Thursday, April 25, 2013

For my Ethical Hackers. I told you word would leak out. Remember, we're only “gathering data for academic purposes.”
"Using a Samsung Galaxy SIII — one of the most popular smartphones available in Canada — and a free app downloaded from the Google Play store, CBC was able to read information such as a card number, expiry date and cardholder name simply holding the smartphone over a debit or credit card. And it could be done through wallets, pockets and purses. ... Although the NFC antennas in current smartphones need to be very close to a card in order to work — no farther than 10 cm — that could change with the next generation of Android smartphones. Legary said the Samsung Galaxy S4, set to go on sale this spring, might have a much more capable NFC antenna, which could not only read credit cards from a greater distance, but could also be able to read the chips embedded in enhanced driving licenses and passports." [If I can read it, I can clone it. Bob]


Should I say,“I've never seen that encrypted file before in my life” or “That's a file my lawyer asked me to keep for him.”
Here’s a Good Reason to Encrypt Your Data
… The issue is front and center as a federal magistrate is refusing to order a Wisconsin computer scientist to decrypt his data that the authorities seized from kiddie-porn suspect Jeffrey Feldman. The reason is simple: The Fifth Amendment right against compelled self-incrimination protects even those suspected of unsavory crimes, according to U.S. Magistrate William Callahan Jr. of Wisconsin, who wrote:
This is a close call, but I conclude that Feldman’s act of production, which would necessarily require his using a password of some type to decrypt the storage device, would be tantamount to telling the government something it does not already know with ‘reasonably particularity’—namely, that Feldman has personal access to and control over the encrypted storage devices. Accordingly, in my opinion, Fifth Amendment protection is available to Feldman. Stated another way, ordering Feldman to decrypt the storage devices would be in violation of his Fifth Amendment right against compelled self-incrimination. (.pdf)
… Federal prosecutors did not immediately respond for comment, but said in court papers they have spent months trying to decrypt the data.
“The FBI is performing admirable in the digital arms race between those seeking to hide evidence of their wrongdoing through encryption and law enforcement officers seeking to uncover that evidence; but the expense in time and resources in investigating cases like this one is beginning to inhibit the provision of justice,” [“It would be lots cheaper if you allowed us to beat it out of him.” Bob] the government said (.pdf) in seeking the magistrate to compel the suspect to unlock the data.


Must be a new agent. All the movies and TV shows tell us the when cops need a warrant someone will say either “Judge X owes me a favor” or “Try Judge Y, he's a pushover.”
Cyrus Farivar reports:
A federal magistrate judge has denied (PDF) a request from the FBI to install sophisticated surveillance software to track someone suspected of attempting to conduct a “sizeable wire transfer from [John Doe’s] local bank [in Texas] to a foreign bank account.”
Back in March 2013, the FBI asked the judge to grant a month-long “Rule 41 search and seizure warrant” of a suspect’s computer “at premises unknown” as a way to find out more about this possible violations of “federal bank fraud, identity theft and computer security laws.”
In an unusually-public order published this week, Judge Stephen Smith slapped down the FBI on the grounds that the warrant request was overbroad and too invasive.
Read more on Ars Technica.
Judge Smith recently commented on his case load for federal requests vs. his colleagues. One might think that federal prosecutors and law enforcement are avoiding him as he tends to set higher standards for approving warrants or requests. This latest opinion may be another case in point.

(On the other hand)
Declan McCullagh reports:
Senior Obama administration officials have secretly authorized the interception of communications carried on portions of networks operated by AT&T and other Internet service providers, a practice that might otherwise be illegal under federal wiretapping laws.
The secret legal authorization from the Justice Department originally applied to a cybersecurity pilot project in which the military monitored defense contractors’ Internet links. Since then, however, the program has been expanded by President Obama to cover all critical infrastructure sectors including energy, healthcare, and finance starting June 12.
Read more on CNET.


Do you think this might be “Coming soon to a TSA agent near you!”
"Israeli security officials at Ben Gurion airport are legally allowed to demand access to tourists' email accounts and deny them entry if they refuse, the country's top legal official said on Wednesday. Details of the policy were laid out by Attorney General Yehuda Weinstein in a written response to the Association for Civil Rights in Israel (ACRI), the group said in a statement. 'In a response dated April 24, 2013, the attorney general's office confirmed this practice,' ACRI said, quoting sections of the document which said it was only done in exceptional cases where 'relevant suspicious signs' were evident and only done with the tourist's 'consent'. 'Allowing security agents to take such invasive measures at their own discretion and on the basis of such flimsy "consent" is not befitting of a democracy,' commented Lila Margalit from ACRI."


