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“ Thinking about taking your computer to the repair shop? Be very afraid “
Posted by: btfc
Date: November 22, 2022 07:29PM
“ If you’ve ever worried about the privacy of your sensitive data when seeking a computer or phone repair, a new study suggests you have good reason. It found that privacy violations occurred at least 50 percent of the time, not surprisingly with female customers bearing the brunt.

Researchers at University of Guelph in Ontario, Canada, recovered logs from laptops after receiving overnight repairs from 12 commercial shops. The logs showed that technicians from six of the locations had accessed personal data and that two of those shops also copied data onto a personal device. Devices belonging to females were more likely to be snooped on, and that snooping tended to seek more sensitive data, including both sexually revealing and non-sexual pictures, documents, and financial information. “


[arstechnica.com]
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Re: “ Thinking about taking your computer to the repair shop? Be very afraid “
Posted by: chopper
Date: November 22, 2022 08:12PM
No @#$%& Sherlock?
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Re: “ Thinking about taking your computer to the repair shop? Be very afraid “
Posted by: RAMd®d
Date: November 22, 2022 09:44PM
Geeze, whodda thought.

New to computers, I remember reading Hard Drive by David Pogue, about this same subject.






I am that Masked Man.

All you can do, is all you can do.

There’s trouble — it's time to play the sound of my people.

Your boos mean nothing to me, I've seen what you cheer for.

Insisting on your rights without acknowledging your responsibilities isn’t freedom, it’s adolescence.

I've been to the edge of the map, and there be monsters.

We are a government of laws, not men.

Everybody counts or nobody counts.

When a good man is hurt,
all who would be called good
must suffer with him.

You and I have memories longer than the road that stretches out ahead.

There is no safety for honest men except
by believing all possible evil of evil men.

We don’t do focus groups. They just ensure that you don’t offend anyone, and produce bland inoffensive products. —Sir Jonathan Ive

An armed society is a polite society.
And hope is a lousy defense.

You make me pull, I'll put you down.

I *love* SIGs. It's Glocks I hate.
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Re: “ Thinking about taking your computer to the repair shop? Be very afraid “
Posted by: C(-)ris
Date: November 22, 2022 10:02PM
If you think that is bad, look at the data for phone repair places.



C(-)ris
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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Re: “ Thinking about taking your computer to the repair shop? Be very afraid “
Posted by: N-OS X-tasy!
Date: November 22, 2022 10:14PM
Easy peasy solution:
  1. create encrypted disk image
  2. copy all personal files to new DI
  3. close and unmount new DI
  4. delete all personal files from HD/SSD



It is what it is.
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Re: “ Thinking about taking your computer to the repair shop? Be very afraid “
Posted by: Speedy
Date: November 23, 2022 06:19AM
I’d have to see the actual graphic files to decide if this is of any actual importance.



Saint Cloud, Minnesota, where the weather is wonderful even when it isn't.
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Re: “ Thinking about taking your computer to the repair shop? Be very afraid “
Posted by: chopper
Date: November 23, 2022 07:45AM
Privacy has been easily gamed for decades.

I knew a guy who worked at a photo place where they developed film for consumers. 1986? There was a wall of fame in the back of the shop of the snaps they felt deserved recognition. Multiple people went thru the developed film looking for nudity, partying, crime photos.

AND

A phone repair guy I knew/know--even pre iPhone--had a folder of pics found on phones he repaired. He told me about this over breakfast at Perkins. I asked if any of the people were underage. He said teen girls were the worst. Taking and sending pics of their body, sex, etc. I said, hey, the Feds will view that as child porn I bet. He got up from his oatmeal, went to work and pulled the drive.

After I finished we went to my shop and he put the drive in a hydraulic press and smashed it flat. He took a job in customer service.
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Re: “ Thinking about taking your computer to the repair shop? Be very afraid “
Posted by: modelamac
Date: November 23, 2022 09:33AM
Quote
N-OS X-tasy!
Easy peasy solution:
  1. create encrypted disk image
  2. copy all personal files to new DI
  3. close and unmount new DI
  4. delete all personal files from HD/SSD

That may or may not work, depending on the problem that is occurring. If the computer is freezing, how are you going to do that?



