Wednesday, June 03, 2015

I doubt this will change anything for my Ethical Hacking students. We still have to build and use the tools and we never sell them to the black hats.
Feds' Photobucket Strategy Could Hobble White Hats
There's a new twist in the way feds are seeking to penalize bad actors for making and distributing software used in crimes, suggest recent arrests by Justice Department and FBI officials.
"There's a more concerted campaign to go after go after those folks who are distributing in the underground," said Tom Kellermann, chief cybersecurity officer at Trend Micro.
… The case in question involves two men charged with creating an app to steal credentials and content from online photo and video community Photobucket.
DoJ and FBI agents last month arrested Brandon Bourret, 39, of Colorado Springs, Colorado, and Athanasios Andrianakis, 26, of Sunnyvale, California, and charged them with conspiracy to commit computer fraud and abuse, access device fraud, identification document fraud and wire fraud.
… In addition to trafficking in stolen credentials and content, the pair developed, marketed and sold a malicious tool that allowed others to steal content from Photobucket that was private and password-protected, the indictment notes.
… Bourret and Andrianakis both face one count of conspiracy, which carries a penalty of up to five years in federal prison US$250,000 in possible fines; one count of computer fraud, aid and abet, which also carries the same possible penalties; and two counts of access device fraud, which carries a penalty of up to 10 years in prison, and the possibility of a $250,000 fine for each count.
Unforeseen Consequences
However, the new focus on the tools employed could have some unforeseen consequences for white hat researchers.
"So far, no one has been arrested for creating a tool. It was more the using of the tool that has been the issue," noted Johannes B. Ullrich, chief research officer at the SANS Institute.
"This does more than affect the underground. This affects thousands of [penetration] testers who make a living testing the defenses of companies with their permission," Ullrich told TechNewsWorld.
"If creating and distributing a tool is considered a crime," he continued, "then many of them are out of a job."




Interesting, but I can't believe this has gone unnoticed. Look at the “8 letter message” and tell me this isn't regularly encountered?
A simple 8-letter message is permanently breaking people's Skype apps
It's similar to another bug currently at large on iPhones. Receiving a certain string of unicode characters on iOS can cause Messages and other apps to crash, and even force the device to reboot entirely.
The bug is caused by a failure to render the unicode characters properly.
Now, a similar bug has been discovered on messaging app Skype, and it's even more disruptive. While the iOS bug can be fixed, the Skype one can crash the recipient's app permanently.
Here's the offending message: http://:




Perspective. Are we moving to a “free shipping for everything” world? (Perhaps I can get a paperback book shipped free? Could be useful!)
Amazon just announced a new shipping program that could steal more business from your local convenience store
… This week, the company banished its $35 minimum on free shipping. Instead people can opt for free, four-to-eight-day delivery on thousands of small, light products, such as phone cases, ear plugs, and toothbrushes.
Amazon calls it its "small and light" program, because it applies only to products that weigh less than 8 ounces, are smaller than 9x6x2 inches, and cost under $10.




Perspective.
At JPMorgan, Voicemail Deemed Obsolescent
The Wall Street bank is eliminating voicemail for thousands of employees who do not take calls from customers, at a savings of $10 a month per person, Gordon Smith, chief executive of the company's consumer banking operations, said at an investor conference on Tuesday.
… "We realise that hardly anyone uses voicemail anymore," Smith said. "We are all carrying something in our pockets that is going to get texts or email or a phone call," he said. "We started to cut those off."




Perspective. Big Data does not require big hardware. Very “James Bond,” “Q” will be amsused.
SanDisk Squeezes 128GB of Storage Into a Dime-Sized Drive




Tools for my Website development students.
Build It: 11 Brilliant Chrome Extensions For Web Developers
SanDisk has found a way to squeeze 128GB of flash storage into an external drive that’s smaller than our smallest coin. Forget the thumb drive; this is a thumbnail drive.
The SanDisk Ultra Fit isn’t a new form factor; it debuted last fall in 16GB, 32GB, and 64GB varieties. But 128GB in a pebble-sized drive represents a significant capacity-to-size breakthrough. That is, after all, the same amount of storage you’ll find in a baseline MacBook Air (or, for that matter, top-end iPhone). It’s enough space to fit up to 16 hours of full HD video




Even games could help my Math students. God knows some of them really need help.
6 Cool Math Games for Android




Could be useful...
KhanAcademy
For the first time ever, the creators of the SAT have given Khan Academy exclusive access and advice to build a personalized practice program for anyone, anywhere.
These tools are free and available now for every student to take ownership of their learning and their future.




For my starving students.
Friday Is National Doughnut Day. Here's Where to Get Deals.
Dunkin' Donuts: If you buy a beverage at Dunkin' this Friday, feel free to also grab a free doughnut.
Krispy Kreme: Krispy Kreme is serving up free doughnuts – one per guest


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