http://www.databreaches.net/?p=12933
New ID theft targets kids’ SS numbers
August 2, 2010 by admin
Bill Draper of the Associated Press reports:
…. Hundreds of online businesses are using computers to find dormant Social Security numbers — usually those assigned to children who don’t use them — then selling those numbers under another name to help people establish phony credit and run up huge debts they will never pay off.
Authorities say the scheme could pose a new threat to the nation’s credit system. Because the numbers exist in a legal gray area, federal investigators have not figured out a way to prosecute the people involved.
Read more on WRAL.
[From the article:
The scheme works like this:
Online companies use computers and publicly available information to find random Social Security numbers. The numbers are run through public databases to determine whether anyone is using them to obtain credit. If not, they are offered for sale for a few hundred to several thousand dollars.
Because the numbers often come from young children who have no money of their own, they carry no spending history and offer a chance to open a new, unblemished line of credit. People who buy the numbers can then quickly build their credit rating in a process called “piggybacking,” which involves linking to someone else’s credit file.
Many of the business selling the numbers promise to raise customers’ credit scores to 700 or 800 within six months.
If they default on their payments, and the credit is withdrawn, the same people can simply buy another number and start the process again, causing a steep spiral of debt that could conceivably go on for years before creditors discover the fraud.
… “Lenders don’t understand that when they pay money to go through a service, they may be receiving false information,” Jensen said. “They think when they order the information from credit bureaus, it must be true.”
Not much detail. Perhaps this doesn't seem to rise to the level of taking pictures in your daughters bedroom (nothing recent on the Lower Merion case, perhaps they are waiting for summer vacation to end) it does suggest that schools take even the potential for violence more seriously than they did once upon a time.
http://www.pogowasright.org/?p=12556
Father demands $7.5 Million because school officials read daughter’s text message
August 3, 2010 by Dissent
Duarte Geraldino reports on a case in Irving, Texas where a family is suing the school district for searching their teenage daughter’s cell phone for text messages.
The incident occurred when school officials:
got wind of a potentially threatening situation at the school involving a gun and keyed cars. They believed Madelyn was somehow involved and had evidence on her phone.
The student seems to have consented to the search but claims intimidation:
“I knew they could not do it but I was kind of scared to ask for it back because you know I was like ‘there were three principals and a police officer,” she said.
What’s raising some eyebrows on this one is the father’s motivation in filing a suit, as it does not come across as just some solely noble attempt to protect constitutional rights.
The Beaird family wants everyone involved in the search to be disciplined and fired, including the school administrator and resource officer. They are also demanding $7.5 M in damages.
Where did that figure come from?
“I remember back when hot coffee was spilled in the McDonald’s law suit. They were awarded $4.5 M. I said you know, I guess a constitutional right is worth at least $4 M today,” said Madelyn’s father. He went on to explain “It is worth at least a cup of coffee.”
Read more on 33 News.
If you have children, this might be a good case to discuss at your family’s dinner table tonight as it gives you an opportunity to teach your children their rights in school. The ACLU used to publish a booklet for students about their rights, but I don’t see any such current publication on their web site. That’s a shame, as it would be nice to have something to give kids and teens that explains their First Amendment and Fourth Amendment rights in schools. If anyone knows of a good resource like that, perhaps you could drop me a note or post a comment.
[From the article:
Though it denied the Beairds' claim, Irving ISD agreed to reimburse the teen for the cost of her phone. It has not been returned. [Does this suggest there was evidence on the phone? If not, why keep it? Bob]
Toward ubiquitous surveillance. Imagine the volume if you got a percentage of the fine!
http://www.pogowasright.org/?p=12552
All the Traffic Cop’s Spies
August 3, 2010 by Dissent
Danielle Citron writes:
According to The New York Times, New Delhi’s traffic police have waded into Government 2.0 territory, adopting Facebook to garner public participation. Its Facebook page began much like domestic Government 2.0 sites in asking the public for its views and suggestions. But people didn’t just comment on policy. Instead, they provided real-time information on drivers who violated traffic laws. In just two months’ time, the site attracted over 17,000 dutiful fans who have posted nearly 3,000 photographs and dozens of videos of traffic infractions. Fans posted pictures of people on motorcycles without helmets, drivers talking on cellphones or taking illegal turns, and improperly parked vehicles. With the license plate numbers captured on pictures and videos, police have been able to issue 665 tickets. New Delhi’s Joint Commissioner of Traffic, Satyendra Garg, explained that the city’s Facebook profile never asked people to report traffic infractions.
