Discussion: "Cybersecurity and Privacy" board + Poll (request v1)

[n0nce]

I could google this stuff right?.. I have no idea if what I research is legit info or a well designed ad or some idiots blog that does a good job at boosting themselves on google searches…But I know forum members like Loyce (for example) are knowledgeable Mr Robot types often willing to  help others like myself.  

It is generally advisable to do your own research at first and ask concrete questions after some base knowledge has been acquired.

Somewhat according to the StackOverflow 'How to Ask' guidelines.

For instance, you could search with a web search engine (like Startpage or DuckDuckGo - while we're on the subject of cybersecurity / privacy related recommendations) at first, try to understand whether any recommendations found there are plausible, and if there is still uncertainty, post your question in a forum.

It helps dramatically to help someone who already has a base understanding of their problem.

questions in this realm (when is it okay to accept cookies, what browser is best for what, how to more efficiently search for connected websites, is it okay to use my phone for this or that or should I be on a secured PC  etc etc).

But yes; collecting information like this in the context of Bitcoin was one of the core ideas for this board.

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[BenCodie]

For those interested in a community vote withing a structure thread, see Community Vote: Add "Cybersecurity & Privacy" board to Bitcointalk.

This should strengthen the chances of what is being requested being understood quickly, and gaining more official votes from members.

In the meantime, a nice stat to see 7 months on from the initial request:

As of this post, "request v1" poll achieved 90.7% consensus in agreement that the board should be added.

I think we should be proud of that as cybersecurity & privacy advocates! The request v1 poll will remain open, no need to close it. More votes are still welcomed.

[yhiaali3]

I voted yes, I consider cybersecurity an integral part of everything related to computers and the Internet, so it is natural that there is a section dedicated to security in the forum because we use computers, the Internet and mobile phones in all our dealings with Crypto.

Frankly, I was surprised, since I registered in the forum, why there is no section for security and protection, and I remember that I asked this question, but I did not receive a good answer.

Personally, I consider cybersecurity and privacy the most important part of my knowledge in Crypto, because if you do not learn how to protect your assets well, as well as how to maintain your privacy, you should leave the field better.

[Flexystar]

Thanks for opening this thread. I voted YES

I consider myself less techie when using the Bitcoin and related instruments. Such as software and hardware wallets. On top of that it is also risky when we are involved with the exchangers, trading on daily basis and that needs movement of crypto currencies from one wallet to the other. Above all, it is also increasing trend that we are using various mixers and it could get as risky as we use external resources to save our identity in the world of Bitcoin.

I think keeping ourselves informed all the time about various instruments mentioned above and not limited to them can help someone save their hard earned money.

In this section we can also discuss about other security threats that may or may not be directly involved with the Bitcoin alone. For all of the reasons mentioned here, I vote Yes.

[BenCodie]

I voted yes, I consider cybersecurity an integral part of everything related to computers and the Internet, so it is natural that there is a section dedicated to security in the forum because we use computers, the Internet and mobile phones in all our dealings with Crypto.

Frankly, I was surprised, since I registered in the forum, why there is no section for security and protection, and I remember that I asked this question, but I did not receive a good answer.

Personally, I consider cybersecurity and privacy the most important part of my knowledge in Crypto, because if you do not learn how to protect your assets well, as well as how to maintain your privacy, you should leave the field better.

Too right. I am too surprised that there is no central discussion point for security and privacy. As you said, they are integral keys to safety on the computer, mobile device, internet and in the world of blockchain and cryptocurrency.

I hope all of the support and efforts eventually bring this board to life!

Thanks for opening this thread. I voted YES

I consider myself less techie when using the Bitcoin and related instruments. Such as software and hardware wallets. On top of that it is also risky when we are involved with the exchangers, trading on daily basis and that needs movement of crypto currencies from one wallet to the other. Above all, it is also increasing trend that we are using various mixers and it could get as risky as we use external resources to save our identity in the world of Bitcoin.

I think keeping ourselves informed all the time about various instruments mentioned above and not limited to them can help someone save their hard earned money.

In this section we can also discuss about other security threats that may or may not be directly involved with the Bitcoin alone. For all of the reasons mentioned here, I vote Yes.

