Another bank joins the list of “non-learning organizations”

http://www.pogowasright.org/article.php?story=20080824060507341

WY: Jackson bank says customer records lost (Wells Fargo update)

Sunday, August 24 2008 @ 06:05 AM EDT Contributed by: PrivacyNews

A bank in Jackson is alerting customers that a data tape containing account and client identity information has been lost.

The Jackson State Bank & Trust issued a statement saying a courier lost a data tape. The bank said the tape contains information about customers' names, Social Security numbers and accounts.

The tape included information on customers of Jackson State Bank, Shoshone First Bank, Sheridan State Bank, First State Bank of Pinedale and United Bank of Idaho.

... A news release from the bank states that the tape was lost while being transferred between processing sites. [Backup? If so, why not say that? Bob] Lawton said that for security reasons, he would not specify the date the tape was lost nor would he elaborate on the circumstances of the loss. [Must make them look really stupid. Bob]

Lawton didn't say how many customers were affected, but said the tape contained the data of all customers, including businesses and individuals. [Why hold this back? Individual customers know who they are and the information is likely in their 10K. Bob]

Source - Associated Press

[From the article:

United Bancorporation of Wyoming formerly owned all five affected banks. The corporation announced in January that it was being purchased by Wells Fargo & Company... [Apparently they don't have enough security probmems on their own, now they're out buying more! Bob]

Over-hyping (is that redundant?) to make the story sound important? The newspaper claims to have informed Best Western of the hack – perhaps they purchased the list of clients to help sell subscriptions?

http://www.pogowasright.org/article.php?story=20080823201541314

Revealed: 8 million victims in the world's biggest cyber heist

Saturday, August 23 2008 @ 08:15 PM EDT Contributed by: PrivacyNews

AN INTERNATIONAL criminal gang has pulled off one of the most audacious cyber-crimes ever and stolen the identities of an estimated eight million people in a hacking raid that could ultimately net more than £2.8billion in illegal funds.

A Sunday Herald investigation has discovered that late on Thursday night, a previously unknown Indian hacker successfully breached the IT defences of the Best Western Hotel group's online booking system and sold details of how to access it through an underground network operated by the Russian mafia.

... The attack scooped up the personal details of every single customer that has booked into one of Best Western's 1312 continental hotels since 2007. [Why was all this data online? Bob]

Amounting to a complete identity-theft kit, the stolen data includes a range of private information including home addresses, telephone numbers, credit card details and place of employment.

Source - Sunday Herald

[From the article:

Because the compromised information included future bookings, the gang now has the capacity to sift through the data and sell "burglary packs", giving the home addresses of local victims and the dates on which they are expected to be away from their home.

Probably useful for my Computer Security students as well. (Shouldn't everyone know how?)

http://www.bespacific.com/mt/archives/019123.html

August 22, 2008

How to Read a Legal Opinion: A Guide for New Law Students

Via BoleyBlogs: How to Read a Legal Opinion: A Guide for New Law Students, Orin S. Kerr, George Washington University - Law School, The GREEN BAG, An Entertaining Journal of Law, Vol 11, No. 1, p. 51, Autumn 2007: "This essay is designed to help new law students prepare for the first few weeks of class. It explains what judicial opinions are, how they are structured, and what law students should look for when reading them."

Sometimes you need to re-purpose these snippets... My wife wants a video camera in her hose's stall so she can check on him 24/7 (she could care less about me) In this case, it's the comments that potentially hold gold.

http://ask.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=08/08/23/1926249&from=rss

A Full-Time 2-Way Video Link To Grandparents?

Posted by timothy on Saturday August 23, @04:33PM from the picturephones-with-voip dept. Communications Input Devices The Internet Technology

uid7306m writes

"We have elderly parents who live a long way off. However, my technological radar tells me that it's possible to set up a 24/7 video link between our kitchen and theirs. It'd be good for our kids and good for the parents, and we can now get pretty cheap nearly unlimited broadband connections at this end (UK). What's the best way to do it? Has anyone tried it? On the far end, it ought to have, in Dilbert's(TM) immortal words 'One big button on it, and we push it for you in the factory.'"

Always interesting to look inside...

http://www.bespacific.com/mt/archives/019120.html

August 22, 2008

A Life in Intelligence - The Richard Helms Collection

CIA FOIA Electronic Reading Room: "This collection of material [A Life in Intelligence - The Richard Helms Collection] by and about Richard Helms as Director of Central Intelligence (DCI) and Ambassador to Iran comprises the largest single release of Helms-related information to date. The documents, historical works and essays offer an unprecedented, wide-ranging look at the man and his career as the United States' top intelligence official and one of its most important diplomats during a crucial decade of the Cold War. From mid-1966, when he became DCI, to late 1976, when he left Iran, Helms dealt directly with numerous events whose impact remains evident today and which are covered in the release."

Channeling Nicola Tesla? (I wonder if this uses his patents?)

http://news.yahoo.com/story/afp/20080821/ts_afp/usitinternetenergychipcompanyintel

Intel cuts electric cords with wireless power system

Thu Aug 21, 5:31 pm ET

SAN FRANCISCO (AFP) – Intel on Thursday showed off a wireless electric power system that analysts say could revolutionize modern life by freeing devices from transformers and wall outlets.

... "It turns out the human body is not affected by magnetic fields; it is affected by elective fields [Beware Democrats in convention? Bob].

...Examples of potential applications include airports, offices or other buildings that could be rigged to supply power to laptops, mobile telephones or other devices toted into them. [Sure, that'll happen. More likely we'll see an RIAA-like organization suing anyone with an electronic device. Bob]