Imagine your computer has a secret ID number that Microsoft gives it when you sign in with your Microsoft account. This number is like a permanent nametag that your computer wears. Even if you use a VPN to hide your location, that nametag stays the same.
A hacker used a VPN to hide while breaking into a jewelry store’s computer system. But Microsoft helped the FBI find him because his computer’s secret nametag kept showing up everywhere he went online. They matched that nametag to his social media accounts and other stuff he did, and that’s how they caught him. Most people didn’t even know this secret nametag existed, and you can’t turn it off without breaking your computer.
ELI5?
Imagine your computer has a secret ID number that Microsoft gives it when you sign in with your Microsoft account. This number is like a permanent nametag that your computer wears. Even if you use a VPN to hide your location, that nametag stays the same.
A hacker used a VPN to hide while breaking into a jewelry store’s computer system. But Microsoft helped the FBI find him because his computer’s secret nametag kept showing up everywhere he went online. They matched that nametag to his social media accounts and other stuff he did, and that’s how they caught him. Most people didn’t even know this secret nametag existed, and you can’t turn it off without breaking your computer.
deleted by creator
also to login with edge on top of that
the average lemmy user is much more tech literate than an average person
people really don’t know that kind of stuff. to many a computer is a computer, it has internet, and plays games… what’s an operating system?
deleted by creator
didnt know Microsoft is a Charli XCX fan
Thanks! He should have used Linux
unfortunately https://lemmy.ml/post/49710604
I imagine there’s a distro that would work. Kali maybe?
yeah probably, and you can tweak any distro to rotate it too, just most people don’t realize it’s a thing in the first place
I’m surprised they havent created some sort of software that changes your machine-id every 12 hours or something.
oh you can do that with linux, even with systemd, just takes a bit of tinkering
Calling him a hacker is pretty generous if he let them catch him like this