This is WEIRD!!! (VERY weird!!)

Have you ever used your mom's name as the answer to a security question?

a reply to: kosmicjack

I'm a very private person and incredibly paranoid, but I don't have six locks on my computer.

Idk maybe you're right though.

originally posted by: geezlouise
I think your mom logged onto your laptop to check her email or something. That would explain it!

Agreed.

Or maybe she asked you to help her reset her password or something? Or you checked to see if her account was working just once and forgot about it?

I dunno. Look for the mundane first. It's 99% fining to be that.

Good luck!

I should note...nothing particularly "bad" happened (in this instance), but the sheer potential for something bad to happen to people by being able to make connections such as these is just off the charts!!

And for the record, one of my responsibilities is making people's information secure. Consequently, I use my own equipment to validate these processes and test the integrity of solutions. It's not about me personally having something to 'hide' so much as it is about establishing confidence levels in long term security.

Bottom line: Somebody, likely google, has access to WAY more information than the public is aware of! And by this I mean, they've got access to data which ISN'T on the Internet! It's the only way they could make this kind of a connection.

originally posted by: Flyingclaydisk
a reply to: geezlouise

Not with my laptop. Just me.

Last time I checked osmosis doesn't work with computers! (...although I'm beginning to wonder now).

Oops! Well then maybe not.

The devil is in that 1%, in sooo many ways.

Have you ever used your home laptop to remotely access your work laptop or vice versa in any way, shape, or form?

Or even not remotely?

Through SD?

Anything like that?

Loads of information is shared these days automatically, especially because of newer operating systems, if you're using newer ones.

My phone brought up my dead step sister and her information on my brand new phone that I had for two days. It tried to fill the form fields with her information. Spooked me until I remembered that before she died, we bought her a shower seat online because no one down south could afford one for her. That was years ago, three phones ago - and all because of my gmail account.

a reply to: AboveBoard

One last time....

I did NOT ever do anything with her account after leaving my visit. None, zero...nada. There was no reason to. And no, I did NOT forget anything. This event happened exactly how I have characterized it.

originally posted by: Flyingclaydisk
I should note...nothing particularly "bad" happened (in this instance), but the sheer potential for something bad to happen to people by being able to make connections such as these is just off the charts!!

And for the record, one of my responsibilities is making people's information secure. Consequently, I use my own equipment to validate these processes and test the integrity of solutions. It's not about me personally having something to 'hide' so much as it is about establishing confidence levels in long term security.

Bottom line: Somebody, likely google, has access to WAY more information than the public is aware of! And by this I mean, they've got access to data which ISN'T on the Internet! It's the only way they could make this kind of a connection.

Of course they do.

Especially with phones. Even if you can't access outside, they are always connected to you, unless you're in an area void of the potential for signal.

a reply to: IAMTAT

Great question!

Yes, actually, but not that name. Her maiden name only. AND, if the connection was made due to this then it's even spookier still !!!!!

I believe you.

I wonder if you're under NSA or CIA surveillance because of your association with ATS.

BTW...does your mom have an Alexa?

a reply to: IAMTAT

Another great question!

Nope, she doesn't have one, but those things do prompt some pretty interesting security considerations! Might as well post your SSN, bank account info and passwords on the grocery store cork board, that or on the wall in the bathroom of the local truck stop!

Was the gmail account you set up for her over a year ago...before or after the big yahoo hack?

a reply to: TarzanBeta

So this is an interesting question, and the answer is yes. However, access to anything work related is via highly secure token based VPN connections.

My phone is directly connected to our work domain so essentially it sits behind several firewalls and a DMZ where several layers of NAT (Network Address Translation) are used. My phone would be inaccessible to my laptop, and vice versa.

Hmmmmmm...you just caused me to think of something...a possible vulnerability. Interesting. (next to impossible, but interesting)

a reply to: IAMTAT

Hmmmm...when was that? I forgot.

I think I was there in May, maybe early June. I remember it was 'after' our cows calved, because I was waiting for that in order to go. I didn't want there to be any problems with only my wife here to deal with it.

originally posted by: Flyingclaydisk
a reply to: AboveBoard

One last time....

I did NOT ever do anything with her account after leaving my visit. None, zero...nada. There was no reason to. And no, I did NOT forget anything. This event happened exactly how I have characterized it.

I believe you. I answered later with that. Sorry.

a reply to: AboveBoard

No worries! I wasn't mad, I just placed the emphasis for others to see.

originally posted by: TarzanBeta
That was years ago, three phones ago - and all because of my gmail account.

That is so disturbing.

Facebook has admitted to performing social experiments with its systems, play around with people and test some of its boundaries. The CIA has been recently exposed with some of its tools, don't be too surprised if they know you better than you know yourself.

Being on this website already raises some flags, as for your other work, well I guess you know that. As for exactly who, how and why will raise a lot of doubt at first. Either start digging through your system looking for some bread crumbs or just accept it and carry on.

There is always a reason, but it is not always easy to find.

Just thinking here...(and this is a real longshot)...

A while back I did actually use my laptop to download a piece of firmware to a micro SD reader via USB. The firmware was for a UAV (drone). Given that the UAV interacts with the phone via WiFi there is a distant (albeit remote) possibility something was put on the SD and handed off to my phone. Still doesn't explain how the information went the other direction (i.e. phone to laptop)...unless it was done on the backend somehow (which is sinister as hell !!)