Fast detection, zero prevention?
http://www.pogowasright.org/article.php?story=20080702100755310
Univ. of Nebraska - Kearney hacked
Wednesday, July 02 2008 @ 10:07 AM EDT Contributed by: PrivacyNews
Officials at the University of Nebraska at Kearney discovered a security breach involving nine university computers in early June, and this week, letters are going out to individuals who may be affected.
"The computers involved in the incident were immediately secured, [Translation: “Turned off” Bob] and the university took additional steps to prevent unauthorized external access to any campus computers," said Deborah Schroeder, UNK assistant vice chancellor for Information Technology.
"The university has conducted a thorough investigation," Schroeder said. The incident took place on Sunday, June 8, and was discovered Monday morning, June 9. [Very quick, considering Bob] Of the nine computers involved, five contained names and partial or complete social security numbers.
The breach, which originated in the Republic of Slovenia, was confined to computers in the College of Natural and Social Sciences. Computers involved included two each in the biology, history and psychology departments; and one each in the mathematics, computer science and sociology departments. The files included advisees in the Department of History in 2002 and 2003, deciding students in Fall 2001 and Fall 2002, and students in the online Master of Science in Biology program since Spring 2005. In all, 2,035 letters are being mailed. No academic records were affected.
Source - U. Nebraska at Kearney Press Release
[From the article: "Since 2005, we have assigned the NU-id to all students and employees. We no longer use the Social Security number as a personal identifier. [Yet, they are still on these computers... Bob]
Note: This likely is the result of an earlier breach. (Hannaford?) Because there seems to be no way to detect someone listening in on the transmission of card data and PIN numbers via unencrypted wireless...
http://www.pogowasright.org/article.php?story=20080703050355959
MA: Customers warned of data grab
Thursday, July 03 2008 @ 05:03 AM EDT Contributed by: PrivacyNews
Freedom Credit Union is warning customers of a security breach whereby debit card data was electronically captured by individuals who may have used it in a counterfeit scheme.
"We have been notified [I.e. They didn't detect it Bob] that your Debit card number was one of several obtained during the arrest and indictment of individuals in Eastern Europe and the United States," reads a June 27 letter from Freedom Credit Union to certain customers.
Source - The Republican
Attention lawyers who still believe they do not need to encrypt emails to their clients! (or that passwords provide adequate security.)
http://www.pogowasright.org/article.php?story=20080703050811996
WV: Lawyer suspended for e-mail snooping
Thursday, July 03 2008 @ 05:08 AM EDT Contributed by: PrivacyNews
A Charleston lawyer has been suspended from the State Bar for two years after he admitted snooping in another law firm's e-mails because he suspected his wife was having an affair with her client.
... The opinion also states that Markins' misconduct caused OFN "professional embarrassment" and made it the target of potential lawsuits. The firm had to report a security breach to its major clients because Markins not only viewed confidential personal and financial information intended only for OFN partners, but also confidential client information.
Source - Charleston Gazette
[From the article:
The opinion also states that Markins' misconduct caused OFN "professional embarrassment" and made it the target of potential lawsuits. The firm had to report a security breach to its major clients because Markins not only viewed confidential personal and financial information intended only for OFN partners, but also confidential client information.
... Markins had discovered that the password to the e-mail account of any OFN lawyer was the lawyer's last name, [That goes beyond ignorant, all the way to STUPID! Bob] according to the opinion.
... When an OFN lawyer suspected someone had improperly accessed her e-mail account, the firm hired a computer systems engineer to investigate. [Isn't that like hiring someone to look up applicable laws after the trial? Bob]
Interesting question. Sex tapes seem to be the weapon of choice in divorce/pal-amony cases...
http://www.pogowasright.org/article.php?story=20080702124217113
TMZ allowed to repost portion of actor's sex tape
Wednesday, July 02 2008 @ 12:42 PM EDT Contributed by: PrivacyNews
From the well-wait-a-minute dept.:
The AP reports that actor Verne Troyer's ex-girlfriend says that she allowed celebrity Web site TMZ to broadcast snippets of the tape and because of her statement, a federal judge has allowed TMZ to reinstate a post featuring snippets of the tape.