Hey, great post. Thank you for the insight into your reasoning, I fully agree with you! We all appreciate the vote in the poll, though do be sure to also look at the community vote!

[BenCodie]

Call to action

Have you casted a vote in the unofficial community vote for a cybersecurity and privacy board?

If you haven't, it is now very easy to cast a vote. All you need to do is state your position on the topic, and either quote a member who you agree with for your reasoning, or share your opinion!

Cast your vote here

[BenCodie]

Call to action

Have you casted a vote in the unofficial community vote for a cybersecurity and privacy board?

If you haven't, it is now very easy to cast a vote. All you need to do is state your position on the topic, and either quote a member who you agree with for your reasoning, or share your opinion!

Cast your vote here

[dragonvslinux]

Call to action

Have you casted a vote in the unofficial community vote for a cybersecurity and privacy board?

If you haven't, it is now very easy to cast a vote. All you need to do is state your position on the topic, and either quote a member who you agree with for your reasoning, or share your opinion!

Cast your vote here

I'm confused, why is there a community vote happening for this? Is this what theymos suggested? To me it seems completely unnecessary.

I don't understand the need for 80%+ consensus either. Either there will be enough users to use that board or not, and already 50+ people voted Yes for it with 90% support. To me it seems pretty simple. You either create the board or not and assign a mod to move the topic into it. Takes a few hours at most. I'm not criticising you for this, I appreciate the initial proposal, I'm simply questioning the long-winded process.

[Cricktor]

I don't understand the need for 80%+ consensus either. Either there will be enough users to use that board or not, and already 50+ people voted Yes for it with 90% support. To me it seems pretty simple. You either create the board or not and assign a mod to move the topic into it. Takes a few hours at most. I'm not criticising you for this, I appreciate the initial proposal, I'm simply questioning the long-winded process.

What is the threshold of interested users for a board to be instantiated? I assume there're no fixed numbers. Are there clear rules? I don't think so, maybe except that you have to prove somehow the interest of users and benefit for the forum. I also quite understand the reluctance of the admins for such a request. On one hand you don't want to fragment the forum into meaningless little corners, on the other hand the forum is for the users, not for the admins.

[BenCodie]

This request should not go forgotten! We are at a state around the globe where governments and cyber security departments are struggling to protect citizens data (that they're not probably already selling to corporations within their nation anyway!)

What can we do?

Support the proposal.
- Vote here in the poll
- Make an official post in the unofficial community vote

Call to action

Have you casted a vote in the unofficial community vote for a cybersecurity and privacy board?

If you haven't, it is now very easy to cast a vote. All you need to do is state your position on the topic, and either quote a member who you agree with for your reasoning, or share your opinion!

Cast your vote here

I'm confused, why is there a community vote happening for this? Is this what theymos suggested? To me it seems completely unnecessary.

I don't understand the need for 80%+ consensus either. Either there will be enough users to use that board or not, and already 50+ people voted Yes for it with 90% support. To me it seems pretty simple. You either create the board or not and assign a mod to move the topic into it. Takes a few hours at most. I'm not criticising you for this, I appreciate the initial proposal, I'm simply questioning the long-winded process.

80%+ = appropriate consensus level.

Good question about the long winded process. The reason is that the more expression there is, the more input, the more grounds to add the board. The poll vote is great except it's too easy and simple to vote, it encourages herd mentality imo. An unofficial voting thread with nothing but reasoned votes has a lot more weight.

[MusaPk]

This request should not go forgotten! We are at a state around the globe where governments and cyber security departments are struggling to protect citizens data (that they're not probably already selling to corporations within their nation anyway!)

What can we do?

Support the proposal.
- Vote here in the poll
- Make an official post in the unofficial community vote

I think there must be a separate board for emerging technologies like cyber security, Artificial intelligence, data sciences etc. Technologies will be kept emerging with time and there is not a specific place where we can ask or contribute about new emerging technologies.

Here is a small contribution from my side about a cyber security certification from ICS2. You can get training material and first attempt free of cost. After you clear exam you can  pay 50$ to claim your certificate.
CC - Certified in Cybersecurity by ICS2

[philipma1957]

When I started BTC was worth  6 bucks back in 2012.

There were times I could mine 0.001 of the entire network in my garage.

