Monday, April 18, 2016

Something to amuse my Computer Security students?
We live in confusing times when those whom society brands as “criminals” are more ethical than their victims.
Lorenzo Franceschi-Bicchierai writes:
Back in July of last year, the controversial government spying and hacking tool seller Hacking Team was hacked itself by an outside attacker.  The breach made headlines worldwide, but no one knew much about the perpetrator or how he did it.
That mystery has finally been revealed.
After eight months of almost complete silence, the pseudonymous digital vigilante behind the hack has resurfaced, publishing a detailed explanation of how he broke into the company’s systems and laid bare its most closely guarded secrets.
Read more on Motherboard.


The investigation continues.
20 Foreigners Linked to $81 Million Bangladesh Bank Heist: Police
   Lead police investigator in the case, Shah Alam, said "at least 20 people from multiple foreign countries" have been found to have been involved with the robbery.
   Bangladesh's ambassador in Manila, John Gomes, said the hackers were from nations other than the Philippines.
   Investigators had earlier said local hackers were likely involved as "the names of local development projects were used in the payment advices sent to the Federal Reserve Bank".
Earlier this month, detectives found suspicious malwares in the central bank's computer system which had been sending information to Egypt, although it is unclear whether this played a role in the heist.
The spectacular cyber-theft has embarrassed the government, triggered outrage in the impoverished country and raised alarm over the security of Bangladesh's foreign exchange reserves of more than $27 billion.
   They attempted to steal a further $850 million by bombarding the New York bank with dozens of transfer requests, but the bank's security systems and typing errors in some requests prevented the full theft.
The central bank governor, his two deputies and the country's top banking bureaucrat have lost their jobs over the incident and the government has been scrambling to contain the damage from the spiralling scandal.


Long and interesting.
America's biggest police department is using Facebook to take down its most dangerous gangs
   While individual assaults or shootings may not be enough to prove a conspiracy, Facebook messages are often used to offer compelling evidence that a criminal network exists.
   In recent years, conspiracy indictments have grown to rely more heavily on Facebook messages than anything else.  Lane estimated that 60% of the overt acts alleged by the Manhattan DA in two 2014 indictments consisted of quotes taken from Facebook.
   Although similar indictments in states such as Michigan and California have used social-media evidence to build a case for conspiracy charges, it's difficult to determine how common the practice is throughout the US.  It is clear, however, that prosecutors in New York have increasingly relied on it.
"It still feels like the Wild West," Lane said.  "I feel like we're going to start seeing a lot more social-media evidence, just because so much of life is entered there."


Because researching law is useful.
New on LLRX – Legal Research at Your Fingertips: Lexis Views, Bestlaw, and Google for Lawyers?
by Sabrina I. Pacifici on
Via LLRX.comLegal Research at Your Fingertips: Lexis Views, Bestlaw, and Google for Lawyers?Ashley Ahlbrand is the Educational Technology at Librarian Indiana University’s Maurer School of Law.  Her expert teaching and training skills offer readers insights into the role of Google as well as integrative browser add-ons like Lexis Views in preparing students to effectively and comprehensively complete research assignments.


There’s an App for that! 
LinkedIn’s newest app helps college grads find jobs
For all the talk about its benefit to the “economic graph,” one of the main things LinkedIn is recognized for is being an online resume — it’s a social network that most professionals understand how to take advantage of.  But what about those who aren’t working yet, specifically college students who are about to graduate but have no idea what they want to do afterwards?
It’s a question that some of us face as we’re starting out: What job can I get with my major?  LinkedIn saw this problem and has developed LinkedIn Students, an app that gives you a starting point for exploring the first stage of your professional career.  Available starting Monday to users in the U.S., the app highlights companies and job titles that might be suitable, based on what school you attend and the area you’re majoring in.  Students can also get started building their network, as LinkedIn Students lists any alumni that work at each recommended company.


In case my students feel geeky…
How to Create a Telegram Bot in Ruby
   This tutorial by Ardian Haxha on the SitePoint blog shows followers how to quickly create a Telegram bot in Ruby.  The tutorial begins with signing up for an account and creating a new bot, then using the telegram-bot-ruby gem to interact with the bot API.


For my (you had better be) researching students.
How to Convert PDF to Word for Free


Dilbert perfectly(?) sums up the Privacy vs. National Security debate.

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