Read more on Concurring Opinions.
Tools & Techniques. For my Ethical Hackers (and stalkers)
Using XSS & Google To Find Physical Location
Posted by kdawson on Tuesday August 03, @02:24AM
wiredmikey sends along a brief (and quite poorly written) report from Security Week on Samy Kamkar's talk at Black Hat last week. In the video, which is amusing, he demonstrates how to obtain location information (within 30 feet, in the example he shows) of a user who does no more than visit a malicious website. The technique involves sniffing out the local router, breaking into it to obtain its MAC accress, and sending that to Google to extract the router's location from Google's Street View database.
(Related) Another experiment to replicate in the computer lab.
http://www.pogowasright.org/?p=12564
RFID chips snooped from 66 metres
August 3, 2010 by Dissent
Bill Ray reports:
RFID tags can be read at a surprising range, a researcher has found.
When he’s not listening in to GSM phone calls, Chris Paget has been busy seeing at what distance an RFID tag can be read, managing a respectable 217 feet.
Paget also reckons the US military could read an EPC Gen2 tag from 80 miles off, though the connection would likely time out before any data was retrieved. Which is a shame as his calculations put the theoretical maximum read range at 317 miles, if you’ve got a big enough dish. [Can you say “AWACS?” Bob]
Read more in The Register.
It's one thing to add a game console as a team building exercise, it's quite another to think attaching it to the corporate network makes sense.
Attacking Game Consoles On Corporate Networks
Posted by Soulskill on Tuesday August 03, @06:48AM
A pair of security researchers speaking at DefCon demonstrated how video game consoles, which are becoming increasingly common break room or team-building toys, can open vulnerabilities in corporate networks.
"[They] found that many companies install Nintendo Wii devices in their work places, even though they don’t let you walk into the company with smartphones or laptops. (Factories and other sensitive work locations don’t allow any devices with cameras). By poisoning the Wii, they could spread a virus over the corporate network. People have a false sense of security about the safety of these game devices, but they can log into computer networks like most other computer devices now. In the demos, the researchers showed they could take compromised code and inject it into the main game file that runs on either a DS or a game console. They could take over the network and pretty much spread malware across it and thereby compromise an entire corporation. The researchers said they can do this with just about any embedded device, from iPhones to internet TVs."
“to dream the impossible dream...”
http://www.pogowasright.org/?p=12550
Lawyers Seek Order Forcing U.S. to Destroy NSA Wiretapping Data
August 2, 2010 by Dissent
Maria Dinzeo reports:
The Center for Constitutional Rights has asked a federal judge to order the government to destroy or quarantine all surveillance records from the National Security Agency’s warrantless wiretapping program. “It requires little imagination to see the continued risk of harm posed by the profoundly intrusive surveillance the NSA carried out with abandon for at least five years,” the center claims.
The nonprofit legal advocacy group says its lawyers “have every right to believe that attorney-client communications have been intercepted by the program,” and its staffers have had to forego or delay communicating with certain clients to evade government eavesdropping.
Read more on Courthouse News.
Related: Plaintiffs’ Memorandum in Support of Motion for Summary Judgment and in Opposition to Defendants’ Motion to Dismiss (pdf)
Scam? Possibly not -MakeUseOf is a reputable site.
http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/instantly-find-credit-score-free-charge-credit-karma/
Instantly Find Out Your Credit Score Free Of Charge With Credit Karma
At first I was a bit skeptical about another site offering free credit scores and reports. Credit Karma was recommended to me via Reddit a few months ago, and several users had indicated that it was a good website with helpful information and that they took your privacy seriously. Armed with the Gmail + tip in hand (to detect if they sold my email address to outside companies), I signed up for the service.
After you sign up with Credit Karma the first thing that they request is your Social Security number (SSN). I almost never give this out online, but because of their reputation and the fact that they only use it once and do not store it, I felt more comfortable handing it over. They promise to use your SSN once and then they say they do not use it or store it in their databases at all.
