get the money to buy a phone with in the first place?

In the worst case scenario where SL made this mandatory, you could use an authenticator on Windows 10.

[ArgontheDevil Ormega]

I'm going to give it a few months just to let the bugs get worked out.  In SL early adopters get burned.

Edited September 22, 2021 by ArgontheDevil Ormega
missed a word

[Arielle Popstar]

2 minutes ago, Silent Mistwalker said:

What I'd like to know is where am I supposed to get the money to buy a phone with in the first place? I have a home phone. That's all I can afford.

I wonder what these companies will do once it reaches the point where only the 1% can afford their services and products, keep raising the prices? Brilliant! Now where are they going to find the workers needed? Everyone else has already starved to death.

No doubt the deals will vary by region and country but here in Canada with some of the highest costs for cellular service in the world, it was still cheaper to move my mothers phone account from a landline to a cellular service even with the extra costs of buying a phone in the package. It is just a plain jane LG but at least it now gives her access to text messaging as well as phone service. Since she is mostly at home, she didn't need data and just took a basic monthly talk and text package that is cheaper than the landline she had with no additional perks. Now she has 3 ways calling, call display, call hold, texting, nation wide long distance included etc. And the option is there for apps if she ever decides to go visit friends or family with pay as you go data.

Just not going to get the sort of convenience on a landline that is available on a cell phone.

[Silent Mistwalker]

7 minutes ago, Arielle Popstar said:

No doubt the deals will vary by region and country but here in Canada with some of the highest costs for cellular service in the world, it was still cheaper to move my mothers phone account from a landline to a cellular service even with the extra costs of buying a phone in the package. It is just a plain jane LG but at least it now gives her access to text messaging as well as phone service. Since she is mostly at home, she didn't need data and just took a basic monthly talk and text package that is cheaper than the landline she had with no additional perks. Now she has 3 ways calling, call display, call hold, texting, nation wide long distance included etc. And the option is there for apps if she ever decides to go visit friends or family with pay as you go data.

Just not going to get the sort of convenience on a landline that is available on a cell phone.

My home phone is all the convenience I need. The only thing it doesn't have is texting and data, neither of which I have any use for. There's no one to send to.

Your mother is lucky she has you to pay for such things. I don't have that. 

[Arielle Popstar]

10 minutes ago, Silent Mistwalker said:

My home phone is all the convenience I need. The only thing it doesn't have is texting and data, neither of which I have any use for. There's no one to send to.

Your mother is lucky she has you to pay for such things. I don't have that. 

Neither does my mother. She pays her own way from her pension cheque. At best I just shop around and crunch the numbers to find the best deals for her to be able to stretch her dollar as far as it can go.

[Rowan Amore]

26 minutes ago, Arielle Popstar said:

No doubt the deals will vary by region and country but here in Canada with some of the highest costs for cellular service in the world, it was still cheaper to move my mothers phone account from a landline to a cellular service even with the extra costs of buying a phone in the package. It is just a plain jane LG but at least it now gives her access to text messaging as well as phone service. Since she is mostly at home, she didn't need data and just took a basic monthly talk and text package that is cheaper than the landline she had with no additional perks. Now she has 3 ways calling, call display, call hold, texting, nation wide long distance included etc. And the option is there for apps if she ever decides to go visit friends or family with pay as you go data.

Just not going to get the sort of convenience on a landline that is available on a cell phone.

I did the same with my mom as I mentioned in another thread today.  $50 for phone, 1000 texts, 1000 mins. talk and 1G of data.  So for one year, the phone costs me $50 instead of any monthly bill.  Not that she'll probably use text or data but it came with the phone.  

[Luna Bliss]

You can get a free cell phone and plan if your income is low enough. Google "free government phone" to choose from quite a few companies.

https://www.assurancewireless.com/lifeline-services/how-qualify

I was slow getting onto the cell phone bandwagon but I love my phone now. It's actually cheaper than a landline, and I never leave home without it in case my car breaks down.

Often I switch it from cellular to wifi at night and go to sleep listening to internet music or podcasts. Also, if waiting in line I bother my daughter at work with texts..lol.

Edited September 22, 2021 by Luna Bliss

[Istelathis]

@Luna BlissI use mine for just about everything, but rarely for phone calls 🙃  A handy flashlight for when I am walking my dog or the power goes out, a camera when I want to take a picture, a place to keep my grocery list, music for while I am out walking, a TV for when I am waiting in the car or for an appointment.  I like that I can scan products at a store with it, check out reviews, and compare prices at other stores as well.  The GPS is really nice also, I use that all of the time. Plus for when the Internet does go out, I can turn it into a wireless router and browse the Internet on my computer.

