• HugeNerd@lemmy.ca
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    3
    arrow-down
    9
    ·
    edit-2
    14 hours ago

    So let me get this straight. You live in an average size North American city with a population of about a million. There have been billions, perhaps zillions of USB thumb drives manufactured over the decades. Every day there are thousands of potential situations where a completely normal and anonymous schmuck like you and me has the right conditions to drop a USB key. Maybe you had one in your backpack and it fell out. Maybe you have a hole in your pants. This can happen every day, in every city.

    So now you’re walking down the street and see a USB key on the ground, and your first thought is “IRAAAAAN!! THEY WANT TO STEAL THE $12.15 IN MY CHECKINGS ACCOUNT!!! BECAUSE THEY KNOW MY EVERY MOVEMENT AND LOCATION TO PLANT THIS LUDICROUSLY COMPLEX AND CONVOLUTED USB KEY APPROACH TO $12!!!”

    I suppose you watch the news and see a picture of a coronavirus and think “My God, it’s a WWII naval mine and IT’S COMING RIGHT AT MEEEEEEE!!!”

    You see a USB key on the ground, you pick it up and plug it in. The unvaccinated Russian larva can be sterilized by sunlight.

    • NewOldGuard@lemmy.ml
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      10
      ·
      14 hours ago

      It’s more akin to clicking on every ad you see on the web. Sure you might not get a virus from lots of them but the risk is real and it’s good practice to just not do that. It’s a real and frequently exploited attack vector, it’s just good practice for anybody with a semblance of concern about digital security