SEL: Google Desktop Security Risks

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October 19, 2004

Google Desktop Security Risks

USA Today looks at why owners of shared computers should think twice before installing Google Desktop.

"It's clearly a very powerful tool for locating information on the computer," said Richard M. Smith, a privacy and security consultant in Cambridge, Mass. "On the flip side of things, it's a perfect spy program."

Type in "hotmail.com" and you'll get copies, or stored caches, of messages that previous users have seen. Enter an e-mail address and you can read all the messages sent to and from that address. Type "password" and get password reminders that were sent back via e-mail.

Acknowledging the concerns, Mayer said managers of shared computers should think twice about installing the software until Google develops advanced features like password protection and multi-user support.

The best thing to do is to prevent any new installations on all public computers.

Andy Beal | permalink | +marktd |

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