So she can waive his rights to privacy? I don't understand this -- Dissent.
Related?
http://www.pogowasright.org/article.php?story=2008070213481719
WI: Consenting adults, hidden camera: Can that be legal?
Wednesday, July 02 2008 @ 01:48 PM EDT Contributed by: PrivacyNews
Does agreeing to get naked with someone mean it is lawful for them to film you in the buff without your consent?
That's the issue before the Wisconsin Court of Appeals in a case brought by a man convicted of secretly taping his girlfriend in the nude at her home.
Source - Capital Times
Related? Have you ever viewed a YouTube video?
http://www.pogowasright.org/article.php?story=20080702175401814
Court Ruling Will Expose Viewing Habits of YouTube Users
Wednesday, July 02 2008 @ 05:54 PM EDT Contributed by: PrivacyNews
Yesterday, in the Viacom v. Google litigation, the federal court for the Southern District of New York ordered Google to produce:
all data from the Logging database concerning each time a YouTube video has been viewed on the YouTube website or through embedding on a third-party website
The court’s order erroneously ignores the protections of the federal Video Privacy Protection Act (VPPA), and threatens to expose deeply private information about what videos are watched by YouTube users.
Source - EFF
How to commit computer crime...
http://www.privacydigest.com/2008/07/02/how+cybercriminals+steal+money+google+tech+talks
How Cybercriminals Steal Money - Google Tech Talks
July 2, 2008 - 4:26pm — MacRonin
Google Tech Talks June, 16 2008
[The video: http://youtube.com/watch?v=jC6Q1uCnbMo
How to be a Social Engineer
http://techdirt.com/articles/20080702/1735241578.shtml
Social Engineering 101: Focus On Informal Conversations
from the just-don't-promise-to-protect-the-info dept
In the past, we've covered plenty of stories about social engineering to get people to admit stuff they shouldn't -- suggesting you really just need to ask people to give up personal info and they will (sometimes giving them a gift helps, but just asking alone will often do the trick). The latest study does go a little deeper, however, suggesting that the more informal the setting, the more likely people are to cough up info. For example, it found that when those asked for confidential information were promised that it wouldn't be misused they were less likely to hand over the info. Instead, if there were no promises about what would be done with the info at all, people felt that it was more informal and were more willing to give up the info. Another experiment asked people to reveal "bad" activities to a website. In one test, the website was made to look like a university website, and in another an informal site with the title "How BAD are U??" Not surprisingly, the latter got a lot more people to cough up the details of bad behavior. In that case, I'd even wonder if the "competitive" nature of the question (suggesting that you should want to be "badder" than others) also helped contribute to the openness of individuals.
How to look stupid...
http://techdirt.com/articles/20080702/0233311571.shtml
If You Must Make A Hidden Camera, Don't Make It Look Like Garbage
from the just-a-suggestion dept
Here's one for the "didn't quite think that through, did you" files. Gizmodo points us to the news that British authorities trying to prevent illegal trash dumping put a hidden camera at a popular dumping site. The only problem was that they disguised the hidden camera (which cost somewhere around $20,000 -- I have no clue why it cost so much) as a trash bag, and neglected to tell the folks in charge of cleaning up the site. So, yes, they threw out the hidden camera. Whoops.
Now this is interesting! A business model that allows retail futures trading... Selling to people with a negative (realistic?) view of the future. (Is this so smart it must be a con?)
http://www.killerstartups.com/Marketing/mygallons-com-lock-in-current-gas-prices/
MyGallons.com - Lock In Current Gas Prices
Gas prices getting you down? The oil barons maybe unwilling to make amends, but not to worry, there is some relief to be had. And it comes in the form of a new website dedicated to the gas crises called MyGallons. MyGallons lets users buy gas credit at current prices. Users, in turn, are betting that gas prices will continue to rise and that their purchase will ultimately save them money. It's akin to playing with futures in the stock market. You're hedging the price you pay for gas. The current trend seems to make MyGallons a godsend for consumers leary of paying over $4.50 for a gallon of gas. Gas is a necessity in the states, and coupled with the rising cost of food and other consumer goods, most people welcome any savings they can get. There is a catch to MyGallons, however. Users must pay an annual fee of $29.95 in addition to various overdraft and processing fees. In the end, you might only save a handful. It's currently available in over 200,000 location nationwide.
