Centennial Man

Sunday, June 19, 2011

Inconsistent – Public Relations is the same in any language.

http://www.databreaches.net/?p=19033

More details emerging on SEGA Pass hack

June 19, 2011 by admin

AFP has more on breach first disclosed by SEGA on Friday:

Hackers have stolen the personal data of some 1.29 million customers of the Japanese game maker Sega, the company said on Sunday, in a theft via a website of its European unit.

The Sega Pass website, operated by London-based Sega Europe, did not contain credit card information, the Japanese firm said.

But names, dates of birth, email addresses and encrypted passwords were stolen by intruders to the site, Sega said in a Japanese-language statement, adding the theft had been confirmed on Friday.

CNN adds that the company’s statement said that

The service was “illegally accessed from outside and personal information of all 1,290,755 customers of the service… were brought outside of the system,” according to SEGA. The information included names, birth dates, e-mail addresses and “encoded passwords,” the statement said.

[From the CNN article:

SEGA published the statement explaining the data hacking in Japanese on the Japanese website only. [Because everyone else is “gaijin” (barbarian) Bob]

… SEGA advertises its privacy measures on a banner at the bottom of its website, which reads "ESRB Privacy Certified". The banner links to a privacy statement, which touts user information safeguards including "the storage of data on secure servers or computers inaccessible by modem."

How does one say, “Trojan Horse” in Chinese?

US Warns of Problems In Chinese SCADA Software

"Two vulnerabilities found in industrial control system software made in China but used worldwide could be remotely exploited by attackers, according to a warning issued on Thursday (PDF) by the US Industrial Control Systems Cyber Emergency Response Team. The vulnerabilities were found in two products from Sunway ForceControl Technology, a Beijing-based company that develops SCADA software for a wide variety of industries, including defense, petrochemical, energy, water and manufacturing. Sunway's products are mostly used in China but also in Europe, the Americas, Asia and Africa, according to the agency's advisory. SCADA software has come under increasing attention from security researchers, as the software has often not undergone rigorous security audits despite its use to manage critical infrastructure or manufacturing processes. SCADA systems are increasingly connected to the Internet, which has opened up the possibility of hackers remotely breaking into the systems. Last year, researchers discovered a highly sophisticated worm called Stuxnet that was later found to target Siemens' WinCC industrial control software."

Are we seeing evidence of “secret knowledge” or is this just “lazy police work?”

http://www.pogowasright.org/?p=23477

Prosecutors Demand Limitless Warrant in Vermont Computer Search

June 18, 2011 by Dissent

The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), along with the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and ACLU Vermont, urged the Vermont Supreme Court today to reject prosecutors’ demands to override a judge’s instructions and allow a limitless warrant for a computer search.

During the investigation into an alleged identity theft last year, a detective from the Burlington Police Department applied for a wide-ranging search warrant, which included any computers, compact discs, cell phones, or mobile devices in the home, despite noting it was possible that some of the equipment might be owned by people not suspected in a crime. A judge granted the warrant application after putting reasonable bounds on the search, as well as including basic privacy protections for information and data not connected to the identity theft under investigation.

Read more on InfoZine.

For the full amicus brief ( PDF )

No encryption is unbreakable (given time and money)

First Exploit On Quantum Cryptography Confirmed

"Physics World reports on researchers demonstrating a full eavesdropper on a quantum key distribution link. Unlike conventional exploits for security vulnerabilities that are often just a piece of software, spying on quantum cryptography required a box full of optics and mixed-signal electronics. Details are published in Nature Communications, and as a free preprint. The vulnerability was known before, but this is the first actual working exploit with secret-key recording confirmed. Patching this loophole is in progress. Disclosure: I am one of the researchers who worked on this."

An e-Currency in the e-conomy. Think of this as a guide for printing money!

Is The World Crazy For Bitcoin, Or Has The Bitcoin World Gone Crazy?

I last wrote about Bitcoin less than a month ago. (If you’re one of the people who admitted in comments “I still don’t get it,” here’s a terrific and detailed explainer from The Economist.) Since then the value of Bitcoins has quadrupled—and then halved. The founder of Sweden’s Pirate Party moved all his savings into Bitcoin (which disappoints me; I had hoped they were buried on Oak Island) just as US Senator Charles Schumer attacked it as “an online form of money laundering.” Malware designed to steal Bitcoin wallets has been seen in the wild, and in possibly related news, 25,000 Bitcoins were stolen a few days ago. Meanwhile, the virtual currency’s long-term stability has been seriously questioned … but does it really make any sense to think about any “long term” at all for Bitcoin, given the insane volatility of the last month?

This could be useful!

http://www.makeuseof.com/dir/bookbuzzes-new-book-releases/

Book-Buzzes: Receive Alerts For New Book Releases

If you are always eager to read a new book from that favorite author of yours, BookBuzzes is a tool you will love. When you sign up for a free account and specify your favorite authors, the tool will send you an email any time that author releases a new book.

www.book-buzzes.com