Every Friday here on In The Personal Cloud we’ll be presenting a roundup of links highlighting popular and rising news stories from the world of the cloud and online security. Everything from news regarding hacking and how to be secure to advancements in the field of cloud computing. Stay tuned to In The Personal Cloud each Friday to remain up to date on everything you need to know.

Amazon’s cloud infrastructure said to power 1% of the Internet – Exact numbers are hard to come by due to proprietary restrictions, however, estimates have found that Amazon’s cloud is responsible for 1% of all Internet traffic in North America — and that percentage is still growing. Since 2010, their business has been growing an estimated 30% year over year. [Wired]

Facebook And The Auction of Doom – Security exploits are a dime a dozen, and companies trying to find and patch them on their own are becoming increasingly futile. Facebook, on the other hand, has started what some are calling the “auction of doom.” They will buy any knowledge that has the power to do some serious damage to its site or their users. In effect, they’re paying cyber mercenaries to pick up where their internal team left off. [Strategy Page]

Blacknight Sponsors Campaign To Raise Cybersecurity Awareness – “Treat your password like you treat your toothbrush.” Leading Irish domain registrar and hosting company Blacknight is partnering with an Irish non-profit to spread the word amongst Irish youths about internet security. [Virtual-Strategy]

Are Generation Y ‘careless’ in their use of Wi-Fi? – The majority of Generation Y (ages 18-34) admittedly uses free wi-fi for work and and other sensitive matters, but they are also “extremely” or “very concerned” about their data falling into the wrong hands. This article takes a look at the free wi-fi habits of Generation Y based in Australia and New Zealand. [ZDNet]

Consumers lack trust in mobile use – A recent study found that only 15% of participants have a great deal of confidence in the security of their mobile devices and that 63% “are at a crossroads” as to whether or not they should even trust in the security of their devices. Meanwhile, IT administrators are still frustrated with employees using their personal devices for work related matters without permission or instruction. [ZDNet Asia]

Training workers to be cyber safe – We’re almost halfway through 2012 and we’re already seeing an increase in data breaches caused by employees who lost or leaked confidential company data — unintentionally. More often than not, employees fall victim to a link presenting itself as associated with the site they’re visiting, but is instead just another phishing scam. [Network World]

FBI warns travelers of pop-up window cyber-attacks – You know that little pop-up that you see when trying to login to your hotel’s network? Make sure that’s actually from the hotel. Sounds silly, but the FBI has seen an increase in malicious activity targeted at international tourists. [CNN]

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Every Friday here on In The Personal Cloud we’ll be presenting a roundup of links highlighting popular and rising news stories from the world of the cloud and online security. Everything from news regarding hacking and how to be secure to advancements in the field of cloud computing. Stay tuned to In The Personal Cloud each Friday to remain up to date on everything you need to know.

Bill calls for teaching students more about Internet security – The House Education Committee backed House Bill 236 last Wednesday without objection. What is House Bill 236 you ask? A bill devising much like sex ed did back in the day that schools properly educate children about the risks they face online. Topics include everything from social media practices, safe cell phone use, and beyond. [Daily Planet]

Move to online voting will benefit voters, democracy – There has been a lot of back and forth in the online voting debate. Some believe it’s long overdue, while others complain about the still lacking Internet infrastructure in the United States. However, the one thing all sides can agree on are their doubts about its security. Lori Steel, CEO of Everyone Counts, a company developing online-voting technology, says her company’s product already meets security requirements and has been used in prior major elections. Are we really ready to elect the next president during our morning commute? [The Seattle Times]

We have to be more secure – Remember when we used to call the Internet the World Wide Web? Well Chris Hardy of the UK public sector at McAfee believes we need to embrace the global implications of the Internet once again. There needs to be more cooperation and collaboration between the international community if we are ever going to thwart the increasing number of cyber attacks. He’s even outlined some steps to help us get started. [Public Service]

Test shows free virus scanners provide adequate protection – First and foremost, “There is no all-around worry-free [Internet security] package,” warn anti-virus testers. But contrary to popular belief, and according to a recent study, free Internet security software in some instances actually does stand toe to toe with some of the more robust solutions. [The Hindu]

Check out this check-in scam – Once again readers, be ever vigilant in your digital comings and goings. Here’s a cautionary tale about someone who received an email that at first glance seemed legit, despite the subtle red flags that kept popping up every step of the way. If something doesn’t seem right, odds are, it’s not. [North Jersey]

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The cloud presents a plethora of benefits for all of its users. It has helped integrate the digital experience with users’ everyday lives in an increasingly seamless fashion. But has the convenience of cloud computing created new expectations for instant digital gratification? This week we will discuss nomophobia (no-mobile-phone phobia) and its roots in the cloud.

The term nomophobia is new to the lexicon, and was recently given a pretty lengthy write up at the Indianist. The concept has been around for a pretty long while now, as we’ve all seen movies and TV shows for over a decade featuring business-type characters who cannot get away from their cell phone. However, nomophobia doesn’t limit itself to the overachievers of the world.

Due to the importance that many people place on social networking, it’s very hard for some to exist without constant contact to their networks. Now that Facebook and Gmail are synced up with many of today’s most popular mobile devices, the social-web experience is becoming synonymous with daily life. We all notice people sitting alone at the coffee shop, and instead of reading a book or the paper, we are seeing people staring at their 3×5 inch mobile device. The mobile smartphone has replaced so many media mediums, that people can completely rely on it for being a complete entertainment and communication device while away from home.

So, is nomophobia a real issue? Are people actually living in fear of not having their mobile devices on them? I’d argue that yes, it absolutely is becoming a reality. E-mail, Facebook, Pinterest, and Twitter have quickly gained audiences so devoted, that there is almost an addiction. The services update in real time, so the information is never-ending. The fear of missing some vital update is a real concern for some users. Is this a rational fear to worry about? No, probably not. However, many fears are irrational; but they still do exist.

However, can we blame the cloud for all of its enhancements, for creating this “need to know now” anxiety? No, I don’t think that’s fair. The cloud is a service, an evolution to technology, that was inevitable. There may be some side effects to its convenience, such as hoards of people staring at tiny plastic and glass screens all day, or people living in fear of losing their tiny plastic and glass screens. The fault cannot be put on the cloud as a technology, but more on us as a species. We have a hard time letting go of something that becomes routine for us.

Checking Facebook and Twitter every ten minutes has seeped into the routine of many Americans, and as a result, Americans are living in fear of breaking that routine. This is a small side effect, in the march to the greater good. So, my advice to all of you nomophobes out there: suck it up; the internet will still be there when you find your phone.

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