Even in the heart of Silicon Valley, where the high-tech cognoscenti live and shop, there is no immunity from cyber breaches: Lucky Supermarkets, located all across northern California, this week advised its customers to “close their bank account and open a new one.”

There was once a time when I’d rail against stupid user tricks. Like the senior bureaucrat from the Department of Justice who I followed through the airport security line: There, stuck to the bottom of his ThinkPad, were all of the login details of every secure network to which he had access. How did I know he was from the DoJ? He had a copy of his business card taped there as well.

The PCI Security Standards Council is waiting to hear from you. Well, its members anyway.

Hey! You! Yes, I’m talking to you, the person who is sitting at a computer reading this blog entry. You can check, but I’m willing to bet you the computer you’re using allows you full administrative rights. In other words, you have the ability to do pretty much anything you wish with your machine. You can install software, change security settings and even open malware-laden e-mails that can then install Bad Stuff on the computer.

It seems as though USB drives are everywhere. Go into the office and chances are there are hundreds of them lying around like so many paper clips. People tend to use them randomly, so no one is quite sure what sensitive files might be on a particular drive. Of course, chances are high that they have no idea where that drive is, either.