From the Sublime to the Ridiculous

Is your security encryption obsolete?  Have you even considered its age?  Do you have the deadline for its expiration?  Will a deadline reminder pop up to prompt you to update the encryption software?

These and other such issues came home in a very real way earlier this month when thousands of devices used to take credit card payments ceased to work.  The problem was no hacker or third-world government group bent on harming the US economy during the critical holiday season.  Instead, it was nothing more sinister than an expired digital certificate on the security of these devices.

If you recall Y2K and the concerns it raised (and how, as it turned out, the concern was needless), you understand why we have become somewhat complacent regarding technology.  We all have it and we all expect it to work---all the time.

Perhaps our New Year's resolutions should include one to closely examine the life expectancy of the security encryption on our devices.  Just a thought.