Re:Starbucks caught storing mobile passwords in clear text
by thirsteh on Thursday January 16, 2014 @01:50PM
(#7071583)
> I'd never say this at a job interview but I'll be Devil's advocate: As a business, this isn't my problem, it's yours.
This argument is the same as saying "It's not my fault you're being spied on because you're not using OTR in your IM; it's yours." You're technically right that the user could theoretically avoid this problem, but you're wrong in practice since you're setting impossible expectations that even security-conscious people often don't meet.
It's a service provider's responsibility to not let user credentials be easily accessible because those credentials are used in many places. The latter is a more fundamental issue, yes, but you deserve the flak you get if you just say "not my problem."
This argument is the same as saying "It's not my fault you're being spied on because you're not using OTR in your IM; it's yours." You're technically right that the user could theoretically avoid this problem, but you're wrong in practice since you're setting impossible expectations that even security-conscious people often don't meet.
It's a service provider's responsibility to not let user credentials be easily accessible because those credentials are used in many places. The latter is a more fundamental issue, yes, but you deserve the flak you get if you just say "not my problem."