“Hackers” and “low hanging fruit”

http://www.databreaches.net/?p=20180

BART Police database hacked

Graham Cluley reports a second breach involving the Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART):

A database belonging to the BART Police Officers Association appears to have been hacked, and the names, postal and email addresses of officers posted online.

Just over 100 officers are listed in the document, in what is clearly a serious security breach.

Read more on Naked Security.

Gizmodo provides an update to the incident:

Update: As it turns out, a single French girl is claiming responsibility for today’s hack. And it was easy, this being her first hack ever. Going by the AIM handle “Lamaline_5mg,” she told SFWeekly that BART had zero security in place to stop her. All she had to do was write a script and break through a single gaping hole in their site.

“Henceforth our WiFi links will be named: 'This is not an FBI Surveillance Van, move along!'”

Accused Teen Bomber Finds FBI Surveillance Team's Wireless Network

"The suspect who is accused of planning to bomb his high school in Tampa updated his Facebook status with the following: 'The weirdest thing happened today...when my homie Nic Peezy was trying to connect to a wireless network the connections list came up and one of them was called: FBI_SURVEILLANCE_VAN,' The FBI might want to revisit their wireless network naming conventions."

Is there something I'm not aware of that makes this market less desirable? If the big players are ducking out, who owns the market?

http://www.greenbiz.com/news/2011/08/12/cisco-quietly-shuts-down-building-energy-management-program

Cisco Quietly Shuts Down Building Energy Management Program

Another one bites the dust. At the end of June, the names Google PowerMeter and Microsoft Hohm were chiseled on the grave marker of casualties in the race to build smart grid-linked software and gizmos. To this list of famous fallen, Cisco Systems adds its name, with an announcement yesterday that it will exit building management software services while also retreating from the home energy management market.

“Yo Ho! Yo Ho! A Googling we will go!” (Lots of useful links!)

http://www.bespacific.com/mt/archives/028058.html

August 17, 2011

Navy Publishes Slideshare on How to Use Google+

Federal Computer Week "Although Google+ has attracted more than 10 million users since its recent debut, many people in government are wondering what it is and how it ought to be used. Thanks to the Navy, now there is an overview of the new site. The Navy recently published a 13-page online guide titled What’s the deal with Google+? on the SlideShare website, providing a basic introduction to the new social networking site and how it could be used by individuals. The Navy’s presentation had been viewed by 606 people as of Aug. 16."

(Related) Social Media is “highly encouraged”

http://www.bespacific.com/mt/archives/028062.html

August 17, 2011

VA Issues Guidance on use of Web-based collaboration technologies

"The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) endorses the secure use of Web-based collaboration and social media tools to enhance communication, stakeholder outreach collaboration, and information exchange; streamline processes; and foster productivity improvements. Use of these tools supports VA and VA’s goal of achieving an interoperable, net-centric environment by improving employee effectiveness through seamless access to information. Web-based collaboration tools enable widely dispersed facilities and VA personnel to more effectively collaborate and share information—which can result in better productivity, higher efficiency, and foster innovation. This Directive establishes policy on the proper use of these tools, consistent with applicable laws, regulations, and policies."