Basically 21gh against a network of 21 th.

My power costs was 10kwatts an hour.

To mine 0.001 of the network today I would need 400ph that is 4000 s19 units burning 12000 kwatts an hour.

so the power cost to mine 0.001 of the network has increased 1000 fold

21 th to 400eh is 190000 fold the hash power..

This directly relates to security for the network.

also the cash value in 2012 was maybe 60 million

and the cash value now is 560 billion an increase of 9000 fold in value.


all of the above mean secure handling of your coins is a must.

I like DaveF idea of putting it as a head liner in bitcoins discussion .

[BenCodie]

Your vote: No
Have you read the OP of Discussion: "Cybersecurity and Privacy" board + Poll before posting?: Yes
What is your opinion on adding the board to BitcoinTalk?:
I see that if there is a board about cyberscurity then there will be discussions about hacking and it will likely analyze hacking so that people will know how to hack and how dangerous it is. I don't know about cyberscurity but if there is a chance that I will know how to hack or phish, at least maybe I will know what to learn to hack

While I can never tell if PytagoraZ is trolling or not (which makes him my favorite troll), there is actually a good point within this post.

Talking about security does lead to discussion about exploits, discussion about exploits might make the people curious for the wrong reasons (even though hacking is an elaborate skill in itself, and generally isn't something that you get an idea about and go and do).

We don't want to inspire hackers, but inspire patches, fixes and defence against hackers! I think this should be prevalent in the boards ruleset to help it flow through the board itself.

One rule that PytagoraZ has inspired me to think about is (very roughly) outlined below:

Code:

No instructions, hints or ideas on the topic of hacking, interrupting, infecting or disrupting a system unless it is a reverse engineering guide with a cybersecurity solution

What other ideas for rules do you all think we should discuss for the board if it were to be added? I am surprised we have not discussed this one yet!

[n0nce]

Your vote: No
Have you read the OP of Discussion: "Cybersecurity and Privacy" board + Poll before posting?: Yes
What is your opinion on adding the board to BitcoinTalk?:
I see that if there is a board about cyberscurity then there will be discussions about hacking and it will likely analyze hacking so that people will know how to hack and how dangerous it is. I don't know about cyberscurity but if there is a chance that I will know how to hack or phish, at least maybe I will know what to learn to hack

While I can never tell if PytagoraZ is trolling or not (which makes him my favorite troll), there is actually a good point within this post.

It's the first post I read from him and I feel like you're giving him too much credit. It is so badly written that one can barely understand what point he is trying to get across.

Furthermore, if his point is that by talking about computer security, you could motivate or educate someone to do bad stuff with this information, it basically boils down to the 'security by obscurity' fallacy.
It is beyond debunked and dumb, especially in this case where so much information is already out there. This board will always only be able to contain a subset of the computer security knowledge that is freely available for everyone online. In fact, bad actors have even more information that is hidden / non-public, so actually the best thing we can do to counter that is to openly talk and discuss possible threats, loopholes and vulnerabilities and implement measures that protect us from them.

One rule that PytagoraZ has inspired me to think about is (very roughly) outlined below:

Code:

No instructions, hints or ideas on the topic of hacking, interrupting, infecting or disrupting a system unless it is a reverse engineering guide with a cybersecurity solution

What other ideas for rules do you all think we should discuss for the board if it were to be added? I am surprised we have not discussed this one yet!

I am against such a rule. If you find a serious security issue, you will submit it for bug bounty or sell it on the exploit market anyway. If you publish it here instead, someone else will do that and it will be fixed by the manufacturer. Plus, it informs users that this issue exists and they can come together to find a band-aid solution for the meantime.
More information is always better than less information, in my opinion.

To me, it's clear that he has no idea what he is talking about so I wouldn't take this 'No' vote too seriously.

[Cricktor]

Your vote: No
Have you read the OP of Discussion: "Cybersecurity and Privacy" board + Poll before posting?: Yes
What is your opinion on adding the board to BitcoinTalk?:
I see that if there is a board about cyberscurity then there will be discussions about hacking and it will likely analyze hacking so that people will know how to hack and how dangerous it is. I don't know about cyberscurity but if there is a chance that I will know how to hack or phish, at least maybe I will know what to learn to hack

...
Talking about security does lead to discussion about exploits, discussion about exploits might make the people curious for the wrong reasons (even though hacking is an elaborate skill in itself, and generally isn't something that you get an idea about and go and do).

