Privacy professionals
fromWIRED
2 weeks agoCyberattack on a Car Breathalyzer Firm Leaves Drivers Stuck
Law enforcement dismantled major botnets while new vulnerabilities and privacy issues in tech continue to emerge, raising concerns over security.
The workers' uniforms are smudged with stains earned underneath a car, wrench in hand. Their repair garage teems with an array of inoperable vehicles and twisted metal. One car's wheels have been removed; another sports a mangled fender. Here, the labor is free - and the mechanics are earning college credits. Los Angeles Trade-Technical College offers the largest community college auto repair program in the region, turning out graduates ready to work at dealership service centers, independent shops and the fleet departments of municipalities,
"A floor manager responsible for production asked me to fix his PC, which was so slow he could literally make a coffee in the time between double-clicking an icon and having the program open," Parker told On Call. The manager's PC was only a year old and ran Windows XP, a combo that at the time of this tale should have made for decent performance.
For years, car dealerships had a terrible reputation. Pushy sales tactics, confusing pricing, and long hours spent negotiating made the entire experience feel more like a battle than a purchase. Like many buyers, I assumed that avoiding dealerships altogether was the smartest way to buy a car, especially as online platforms and direct-to-consumer models gained popularity. Over time, however, my perspective began to shift.