{"id":116562,"date":"2025-09-05T15:03:08","date_gmt":"2025-09-05T15:03:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/116562\/"},"modified":"2025-09-05T15:03:08","modified_gmt":"2025-09-05T15:03:08","slug":"gmails-security-scare-is-a-dark-reminder-of-the-internets-fragility","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/116562\/","title":{"rendered":"Gmail\u2019s security scare is a dark reminder of the Internet\u2019s fragility"},"content":{"rendered":"

Welcome to The Full Nerd newsletter\u2014your weekly dose of hardware talk from the enthusiasts at PCWorld. Missed the latest topics on our YouTube show<\/a> or the hot news from across the web? You\u2019re in the right place.<\/p>\n

Want this newsletter to come directly to your inbox? Sign up on our website<\/a>!<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve been called \u201cprocess oriented\u201d more than once in my life. I don\u2019t mind. People take systems for granted, but their structure provides a sense of safety and security. Until they don\u2019t.<\/p>\n

I feel a lot people missed the point last month, when news circulated about 2.5 billion Google users potentially at risk<\/a> following a data leak. Everyone immediately jumped to the idea that passwords needed to be changed\u2014not a bad instinct, as we ended up discussing on The Full Nerd this week.<\/p>\n

But as that very conversation illustrates, people usually focus on the smaller details: who got hacked, if data was leaked, and whether a password change is warranted. (Spoiler: I believe that changing a password takes so little time, you should just do it when the topic ever comes up.)<\/p>\n

What most folks don\u2019t focus on the fact that Google\u2019s data leak happened through a major third-party vendor\u2014and followed on the heels of other major companies suffering data leaks through the same source. That external company is Salesforce, no small player either.<\/p>\n

When I hop on my computer or phone each day, I believe in the technology. I assume the services and apps I use won\u2019t add extra demands to my day. But with the ever-expanding scope of data breaches and leaks, that trust is slipping. And perhaps it\u2019s a good thing that it is.<\/p>\n

\"Mit<\/p>\n

A password manager is just one part of keeping on top of security disasters that are out of our control. <\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

IDG<\/p>\n

As end users, you and I have little control over the systems we all rely on. But we do have a say over our response to chaos. Problems occur when I assume peace and tranquility, and then a huge disruption lands on my doorstep.<\/p>\n

Right now, people focus on what to do in the moment, and breathe a sigh of relief when the damage doesn\u2019t appear to be widespread. For this example, Google ended up clarifying that no accounts were compromised<\/a> as a result of the Salesforce leak\u2014and the talk started turning to no one having to worry.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m a contrarian on this point. I say we should keep talking about how to handle online security, especially as the largest players fall victim to exploits. Not just the thing to do at the moment, but how easily a person can enact those changes.<\/p>\n

So yes, folks should know to update their passwords any time there\u2019s a breach. That\u2019s still vitally important. But a user should ideally be able to rotate a password in just a few minutes, too\u2014they should operate in a way where it can happen fast, without needing to be thought about again later on.<\/p>\n

Because what happens on the day that Google does fall to a breach? Or DNS finally folds in on itself because hackers are no longer content to mess around<\/a> for sheer amusement<\/a>? Most people haven\u2019t planned for such disruption.\u00a0<\/p>\n

How well would you cope?<\/p>\n

In this episode of The Full Nerd<\/p>\n

In this episode of The Full Nerd<\/a>, Alaina Yee, Brad Chacos, Will Smith, and Michael Crider chat about AM4 getting another extension on life and the current best practices for online security. At least, that\u2019s what went on the books\u2014in practice, we squeezed in a bonus discussion about AMD\u2019s ROCm software, based on Will\u2019s recent interview<\/a>.<\/p>\n

I may also be sporting a very special new look this week.\u00a0<\/p>\n

(I can\u2019t say it grew on me\u2014at least not literally\u2014but you know what, I\u2019d do it again sometime after Adam returns from his IFA travels.)<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n

\t\t\tWelcome to this episode of The Full Beard.<\/p>\n

Willis Lai \/ Foundry<\/p>\n

Missed our live show? Subscribe now to The Full Nerd Network YouTube channel<\/a>, and activate notifications. We also answer viewer questions in real-time!<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t miss out on our NEW shows too\u2014you can catch the episodes Dual Boot Diaries<\/a> and The Full Nerd: Extra Edition<\/a> now!<\/p>\n

And if you need more hardware talk during the rest of the week, come join our Discord community<\/a>\u2014it\u2019s full of cool, laid-back nerds.<\/p>\n

This week\u2019s wonderous nerd news<\/p>\n

A long holiday weekend in the U.S. makes for quieter news, but some nifty science, several fun projects (including a retro gaming setup that works off your PC), and a new gaming keypad got my brain going. My wallet is also lighter now, too.<\/p>\n

\"Lemokey<\/p>\n

\t\t\tIt\u2019s pretty, for sure.<\/p>\n

Keychron<\/p>\n

You can turn a USB flash drive into a portable games console<\/a>: This fun project comes courtesy of my colleague Dominic Bayley. It leans on an inexpensive thumb drive and Batocera to work, plus whatever input (controller or keyboard) you like best. And ROMs that you have legal standing to use, of course.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m becoming more of a PC gamer for this reason<\/a>: Console prices have now bucked their historical trends and gone up while aging\u2014a result of U.S. tariffs. Meanwhile, I just bought another Steam license for Untitled Goose Game because I could afford it. (Am I a real PC gamer now?)<\/p>\n

Catch you all next week\u2014maybe by then, I can report back on how my attempt to transition from my specialized PC gaming controller<\/a> to full keyboard navigation is going. I have a feeling my initial notes will include a lot of colorful language.<\/p>\n

Alaina<\/p>\n

This newsletter is dedicated to the memory of Gordon Mah Ung<\/a>, founder and host of The Full Nerd, and executive editor of hardware at PCWorld.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Welcome to The Full Nerd newsletter\u2014your weekly dose of hardware talk from the enthusiasts at PCWorld. Missed the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":116563,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[1638,86,56,54,55],"class_list":{"0":"post-116562","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-internet","8":"tag-internet","9":"tag-technology","10":"tag-uk","11":"tag-united-kingdom","12":"tag-unitedkingdom"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/116562","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=116562"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/116562\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/116563"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=116562"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=116562"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=116562"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}