… One of the features I like the best about Credit Karma is that it keeps track of your credit score over time. [How do they track your credit without your SSAN? Bob] It also analyzes the core components of your score and makes suggestions on how to improve your score.
… If you want your full free credit score, you may obtain them once a year from AnnualCreditReport.
This might actually find a market!
http://www.killerstartups.com/Mobile/getizup-com-make-your-phone-keep-quiet-as-you-drive
GetiZUP.com - Make Your Phone Keep Quiet As You Drive
http://www.getizup.com/what_is_izup/overview
We all know that we should keep our hands on the wheel when we are driving, but the demands of modern life often mean that our phone will ring right there and then, and that we will be forced to take the call. There is nothing that we can do about that… or is it? iZUP is a new mobile solution that does something quite ingenious: it holds your calls and messages while you are driving, so that you won’t become distracted. This is achieved by using the phone’s GPS in order to determine if the vehicle is moving or not. If iZUP thinks that the car is indeed moving, then it will proceed to limit its capabilities. It is as simple as that. Your messages and calls will be held until it is safe to read them
can tell one from the other.
[From the site:
always allows unlimited access to 911 and a list of authorized phone numbers.
Ownership of digital products does not an intellectual giant make. Rather than think of a way to make money from this, they simply say “don't do that”
NAMCO Takes Down Student Pac-man Project
Posted by Soulskill on Monday August 02, @06:30PM
"The core of how people first learn to do stuff — programming, music, writing, etc. — is to imitate others. It's one of the best ways to learn. Apparently a bunch of students using MIT's educational Scratch programming language understand this. But not everyone else does. NAMCO Bandai sent a takedown notice to MIT because some kids had recreated Pac-man with Scratch. The NAMCO letter is pretty condescending as well, noting that it understands the educational purpose of Scratch, but 'part of their education should include concern for the intellectual property of others.'"
I'll go a step farther. What they teach in high school Calculus is identical to what we teach in College. Okay, we toss in a bunch more and it comes at you faster, but why not build one great big “Everything you ever wanted to know about Math but were afraid to ask” database, and call it a day?
Sun Founders' Push For Open Source Education
Posted by kdawson on Monday August 02, @06:54PM
"Unfortunately for textbook publishers, Scott McNealy has some extra time on his hands since Oracle acquired Sun and put him out of a job. The Sun co-founder has turned his attention to the problem of math textbooks, the price of which keeps rising while the core information inside of them stays the same. 'Ten plus 10 has been 20 for a long time,' McNealy quips. 'We are spending $8 billion to $15 billion per year on textbooks' in the US, he adds. 'It seems to me we could put that all online for free.' McNealy's Curriki is an online hub for free textbooks and other course material. Others hoping to bring elements of the Open Source model to the school textbook world include Vinod Khosla (who co-founded Sun with McNealy), whose wife Neeru heads up the CK-12 Foundation, which has already developed nine of the core textbooks for high school."
Explaining correlation to my Statistics students – and why that is not the same as cause and effect...
Tracking the Harm Games Do
Posted by Soulskill on Tuesday August 03, @03:35AM
Every so often, video games are accused of causing all sorts of negative behavior in children, teens, and adults. These accusations are typically predicated on statistics that sound much more damning than they actually are. In that vein, gaming website Rock, Paper, Shotgun did their own tongue-in-cheek statistical analysis, complete with pretty charts and graphs. [Which I will happily copy Bob] Quoting:
"As part of my research I thought to compare the sales of each GTA game with what the divorce rate must have been when each came out. As you can see each new GTA game has been directly correlated with an increase in divorces. ... An often ignored statistic (and you have to ask why it’s being ignored by the games media, don’t you?) is the sheer volume of PC games being released. We’ve all noticed the British population is abandoning the church, turning instead toward shopping, DVDs and knife crime. But few have thought to check for a connection between PC sales and the numbers of people attending their local Church Of England church on a Sunday. When you look at the data there’s little doubt left that as the publishers continue to release more and more PC games each year, our nation’s faith is being increasingly eroded. And at what cost? If only a graph could tell us that."
Dilbert explains bureaucracies in three panels... and the last two are irrelevant.
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