We don't want to inspire hackers, but inspire patches, fixes and defence against hackers! I think this should be prevalent in the boards ruleset to help it flow through the board itself.

One rule that PytagoraZ has inspired me to think about is (very roughly) outlined below:

Code:

No instructions, hints or ideas on the topic of hacking, interrupting, infecting or disrupting a system unless it is a reverse engineering guide with a cybersecurity solution

What other ideas for rules do you all think we should discuss for the board if it were to be added? I am surprised we have not discussed this one yet!

I apologize for quoting more than I would usually do, but I want to emphasize the context that I'm trying to reply to.

I don't believe in the flawed idea of "security by obscurity" and in my opinion that's what PytagoraZ reasoning is asking for. That doesn't work and protect people. It's like sticking your head into the sand like an ostrich and hoping the predator doesn't see you, too. It is necessary to address issues that can lead to exploits publicly. A robust scheme is the concept of responsible disclosure. Things that are established in the computer security scene of white hat hackers. Of course I'm aware there're black hats out there. Fixing bugs and issues and applying better practices is what protects you from them, not sticking your head into the sand and hoping for the best.

Forum rules already address malware posting and similar nefarious activities, though there's probably not a sufficiently specific framework of rules if we get a cybersecurity section. Establishing a good framework here should be discussed, latest when we get a cybersecurity section which I sincerely hope we do. @theymos: please!

[PytagoraZ]

Edit: I just realized this is a different thread. I thought my vote had been deleted  

It's the first post I read from him and I feel like you're giving him too much credit. It is so badly written that one can barely understand what point he is trying to get across.

Sorry, I'm not good at English so my writing is probably very bad.

So in my opinion, if there is a board about cybersecurity then the discussion in it will be about hacking cases, the methods used for hacking, and how to secure wallets. I think the discussion will discuss how hackers get information, the code/script used, how malware works, etc. This will indirectly reveal how a hacker works, so that from here people will know how to hack and know what to learn in hacking

I know that there are many benefits to these boards if they are available but there are also many dangers in them. I honestly wouldn't mind if this board existed, although I would prefer it not. Security questions can be asked in the wallet section and I'm sure no one will ask about "how to hack a wallet", but the question is "how to secure a wallet?"

If there is a cybersecurity board then there is likely a discussion of "hacker A breaks into site Y with type X malware method". In the discussion, we will discuss how hackers break into sites, how malware works, etc. I think the discussion will focus on hacking (both security and hacking)

[BenCodie]

One rule that PytagoraZ has inspired me to think about is (very roughly) outlined below:

Code:

No instructions, hints or ideas on the topic of hacking, interrupting, infecting or disrupting a system unless it is a reverse engineering guide with a cybersecurity solution

What other ideas for rules do you all think we should discuss for the board if it were to be added? I am surprised we have not discussed this one yet!

I am against such a rule. If you find a serious security issue, you will submit it for bug bounty or sell it on the exploit market anyway. If you publish it here instead, someone else will do that and it will be fixed by the manufacturer. Plus, it informs users that this issue exists and they can come together to find a band-aid solution for the meantime.
More information is always better than less information, in my opinion.

To me, it's clear that he has no idea what he is talking about so I wouldn't take this 'No' vote too seriously.

That's reasonable and I completely agree with your point.

I suppose the positive that came out of this series of posts is a new line of discussion that hasn't yet been covered: rules

I doubt this is why theymos hasn't yet added the board, or maybe it is? Either way, let's keep making his life easy do that there are no excuses for the board not to be added.

Any suggestions for rules/rulesets for this board anyone?

[shahzadafzal]

That's reasonable and I completely agree with your point.

I suppose the positive that came out of this series of posts is a new line of discussion that hasn't yet been covered: rules

I doubt this is why theymos hasn't yet added the board, or maybe it is? Either way, let's keep making his life easy do that there are no excuses for the board not to be added.

Any suggestions for rules/rulesets for this board anyone?

