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Tell HN: PayPal blocks GrapheneOS

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Re: Tell HN: PayPal blocks GrapheneOS

#132
post #17

This is arguably the most irritating thing with just about every largecorp developer: "os that hasn't been updated in 6 years? Sure boss!". Os that is built specifically around security and privacy with daily updates: "No, you can't do that". Annoying - yes. Safe way to make sure I will stop being your customer - also YES!

Generally I think the issue is that there's a tension between your security vs Paypal's security (deliberate, motivated bad actors). Maybe an analogy could be about using metal detectors as a layer to reduce bank robberies. A gun in a good guy's hands is a good thing to prevent robberies. Guns in a bad guy's hands are a bad thing to prevent robberies. Paypal knows you have a gun but they don't know if you're a good g…

To stay with your analogy, there is no technical obstacle to treating the customer of 15 years differently to the newly onboarded one.

They have all the data they need, and they choose not to use it.

Re: Tell HN: PayPal blocks GrapheneOS

#134

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Generally I think the issue is that there's a tension between your security vs Paypal's security (deliberate, motivated bad actors). Maybe an analogy could be about using metal detectors as a layer to reduce bank robberies. A gun in a good guy's hands is a good thing to prevent robberies. Guns in a bad guy's hands are a bad thing to prevent robberies. Paypal knows you have a gun but they don't know if you're a good g…

To stay with your analogy, there is no technical obstacle to treating the customer of 15 years differently to the newly onboarded one. They have all the data they need, and they choose not to use it.

The analogy was not about new vs old customers being allowed to have guns.

I think that's a limitation of the analogy because there is no correspondence with trusted computing. I guess it would be some sort of a magical gun that some other company is endorsing as of limited use during bank robberies? Maybe like some sort of RFID thing that disables the gun when inside a bank?

Anyway it really stretches the analogy to get tied up in technical details (risks missing the forest for the trees type error).

Re: Tell HN: PayPal blocks GrapheneOS

#135

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Generally I think the issue is that there's a tension between your security vs Paypal's security (deliberate, motivated bad actors). Maybe an analogy could be about using metal detectors as a layer to reduce bank robberies. A gun in a good guy's hands is a good thing to prevent robberies. Guns in a bad guy's hands are a bad thing to prevent robberies. Paypal knows you have a gun but they don't know if you're a good g…

Yea, years ago I was in the security space and got to talk to some paypal security folks at a symposium in San Diego. The level of stuff that they have to deal with is so extreme. It's similar to how people don't like sites blocking entire countries or access from Tor, etc. You might be doing it for privacy...but all the people trying to commit fraud are also using those same channels to hide their identity. The bloc…

Yet another weak point. My question stands: A user with an OS from 2019 is "secure" and dozens of unpatched CVEs but a literally-last-night-patch OS is not? That's the "stuff they have to deal with"? I was lucky and did not make the mistake of joining a payment provider in 2020 or 2021 (I can't remember). The reality is that European laws are much harsher when it comes to payments and personal data protection and the security team I was being interviewed for was catastrophic(big part of the reason I did the "I accepted another offer already, sorry" card).

As for geo fencing or blocking Tor... HAH! As if that's ever stopped anyone with the will. That is the last concern of anyone with a malicious intent. Sure, it stops irritating kids but no one beyond that.

The simple fact is that cybersecurity was in an abysmal state before the slopification began and it's infinitely worse now. Paypal is no different given that much of their support has been outsourced to slop machines. Punishing the users that know what they are doing while rewarding the ones that don't is the most counter-productive and detrimental crap anyone could come up with.

Re: Tell HN: PayPal blocks GrapheneOS

#136
I remember when I had to boot up an old windows machine because TurboTax refused to run on a Linux (might have been something related to flash as well... been too long to recall), then I just ran Windows in a VM, then extensions allowed me to do User-Agent spoofing (honestly should have thought of this sooner), and now they don't seem to care at all. I did my taxes on OpenBSD last year.

Re: Tell HN: PayPal blocks GrapheneOS

#138
post #51

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Generally I think the issue is that there's a tension between your security vs Paypal's security (deliberate, motivated bad actors). Maybe an analogy could be about using metal detectors as a layer to reduce bank robberies. A gun in a good guy's hands is a good thing to prevent robberies. Guns in a bad guy's hands are a bad thing to prevent robberies. Paypal knows you have a gun but they don't know if you're a good g…

How does a rooted phone enable bank fraud? This smells like pointless policy checkboxing.

One thing that I'm actually excited about regarding AI is that the pointless policy checkboxes that have never been effective in adding any actual security are even less so effective now that everyone can wield their very own security researcher.
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