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Armok_GoB comments on Optimal User-End Internet Security (Or, Rational Internet Browsing) - Less Wrong Discussion

1 [deleted] 09 September 2011 06:23PM

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Comment author: Armok_GoB 10 September 2011 04:39:57PM *  0 points [-]

Here are a few tips that maybe should not be taken to literally, but are useful to think about and sometimes may be a good idea more directly as well:

  • Don't have anything to hide, make sure that anything worth stealing involves some physical object not hooked up to your computer. Act as if a random stranger with a concealed face were physically looking over your shoulder at all times.

  • Keep an eye on your CPU, ram, bandwidth, etc. usage. Even if you were overtaken by a botnet that didn't use a noticeable amount of these than that'd also mean it's not that big a bother anyway.

  • In general cultivate an intuition for computer science and what exactly your computer needs to be doing at any time so you can notice suspicious behaviour.

  • Keep your guard up for psychological attacks, hostile memes, and Langford basilisks. If you don't already know learn what those are and how you can protect yourself.

  • [insert random quote from "the art of war" here]

Comment author: arundelo 10 September 2011 06:19:17PM 1 point [-]

I know what a basilisk is, but Google cannot tell me what a Stanford basilisk is. (Did you mean to say "Langford basilisk"?)

Comment author: Armok_GoB 10 September 2011 06:21:36PM *  0 points [-]

/me fixes embarrassing typo

Also, might as well point out that in real life, most basilisks are verbal, and won't kill you but instead drive you insane Lovecraft-style.

Edit: further note; here on LW actually has the most dangerous basilisks of anywhere I've encountered on the net by some margin, and some people have even been [REDACTED].

Comment author: arundelo 10 September 2011 08:27:12PM 2 points [-]

in real life, most basilisks are verbal, and won't kill you but instead drive you insane Lovecraft-style.

This reminds me of something Yvain said:

Sometimes I think about how much I take for granted my basic human mental safety mechanisms. One of my philosophy professors told a story about a student in her class who, upon studying radical Cartesian skepticism, went crazy doubting everything and had to be taken away to a hospital for a while for his own protection. I'm sure I've encountered philosophy stranger than that, and some of it I don't have an answer for, but I don't go insane for the simple reason that when I encounter a philosophical problem I can't solve I just shrug and say "Mmmm, that's interesting" and go back to my normal human life. And it's only been recently that I've realized some people can't do this - that I see people studying philosophy that's no longer even interesting to me, like determinism or reductionism[,] and having existential crises over it.

Comment author: Armok_GoB 10 September 2011 09:39:20PM 0 points [-]

Yes, very relevant. Just know that there's MUCH more potent stuff out there, even maliciously designed. Not really a lot of it thou, and the vast majority of stuff damaging enough to avoid it is in already known dangers like cults. Still, there is some really nasty stuff out there that can get around even extremely good defences.

Comment author: Jack 10 September 2011 08:44:02PM *  1 point [-]

To paraphrase wedrifid: in real life, most basilisks are harmless and adorable; you can keep them as pets.

But I suppose it's a terrible idea to bring up that whole fiasco again.

Comment author: Armok_GoB 10 September 2011 10:04:15PM -1 points [-]

That gives me a great idea! We should totally make a "basilisk petting zoo" thread! :D

Or maybe not. I'll wait for responses to this comment before deciding if I should go with it.

Comment author: lessdazed 10 September 2011 10:14:28PM 0 points [-]

SL5? SL6?

Comment author: Armok_GoB 10 September 2011 10:47:01PM 0 points [-]

I don't recognize these, and google is of no help. Are they names of some specific basilisks?

Comment author: lessdazed 10 September 2011 11:06:14PM 0 points [-]

This extended.

Comment author: Armok_GoB 10 September 2011 11:20:04PM *  0 points [-]

This is shock level stuff? It's just making a petting zoo out of entities man were never meant to know possessing no physical form, selected for driving some humans mad in interesting but relatively harmless ways!

Edit: checked the numbers again... seriously you're suggesting this is higher check level than the singularity? This stuff is age old, and fairly mainstream, Lovecraft wrote about it quite specifically. The SCP foundation is full of it.

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