There is no need to hack, if the solution is built in from the start...
http://www.zeropaid.com/news/9608/GUIDE%3A+Using+Linux+to+Beat+Comcast%27s+BitTorrent+Throttling
GUIDE: Using Linux to Beat Comcast's BitTorrent Throttling
posted by soulxtc in guides
For those savvy enough to have switched over to Linux, this step-by-step guide will prove once again that Linux really does offer users almost complete control over their OS.
Should be interesting...
http://tech.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=08/07/02/2216232&from=rss
FTC Recruiting Identity Theft Victims
Posted by samzenpus on Wednesday July 02, @07:13PM from the study-while-they-steal dept. The Internet
coondoggie writes
"In an effort to buttress its enforcement and better understand the scourge that is identity theft, the Federal Trade Commission said today its plans to conduct a wide-ranging study of victims of the crime. The FTC is looking for people harmed by the crime and said the survey will examine the remedies available to victims under the Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act of 2003 (FACT Act). Among other things, the FACT Act gave consumers the right to place fraud alerts on their credit files if they are, or suspect they may become, victims of identity theft; block information on their credit reports that resulted from identity theft; and obtain copies of their credit reports free of charge."
The University is adding huge touchscreen displays. This one needs much less hardware, so I suspect will see many more applications like this... (Interesting video embed technique, too)
http://www.gearthblog.com/blog/archives/2008/07/hologram_google_earth.html
July 01, 2008
Hologram Google Earth
Check out this cool display and interface with Google Earth:
The technology comes from UbiqWindow and lets a computer screen be projected in mid-air. They have devised a touchless way to interact with the "hologram", and Google Earth is a great way to show off its capabilities. it's not a 3D projection, just 2D. But, it sure looks cool. via Google Earth Design
It is important to “get it”
http://www.alleyinsider.com/2008/7/dom
Domino's Pizza Tries To Cash In On "Dark Knight" Online Buzz, Fails
Hilary Lewis | July 1, 2008 10:58 PM
From The Business Sheet: The Dark Knight is probably the most successful example of viral marketing for a film yet: Its trailers have quickly become Internet sensations.
Yesterday Domino's Pizza tried to capitalize on this magic: Warner Bros released another trailer for The Dark Knight...on a cross-promotional Web site sponsored by the pizza-delivery company.
At first we wondered how the clip, which includes no mention of pizza or even the Domino's logo would sell pies...and then we checked out the web site (Dark Knight Vault). It turns out only people who've placed an online order for Domino's Pizza in the past 48 hours can see the trailer. Pretty smart!
At least it would be if people couldn't also watch the clip on YouTube, as we (and 24,250 other people and counting) just did.
The trailer, from YouTube, is embedded below. In the words of /Film, "The trailer is actually pretty good (unlike Domino's Pizza)."
Related Is this “getting it”
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/P/POLICE_TEXT_MESSAGES?SITE=VALYD&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT
Jul 2, 2:35 PM EDT
Police wnt u to fight crime w/txt msgs
By MITCH STACY Associated Press Writer
TAMPA, Fla. (AP) -- Police in the 1970s urged citizens to "drop a dime" in a pay phone to report crimes anonymously. Now in an increasing number of cities, tipsters are being invited to use their thumbs - to identify criminals using text messages.
Watch as the monopoly dies...
http://digg.com/tech_news/Study_claims_Windows_usage_market_share_could_fall_below_90
Study claims Windows usage market share could fall below 90%
tgdaily.com — A new study released by Net Applications indicates that a decreasing percentage of the Internet population is using Windows as their operating system. It appears that Mac OS X could soon be listed in the double digit-range, while Windows could fall below the 90% mark.
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