I think we can should call it "Guidelines" for the board, instead of calling them "rules", after all rules are same across the forum.

- All topics/ posts must directly be related to cybersecurity and privacy.
- Respect the privacy of individuals. Do not share personal information, and do not engage in discussions that compromise the privacy of others.
- When discussing potential threats or vulnerabilities, be cautious not to provide detailed instructions that could be misused.
- Encourage and share best practices for online security and privacy.
- Recent cybersecurity news, trends, and developments are encouraged.
- Back up your claims and recommendations with credible sources or references (avoid spreading unnecessary fear or misinformation)
- Do not post clickable links to suspicious or potentially harmful websites.

[BenCodie]

That's reasonable and I completely agree with your point.

I suppose the positive that came out of this series of posts is a new line of discussion that hasn't yet been covered: rules

I doubt this is why theymos hasn't yet added the board, or maybe it is? Either way, let's keep making his life easy do that there are no excuses for the board not to be added.

Any suggestions for rules/rulesets for this board anyone?

I think we can should call it "Guidelines" for the board, instead of calling them "rules", after all rules are same across the forum.

- All topics/ posts must directly be related to cybersecurity and privacy.
- Respect the privacy of individuals. Do not share personal information, and do not engage in discussions that compromise the privacy of others.
- When discussing potential threats or vulnerabilities, be cautious not to provide detailed instructions that could be misused.
- Encourage and share best practices for online security and privacy.
- Recent cybersecurity news, trends, and developments are encouraged.
- Back up your claims and recommendations with credible sources or references (avoid spreading unnecessary fear or misinformation)
- Do not post clickable links to suspicious or potentially harmful websites.

I think you're absolutely correct, and that those guidelines are a terrific baseline to work with. I will put some more thought into this when I have had a coffee Nice work!

If anyone else has ideas for guidelines to add on top of shahzadafzal's post, do go right ahead. I think that this is one of the few things (maybe, the only thing) that will make life easier for theymos if/when he decides to add this board, other than moderators, which I am sure many highly reputable members in this thread would put their hand up for with passion!

[PytagoraZ]

That's reasonable and I completely agree with your point.

I suppose the positive that came out of this series of posts is a new line of discussion that hasn't yet been covered: rules

I doubt this is why theymos hasn't yet added the board, or maybe it is? Either way, let's keep making his life easy do that there are no excuses for the board not to be added.

Any suggestions for rules/rulesets for this board anyone?

I think we can should call it "Guidelines" for the board, instead of calling them "rules", after all rules are same across the forum.

- All topics/ posts must directly be related to cybersecurity and privacy.
- Respect the privacy of individuals. Do not share personal information, and do not engage in discussions that compromise the privacy of others.
- When discussing potential threats or vulnerabilities, be cautious not to provide detailed instructions that could be misused.
- Encourage and share best practices for online security and privacy.
- Recent cybersecurity news, trends, and developments are encouraged.
- Back up your claims and recommendations with credible sources or references (avoid spreading unnecessary fear or misinformation)
- Do not post clickable links to suspicious or potentially harmful websites.

I think you're absolutely correct, and that those guidelines are a terrific baseline to work with. I will put some more thought into this when I have had a coffee Nice work!

If anyone else has ideas for guidelines to add on top of shahzadafzal's post, do go right ahead. I think that this is one of the few things (maybe, the only thing) that will make life easier for theymos if/when he decides to add this board, other than moderators, which I am sure many highly reputable members in this thread would put their hand up for with passion!

It seems too hasty to create rules before the board is available, or perhaps you would also choose a board moderator?

But whether there is a board or not is not really a problem for me. There are just a few things I want to write about here

1. A security board without discussion of hacking is superficial.
2. Bitcoin is a financial system, malware is an attack on computers
3. With the existence of special security and privacy boards, the security of Bitcoin is questioned and its privacy is also questioned or we simply consider it unsafe.
4. Without a discussion of hacking then the discussion will only be:
a. how to secure your wallet
b. use Linux OS to be safe
c. use a mixer for privacy
d. don't trust KYC and AML
e. use a hardware wallet
f. etc, the discussion will be superficial and only about that

Or maybe people who agree with this board have a general idea of ​​what will be discussed there?