Having access to a super computer (compared to what I owned before) in my pocket is nice,  especially considering how cheap it is.

Edited September 22, 2021 by Istelathis

[Arielle Popstar]

11 minutes ago, Rowan Amore said:

I did the same with my mom as I mentioned in another thread today.  $50 for phone, 1000 texts, 1000 mins. talk and 1G of data.  So for one year, the phone costs me $50 instead of any monthly bill.  Not that she'll probably use text or data but it came with the phone.  

Yes I saw that posts and was reminded of the annual package my father had set my mother up on years ago when he was still alive. A yearly plan that gave her an emergency phone if she ran stuck while shopping or out visiting. Unfortunately that cell provider started phasing that plan out and moving her plan to a monthly one that had very few minutes on it so it was cheaper to merge the 2 phone services into one. 

She never used the texting either until the last few months when she landed in the hospital on several occasions. The texting was very handy as it was easier to access than the WhatsApp on wifi and also easier to relay a message than having to get her voicemail messages when she was indisposed or in a flaky reception area. She is using it regular now which my other sibling and I are glad of as we use it more than the phone calling itself. It is super handy that she can now use it too though she always swore she never would.

[Jaylinbridges]

1 hour ago, Silent Mistwalker said:

What I'd like to know is where am I supposed to get the money to buy a phone with in the first place? I have a home phone. That's all I can afford.

Do qualify for SNAP benefits?  Plug in your numbers and see:

https://sharedsystems.dhsoha.state.or.us/SNAP_Estimate/frmEstimate.cfm

If you do, even if only $10/mo benefit, you can get an entirely free smartphone (4G) from the Assurance program mentioned above, and there are NO monthly fees.  You must make at least one call/month to maintain your eligibility.  IF you have no one to talk to, you can call yourself on your home phone for 30 secs.  Free long distance, 5 GB/mo data etc, per whatever plan is effective in your plan area.

There is also no reason to pay for your home phone.  Get the OBIHAI Google Voice magic box for about $35 from Amazon, and get your free phone number from Google Voice, and you have a complete VOIP system for free.  You can plug any old phone into the OBI box.  I have an ancient ATT wired phone and an ATT  answering machine, and a wireless phone plugged in for the kitchen.  Google Voice also gives you all the features of any basic cellphone, including voice to text conversion on messages left on voicemail.  I ripped out my copper landline 7 years ago, when Verizon was charging me $45/mo for basic local only service.

 

 

[Silent Mistwalker]

45 minutes ago, Arielle Popstar said:

Neither does my mother. She pays her own way from her pension cheque. At best I just shop around and crunch the numbers to find the best deals for her to be able to stretch her dollar as far as it can go.

Don't have any one to do that kind of thing for me either. If I don't do it, it doesn't get done.

Most people don't' have a clue what it is like not having any kind of "safety net".

[Silent Mistwalker]

2 minutes ago, Jaylinbridges said:

Do qualify for SNAP benefits?  Plug in your numbers and see:

https://sharedsystems.dhsoha.state.or.us/SNAP_Estimate/frmEstimate.cfm

If you do, even if only $10/mo benefit, you can get an entirely free smartphone (4G) from the Assurance program mentioned above, and there are NO monthly fees.  You must make at least one call/month to maintain your eligibility.  IF you have no one to talk to, you can call yourself on your home phone for 30 secs.  Free long distance, 5 GB/mo data etc, per whatever plan is effective in your plan area.

There is also no reason to pay for your home phone.  Get the OBIHAI Google Voice magic box for about $35 from Amazon, and get your free phone number from Google Voice, and you have a complete VOIP system for free.  You can plug any old phone into the OBI box.  I have an ancient ATT wired phone and an ATT  answering machine, and a wireless phone plugged in for the kitchen.  Google Voice also gives you all the features of any basic cellphone, including voice to text conversion on messages left on voicemail.  I ripped out my copper landline 7 years ago, when Verizon was charging me $45/mo for basic local only service.

 

 

Been there done that. Who am I going to call? There is no one for me to call. You have to make at least one phone call per month. I doubt they will let me get it back even though I was going through health issues.

I don't pay for the home phone. 

[Chris Corvinus]

2 minutes ago, Silent Mistwalker said:

Been there done that. Who am I going to call? There is no one for me to call. You have to make at least one phone call per month. I doubt they will let me get it back even though I was going through health issues.

I don't pay for the home phone. 

I'm gonna break our little pact here. 

Quote

IF you have no one to talk to, you can call yourself on your home phone for 30 secs.  Free long distance, 5 GB/mo data etc, per whatever plan is effective in your plan area.

If you can't, for some reason, call your landline house phone you can just call me once a month. I'm not a total a**hole. Might even have some interesting and cool 30 second convos haha.