I know, I know… all us security pros are often looked upon with disdain. We “make [your] job harder” and “come up with policies and rules that make it impossible to do any work.” On those exaggerated points we can agree to disagree. We have to strike a balance, which can be hard to do at times, and below is just one of many, many reasons why. I wish I could discuss all the Bad Things(tm) that cause us to do the things we have to do, but unfortunately that’s not always possible.

A recent YouTube video shows how a simple browser address typo can result in a complete mess from a security standpoint. And in the grand scheme of things, this particular security issue is relatively small.

But for the average computer user it’s a big deal. Take a look for yourself.

The dramatic accompaniment music is fun (and superfluous), but the threat is real, and not fun. Imagine how you would respond to this problem. Or would you even respond? Many people just pretend it didn’t happen and keep on using their computer. I can’t tell you how many times someone has told me, “I have a virus on my computer; it’s been there for a couple months and it keeps getting worse.”

And the whole time they use their computer to do online banking, pay bills, and all those things that should be protected.

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