There is likely more to this than has yet been released. Who actually did the hacking, reporters or contacts in the police or one of the current hacktivist groups? Are UK phones less secure than US phones? Will my Ethical Hackers be able to automate the tap on Rupert Murdoch's phone?
http://www.pogowasright.org/?p=23638
UK: Phone hacking victims could number 4,000
July 7, 2011 by Dissent
The number of victims of the News of the World phone hacking scandal could exceed 4,000, detectives leading the investigation have warned.
Martin Evans reports:
Officers were last night continuing to trawl through 11,000 pages of material handed over by News International and have said they will contact everyone involved as “soon as possible”.
Yesterday the Daily Telegraph revealed that the families of Armed Forces servicemen and women killed in Iraq and Afghanistan were among those whose private messages may have been intercepted by reporters working for the Sunday tabloid.
Read more on The Telegraph.
Yesterday, Rupert Murdoch was quoted as saying:
“Recent allegations of phone hacking and making payments to police with respect to the News of the World are deplorable and unacceptable.
Well, wait… is he saying that the allegations are deplorable and unacceptable or that the phone hacking his employees allegedly engaged in was deplorable and unacceptable?
(Related)
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-14077405
Phone hacking probe: Ex-News of the World editor Coulson arrested
(Related) It's so easy, even a script kiddie can do it.
http://news.cnet.com/8301-27080_3-20077732-245/kevin-mitnick-shows-how-easy-it-is-to-hack-a-phone/
Kevin Mitnick shows how easy it is to hack a phone
… Phone hacking, also known as "phreaking," is easy to do, Mitnick said, adding that he could demonstrate it on my phone if I wanted proof. So I gave him permission to access my voice mail and told him my mobile phone number.
He called me right back on a conference call so I could hear what was going on. First he dialed a number to a system he uses for such demonstration purposes and entered a PIN. Then he was prompted to enter the area code and phone number that he wanted to call (mine) and the number he wanted to be identified as calling from (again mine). Next thing I know I'm listening to a voice message a friend of mine left me last night that I hadn't erased.
"See how easy it is?!" Mitnick says as my jaw drops.
He was able to get into my voice mail by tricking my mobile operator's equipment into registering the call as coming from the handset--basically pretending to be me. To do this, he wrote a script using open-source telecom software and used a voice-over-IP provider that allows him to set caller ID, but there also are online services that provide similar capability that non-hackers could subscribe to.
Being able to identify devices (not just IP addresses) would allow banks to know when someone NOT located at your small business tries to access your bank accounts.
Mark Cuban-Backed Device Identification Startup BlueCava Raises $1.5 Million
BlueCava, a startup that has developed technology that enables its customers to identify unique connected devices such as smartphones, TV set-top boxes, gaming consoles, computers and more, has raised $1.5 million in debt funding according to an SEC filing.
Got cookies?
Visualizing Behavior-Tracking Cookies With Firefox
"Using Firefox, and a new (open source) add-on called Collusion, you can see for yourself just how extensive the third-party behavior-tracking system is. Simply leave the Collusion website open, browse the web for a bit, and then return to see that your favorite websites are letting at least four or five behavior tracking companies follow you around the web."
Privacy is a game to these people! And that's a good thing.
http://www.pogowasright.org/?p=23641
Zynga Combines Privacy Education, Gaming And Rewards With PrivacyVille
July 7, 2011 by Dissent
Leena Rao reports:
Getting ahead of any privacy issues surround your product is an important part of product development for any company. Facebook, unfortunately, learned this the hard way. Social gaming giant Zynga is adding a layer of transparency today with the launch of a new privacy initiative called PrivacyVille.
In typical Zynga fashion, PrivacyVille isn’t your average dull privacy education course but is instead a game-like tutorial that rewards players with the company’s virtual currency zPoints in RewardVille for learning more about Zynga’s privacy practices.
Read more on TechCrunch.
[From the article:
In all, Zynga has 14 areas in the town for various privacy notifications.
After reading all the notifications, you are then given a short quiz of five questions and will be taken to Rewardville to redeem your points.
