Tag Archive for: Abandoning

Weekend Gamer: Abandoning Home Internet


I no longer have home internet. I was paying $35, then $50 a month, for home internet with a DSL company, which I won’t mention its name… but they’re nationwide. Internet was slow at 3 mbps, but it was fine for what I was doing. I wasn’t streaming HD videos (I still buy Blurays) or doing live streams.

For the first time, I decided to abandon home DSL internet. All this was made possible when I was getting unlimited data on my phone, via Visible, a company by Verizon. I know many people have problems with Visible, but I’ve been using them for over a year, and it works for me.

Of course, leaving home internet, there will be some drawbacks. None of my “internet of things” devices will work correctly now. For example “smart screens” or internet security cameras. You can still access the camera using a local network (that’s not connected to the internet), as long as you are signed into that local network. Still, it’s not convenient and these constantly connected devices won’t work properly.

The other drawback is that Visible only allows you to connect one device to your phone, using your phone’s hotspot or tethering method. I suggest you read Visible’s website for details about its hotspot restrictions…. however, you can get around the one device limit by using an iPhone (Apple uses a different method to connect devices that bypass Visible’s restriction). So in November 2021, I purchased the iPhone 13, and have been very happy with both the device and my ability to connect multiple devices.

Speaking of hotspot, there is a 5 mbps cap when you tether. That’s still faster than my old DSL service! I found that, especially when I upload files, it’s much faster than DSL.

Pricing for Visible, right now, is $25 a month for unlimited talk, text, and data. Starting in October, they are changing their prices to $30 or $45, which I previously mentioned in Sep 2022. Hey, even at the more expensive $45 (which promises a faster network and expanded network), I might be willing to pay more, especially if now I am paying for both a phone and personal internet combined. Even at $45, it would still be cheaper than my ex-DSL service.

My other…

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Does Abandoning Embassy in Kabul Pose Cybersecurity Risks?


Cyberwarfare / Nation-State Attacks
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Fraud Management & Cybercrime
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Governance & Risk Management

Security Experts Size Up Impact of US Rush to Leave Afghanistan

Does Abandoning Embassy in Kabul Pose Cybersecurity Risks?

It’s unlikely that the U.S. abandoning its embassy and other facilities in Afghanistan poses cyber risks, thanks to the emergency planning that was in place, some security experts say.

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“Realistically, any cybersecurity impacts from the rapid evacuation are minimal to nonexistent,” says Jake Williams, a former member of the U.S. National Security Agency’s elite hacking team and co-founder and CTO at BreachQuest. “However, this is only because of lots of planning and practice with equipment and document destruction. Even if the situation on the ground moved faster than anticipated, these facilities would have prioritized lists of what to destroy first.”

The Taliban is not likely to be a cybersecurity threat to the U.S. because the group is focused primarily on establishing control of the Afghanistan government, security experts say.

Plus, as Frank Downs, a former NSA offensive analyst, notes: “Based upon the operating procedures of the Taliban in the past, it would be hasty to assume they are an advanced cyberthreat.”

Part of the advanced planning to secure the embassy and other sites took place last week when the Department of Defense Inspector General sent a notification to U.S. Army commands in the U.S. and Afghanistan,…

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