4 ms·

This is overwhelmingly terrible advice. It even tells you to install a mobile antivirus!

by ryanlol 9y ago

paulryanrogers 9y ago
Why else is it terrible?
- ryanlol 9y ago
  It also recommends running an antivirus on desktop, using a VPN, using tor browser, pidgin and goes as far as discussing android as a viable option. The “lock up your SIM” part is simply ridiculous too, this has never ever stopped anyone. This article is terrible because it has clearly been written by non-experts who should not be writing any security guides.
  - deleted 9y ago
    [deleted]
  - Redoubts 9y ago
    I’m out of the loop, what’s wrong with pidgin?
    - ryanlol 9y ago
      libpurple suffers from very poor code quality, leading to tons of exploitable vulnerabilities. Just as you would expect when writing C parsers for lots of complicated protocols.
      - the_common_man 9y ago
        > libpurple suffers from very poor code quality, leading to tons of exploitable vulnerabilities. Just as you would expect when writing C parsers for lots of complicated protocols. Is this your personal feeling or do you have something to back this up? A quick look at the source code suggests it's basically like any other glib based program.
        ryanlol 9y ago
        This is a commonly known fact, not just my personal feeling.
        daxorid 9y ago
        These are just public ones: https://www.cvedetails.com/vulnerability-list/vendor_id-6938/product_id-11666/Pidgin-Pidgin.html https://www.cvedetails.com/vulnerability-list/vendor_id-6938... Filter by CVSS > 6, note the number of execs. Enjoy.
  - jlgaddis 9y ago
    Your comments (this one, and others downthread) get downvoted to hell yet tptacek's comment [0] -- which says basically the same thing -- is at the top. WTF? [0]: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15735789 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15735789
  - drdaeman 9y ago
    Interesting. I'm not an security expert, but believe locking SIM card with a PIN code is a reasonably good idea to ensure in case of a stolen smartphone (non-targeted) it would be more likely thrown out as useless rather than used for any nefarious purposes. Or I'm wrong?
    - ryanlol 9y ago
      SIM card PINs are not discussed in the article. Instead they recommend asking your telcos support rep to attach a note to your account to prevent sim swapping, which doesn't work.
suyash 9y ago
Most of the advice seems to be very sound to me other than the mobile anti virus. I've used Lookout several times on Android, and it does nothing to prevent malicious software, I know from personal experience when I Android got Malware and lookout scan reported everything is fine.

This is overwhelmingly terrible advice. It even tells you to install a mobile antivirus!

paulryanrogers 9y ago

Why else is it terrible?

ryanlol 9y ago
It also recommends running an antivirus on desktop, using a VPN, using tor browser, pidgin and goes as far as discussing android as a viable option. The “lock up your SIM” part is simply ridiculous too, this has never ever stopped anyone. This article is terrible because it has clearly been written by non-experts who should not be writing any security guides.
- deleted 9y ago
  [deleted]
- Redoubts 9y ago
  I’m out of the loop, what’s wrong with pidgin?
  - ryanlol 9y ago
    libpurple suffers from very poor code quality, leading to tons of exploitable vulnerabilities. Just as you would expect when writing C parsers for lots of complicated protocols.
    - the_common_man 9y ago
      > libpurple suffers from very poor code quality, leading to tons of exploitable vulnerabilities. Just as you would expect when writing C parsers for lots of complicated protocols. Is this your personal feeling or do you have something to back this up? A quick look at the source code suggests it's basically like any other glib based program.
      - ryanlol 9y ago
        This is a commonly known fact, not just my personal feeling.
      - daxorid 9y ago
        These are just public ones: https://www.cvedetails.com/vulnerability-list/vendor_id-6938/product_id-11666/Pidgin-Pidgin.html https://www.cvedetails.com/vulnerability-list/vendor_id-6938... Filter by CVSS > 6, note the number of execs. Enjoy.
- jlgaddis 9y ago
  Your comments (this one, and others downthread) get downvoted to hell yet tptacek's comment [0] -- which says basically the same thing -- is at the top. WTF? [0]: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15735789 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15735789
- drdaeman 9y ago
  Interesting. I'm not an security expert, but believe locking SIM card with a PIN code is a reasonably good idea to ensure in case of a stolen smartphone (non-targeted) it would be more likely thrown out as useless rather than used for any nefarious purposes. Or I'm wrong?
  - ryanlol 9y ago
    SIM card PINs are not discussed in the article. Instead they recommend asking your telcos support rep to attach a note to your account to prevent sim swapping, which doesn't work.

suyash 9y ago

Most of the advice seems to be very sound to me other than the mobile anti virus. I've used Lookout several times on Android, and it does nothing to prevent malicious software, I know from personal experience when I Android got Malware and lookout scan reported everything is fine.