Dude, You've Got Mad Pickpocket Skills

I have seen a lot of criminal acts in my 30-something years of being on this blue rock. Occasionally, I find myself amazed by how ingenious and brazen certain criminals are. This story out of China is one such case. A lady was innocently riding her bike when a pickpocket jogs next to her. As he gets closer to her, he uses chopsticks to retrieve her phone from jacket. That's right - chopsticks. You have to see it to believe it.

Yup. That's what you call a smooth operator.

Source: Shanghailist/Kotaku/Bitrebels

OPINION: Who You Callin' An "Expert?!

Recently, someone called me an "expert". While I was extremely flattered, it made me think a lot about my initial reaction to that label. If you've been in this field, you will note there are several people who go around calling themselves "experts". A few of them are and a lot of them aren't. Most of my introspection was with where I saw myself and how I allowed others to see me.  Am I an "expert" or a guy who likes to talk a lot about security?

The answer to both of those is a paradox of sorts, as they are equally complicated and simple. According to some, being an "expert" means knowing a lot of stuff about security and sounding half-way intelligent about that stuff. Some would argue I fit into that category. While I hope I'm not, I certainly can understand how people can see me that way. Many people know a lot of stuff about a lot of stuff and "talk a good game" but lack real depth in their knowledge or experience. So, I can help but wonder, with 10 years of doing various jobs in security, a blog, and some above-basic knowledge, where does that place me? I'm also very passionate about security. Does passion, knowledge, and an audience make someone an "expert" and should I even want to be considered one?

When I first decided to start this blog, I did it with the intention of sharing security news and information with my audience. It soon became an opportunity to share my opinions and insight. While all that was very important, I always felt I needed something more constructive. There are tons of people all over social media and the rest of the Net who believe the "smarter" you sound, the greater your expertise. I have found a great deal of those people lack expertise and oftentimes, real knowledge of the subject matter. Don't get me wrong. I'm guilty of this as well at times. Very guilty, as a matter of fact.

So what am I? I'm a student of security in both the literal sense and the rhetorical as well. I'm eager and willing to learn from anywhere. I'm not afraid to test an idea or hypothesis in the field or be reviewed by my peers. Sometimes, what I say and do sucks. I get stuff wrong - A LOT. My ideas may not be preferred or have any chance of success. Occasionally, I don't stay in my lane. Okay. I can hear you laughing. I don't stay in my lane enough at times.

So how do I go about fixing this? I decided to start changing how I viewed my interactions with people and the objectives I set for them. In other words, I felt it was less important to demonstrate knowledge than it was to receive and learn from others. I had been afforded an opportunity to label myself as an "expert" many times. It always felt hollow and empty, as if it was undeserved. After all, I was a security guard not too long ago and I had very average experiences in the military. I wasn't Special Forces or with a federal agency doing anything "special". My resume is a reflection of being very lucky and being at the right place at the right time. I did a lot of cool things and saw some cool places in this world. But was I an "expert"? No, I am not.

Too many "experts" are not willing to admit they are in fact still learning. Too many believe it is more important to demonstrate knowledge than to receive it. Too many believe the best analysis of a problem is the one that is more conducive to a "solution" they've created. Instead of more people willing to tell us about security, we need more people willing to sit down, shut up, and listen to what others have to share. From now on, I'll be sharing my knowledge in an attempt to learn more than I teach. The only question left to ask is "Will I be alone?"

OPINION: Why Crime Prevention Fails

I have a pet-peeve with the current spate of "anti-theft" apps for mobile devices. My problem doesn't lie with their technology. Nope, my issue is with their marketing. There are a plethora of these apps that are being called "crime prevention tools". I know what you're thinking, "But if someone takes my cell phone, this app will use the GPS to track my phone and send me an email so I can tell the police where to get my phone." True, but answer this question - What crime did it stop? Seriously, what crime did your app stop? And therein lies the problem with the app and with how we view crime prevention.

Part of the reason we have such a high rate of crime in this country resides mostly in our definition of "crime prevention". Many times, we mistakenly believe "prevention" relies on the response to the crime. A faster recovery means we've sent a message to the bad guys that they can't take our stuff without the cops coming to get them. Stop laughing. That's the message the creative marketing teams behind these apps and other products will have you believe. Remember Nancy Reagan's "just say no" campaign and the "war on drugs/crime". Those sent a clear message to the bad guys - we have no clue how to stop you.

Stopping crime is a noble objective but no crime is totally preventable. As a matter of fact, it's a safe bet that at some point in your life, you will be a victim of a crime. After 10 years of doing law enforcement in the military and my current job, I have an idea as to why this is. Simply put, the reason you will be a victim of crime at some point in your life rests in two places and neither of which needs the other for the crime to take place.

The first place where the crime onset takes place is with the criminal. Remember what I said a few posts ago about how the attacker will ultimately attack you regardless of what you do? The same idea applies here. You can't control what an attacker will do. If he/she is motivated and skilled enough, which are two things you can't always plan on, there is very little you can do beforehand to stop them. That's not a defeatist attitude. This is me directing you to the second place where the crime onset occurs - the victim.

Victims, typically, do a lot of things good before an attack occurs but they also do some things terribly wrong. Where things go wrong for them is in their attitude - "I never thought it would happen to me.....But I lock my doors....Why me?" There are loads of reasons you were selected to be a victim. None of which you may have had any control over. It is for this reason I think we need a new crime strategy - crime mitigation.

As we've discussed before, your attitude towards crime mitigation has to be proactive. You have to be thinking about the best way to lower your chances of being a victim and lessening the damage from an attack. Whether you purchase a smart phone or sports car, you should have a proactive attitude towards engaging the threat. Buying an alarm or an app won't stop theft but planning on it to happen at some point may not only mitigate the damage but provide more creative solutions to prevent the loss from happening in the first place.