Interesting promise from the home of Big Brother. Perhaps it is intended as a “I'll show you mine if you show me yours” kind of deal? “If they have nothing to hide...”
http://www.bespacific.com/mt/archives/027709.html
July 07, 2011
UK Prime Minister sets ambitious open data agenda
"The Prime Minister has today committed to publishing key data on the National Health Service, schools, criminal courts and transport. This represents the most ambitious open data agenda of any government anywhere in the world. The new data [see data.go.uk] will reveal clinical achievements and prescribing data by individual GP practices, the performance of hospital teams in treating lung cancer and other key healthcare conditions, the effectiveness of schools at teaching pupils across a range of subjects, criminal sentencing by each court, and data on rail timetables, rail service performance, roadworks, current road conditions, car parks and cycle routes in an open format for use by all. The new commitments, set out in a letter from the Prime Minister to Cabinet colleagues, aim to provide the public with more information about the performance of services they use every day, and to help to drive modern, personalised and sustainable public services. The new data are also expected to drive economic growth as they promote the creation of new services and applications."
Sony, already famous for their ignorance of security matters, demonstrates how to make their games less valuable..This suggests to me that Sony will not aggressively update its technology. If they did, customers would willingly pay (again and again) for updated copies of their games.
Sony Introduces 'PSN Pass' To Fight Used Game Sales
Gamasutra reports that Sony has introduced "PSN Pass" — one-time codes that will unlock complete online access for certain games. "The company didn't offer details on how used and rental players would access online features in these titles, but did clarify that first-party use of the passes will be decided on a game-by-game basis." The initiative is similar to the "Online Pass" that EA rolled out last year, and to Sony's own experiment with SOCOM 4. Sony's explanation for the Pass will probably leave you wishing Google Translate supported marketing-speak: "This is an important initiative as it allows us to accelerate our commitment to enhancing premium online services across our first party game portfolio."
“We don't need no stinking “due process” – just take our word for it!”
ISPs to Disrupt Internet Access of Copyright Scofflaws
The nation’s major internet service providers, at the urging of Hollywood and the major record labels, have agreed to disrupt internet access for online copyright scofflaws.
The deal, almost three years in the making, was announced early Thursday, and includes participation by AT&T, Cablevision Systems, Comcast, Time Warner and Verizon. After four copyright offenses, the historic plan calls for these companies to initiate so-called “mitigation measures” (.pdf) that might include reducing internet speeds and redirecting a subscriber’s service to an “educational” landing page about infringement.
The internet companies may eliminate service altogether for repeat file sharing offenders, although the plan does not directly call for such drastic action.
Attention Ethical Hackers and Digital Design students... Pop Quiz: Is it a crime to install software on a demo computer?
http://news.cnet.com/8301-17852_3-20077697-71/secret-service-nabs-apple-store-spy-camera-artist/
Secret Service nabs Apple Store spy camera artist
Steve Jobs believes in art.
But there seem to have been some at Apple who are slightly less inclined toward it after discovering that an artist had installed software on around 100 Apple Store computers.
The software was set up simply to capture shots of people's faces every minute as they stared into the laptops of their dreams. As 25-year-old Brooklyn artist Kyle McDonald explained to Mashable, we all have very particular expressions when we are in the throes of Mac hypnosis.
… Who could have no sympathy with his quest? Well, the Secret Service, for one. Or, indeed, for four. For McDonald was woken this morning by the friendly but insistent faces of four members of the service and one search warrant.
While they didn't immediately remove him, they did take with them two computers, an iPod, and two flash drives. They also reportedly told him that he would be receiving communication from Apple.
… McDonald reportedly has many feelings about this whole escapade. He first believed that Apple, having traced the software back to him (oh, yes, the company monitors Apple Store computers), wasn't too concerned. He claims that an Apple technician had spotted the software, installed it himself, and taken a picture of himself, and sent the photo to McDonald.
Then he wondered whether he was breaking the law at all.
For my Geeky friends...
http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/boot-multiple-live-cds-usb-disk-yumi-windows/
Boot Multiple Live CDs From One USB Disk With YUMI [Windows]
Put multiple bootable tools onto one USB drive, then pick which one you want to boot when your computer starts up. Whether you want to try out various Linux environments at once or put together the ultimate Windows repair kit, YUMI (Your Universal Multiboot Installer) can help you build a bootable disk with a menu. It even supports Windows Vista and 7 installation disks.
Question: If you could study anything for free, what would you study?
Thursday, July 7, 2011
Why Not Take a Course from Yale This Summer? It's Free
Whether it's for professional development or personal enrichment, the summer is when many of us take a course or two. Fortunately, for those of us looking to take a course just for personal growth, Yale (and many other universities) publishes the entire contents of many of their courses online.
Even though you can't get university credits for working through the Open Yale Courses, it's a great way to brush-up on topics that you might be teaching in the fall or learn more about a topic that you have a natural interest in.
… Check out the list of 35 courses available through Open Yale Courses and see if there's something new that you want learn about before school starts again in the fall.
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