Ed (modelamac)

I think I will just put an OUT OF ORDER
sticker on my head and call it a day.
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Re: “ Thinking about taking your computer to the repair shop? Be very afraid “
Posted by: N-OS X-tasy!
Date: November 23, 2022 10:24AM
Quote
modelamac
Quote
N-OS X-tasy!
Easy peasy solution:
  1. create encrypted disk image
  2. copy all personal files to new DI
  3. close and unmount new DI
  4. delete all personal files from HD/SSD

That may or may not work, depending on the problem that is occurring. If the computer is freezing, how are you going to do that?

This solution assumes these steps are taken before an actual event occurs. Y’know… similar to backing up your computer.



It is what it is.
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Re: “ Thinking about taking your computer to the repair shop? Be very afraid “
Posted by: RAMd®d
Date: November 23, 2022 05:59PM
This solution assumes these steps are taken before an actual event occurs. Y’know… similar to backing up your computer.


Exactly.

Make this one's new modus, no using the internal drive at all for anything.

When something does go wrong, there's nothing at all (ok, the factory OS) on the drive when tragedy strikes.






I am that Masked Man.

All you can do, is all you can do.

There’s trouble — it's time to play the sound of my people.

Your boos mean nothing to me, I've seen what you cheer for.

Insisting on your rights without acknowledging your responsibilities isn’t freedom, it’s adolescence.

I've been to the edge of the map, and there be monsters.

We are a government of laws, not men.

Everybody counts or nobody counts.

When a good man is hurt,
all who would be called good
must suffer with him.

You and I have memories longer than the road that stretches out ahead.

There is no safety for honest men except
by believing all possible evil of evil men.

We don’t do focus groups. They just ensure that you don’t offend anyone, and produce bland inoffensive products. —Sir Jonathan Ive

An armed society is a polite society.
And hope is a lousy defense.

You make me pull, I'll put you down.

I *love* SIGs. It's Glocks I hate.
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Re: “ Thinking about taking your computer to the repair shop? Be very afraid “
Posted by: ka jowct
Date: November 24, 2022 11:43AM
My 2015 MBP is at Rossman’s. It just dropped dead in the midst of installing an OS on an external drive. They have to replace the logic board, which will most likely cause trouble with my Photoshop CS6 install on that drive. Anyone know of a way to get around the whole "authorization-when-you-were-not-able-to-deauthorize Adobe Eff You" procedure?

There is nothing much for them to get at on my machine except maybe financial stuff if they got into my email. But I would be surprised if they did something nefarious.



My life goes smoothly and in regular intervals
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Re: “ Thinking about taking your computer to the repair shop? Be very afraid “
Posted by: GGD
Date: November 24, 2022 11:57AM
Quote
RAMd®d
This solution assumes these steps are taken before an actual event occurs. Y’know… similar to backing up your computer.


Exactly.

Make this one's new modus, no using the internal drive at all for anything.

When something does go wrong, there's nothing at all (ok, the factory OS) on the drive when tragedy strikes.

For years before Apple switched to SSDs, whenever I got a new Mac laptop I would immediate replace their small and slow 5400 RPM drive with a larger 7200 RPM drive. If I ever had to take it in for service I would put the original never booted 5400 RPM back in.

Then up through the 2015 models the SSDs were at least removable, to keep your data at home when taking it in for repair. But with iOS devices and 2016+ Macs with soldered SSDs you don't have much choice.
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Re: “ Thinking about taking your computer to the repair shop? Be very afraid “
Posted by: rich in distress
Date: November 24, 2022 01:55PM
Quote
GGD
… with iOS devices and 2016+ Macs with soldered SSDs you don't have much choice.

Current procedure is to reset IOS device, or turn off encryption to delete. Then restore from backup.
If this is not easy to do, the user is using old paradigm with new devices. Not a good combo.
HTG!!
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