I think I need a Glossary for all these government programs.
April 24, 2013
DHS Releases Revises Privacy Impact Assessment on Internet Monitoring Program
EPIC: "The Department of Homeland Security has released a Privacy Impact Assessment for Einstein 3 - Accelerated. Einstein 3 is a government cybersecurity program that monitors Internet traffic. The monitoring includes scanning email destined for .gov networks for malicious attachments and URLs. According to DHS, the basis of the government’s authority to perform the monitoring is National Security Presidential Directive 54. EPIC is pursuing FOIA litigation to force the government to release the Directive to the public. For more information, see EPIC v. NSA - Cybersecurity Authority."

(Related)
April 24, 2013
EPIC FOIA Request Reveals Details About Government Cybersecurity Program
EPIC: "New documents obtained by EPIC in a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit reveal that the Department of Defense advised private industry on how to best circumvent federal wiretap law. The documents concern a collaboration between the Defense Department, the Department of Homeland Security, and private companies to allow government monitoring of private Internet networks. Though the program initially only applied to defense contractors, an Executive Order issued by the Obama administration earlier this year expanded it to include other "critical infrastructure" industries. The documents obtained by EPIC also cited NSPD 54 as one source of authority for the program. NSPD 54 is a presidential directive issued under President Bush that EPIC is pursuing in separate FOIA litigation. For more information, see EPIC: EPIC v. DHS (Defense Contractor Monitoring), and EPIC: EPIC v. NSA - Cybersecurity Authority."


Of course they will. (And probably many other “skies.”) That allows us to withdraw without actually withdrawing from a country declaired “ready to defend itself” that we have determined isn't actually ready to defend itself. Makes perfect sense!
After U.S. Troops Leave, Armed Drones Will Patrol Afghanistan’s Skies


Completely unrelated. “Ah man, They're trying to take away my God given right to use my .22 armed drone to wipe out the prarie dogs in my horse pasture!”
"A DC Area Drone User Group has posted an open letter in response to recent comments by Eric Schmidt about banning drones from private use. The closing section reads: 'Personally owned flying robots today have the power to change the balance of power between individuals and large bureaucracies in much the same way the Internet did in the past. And just as the military researchers who developed GPS for guiding munitions could never have imagined their technology would be used in the future to help people conduct health surveys in the world's poorest countries or help people find dates in the world's richest, there is a whole world of socially positive and banal applications for drones that are yet to be discovered. We should embrace this chance that technology provides instead of strangling these opportunities in their infancy. Our hope is that you and the rest of Google's leadership will embrace this pro-technology agenda in the future rather than seeking to stifle it. We would welcome the opportunity to speak further with you about this topic.'"


Prometheus Facebook Unbound, a four act play about the torments of Mark Zuckerberg
Associated Press reports that Facebook has won a round in court against a German data protection regulator who was trying to block Facebook from requiring real name registration:
Schleswig-Holstein state’s data protection office had argued that the ban on fake names breaches German privacy laws and European rules designed to protect free speech online.
But a state appeals court has confirmed a lower tribunal’s ruling that German privacy laws don’t apply to Facebook because the social networking site has its European headquarters in Ireland, where privacy rules are less stringent.
Read more on Washington Post.


It takes the government 281 pages to say what NPR's “The Car Guys” summarized in a single bumper sticker: “Honk if you love Jesus, Text if you want to meet him” Same old Question: How does the phone know you are the driver and not a passenger?
How Federal Distracted-Driving Guidelines Will Shape Your Next Phone
… The guidelines – and they’re just that, suggestions, not requirements – are laid out in a 281-page report by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (.PDF) and the Department of Transportation, which under the direction of outgoing transportation secretary Ray LaHood have made distracted driving a pet cause.
… The main thrust of the recommendations is limiting the amount of time the driver takes his eyes off the road or hands off the wheel, with a maximum of two seconds for each input and total of 12 seconds to complete a task. NHTSA wants automakers to disable certain functions of a car’s built-in infotainment systems whenever the vehicle is in motion.
Specifically, NHTSA wants automakers to nix the ability to enter text for messaging and internet browsing, disable any kind of video functionality (think Skype, FaceTime and watching the latest Lady Gaga video) and prevent text-based information from being displayed, including web pages, social media content, emails and text messages.


“Hey, it's your law. I'm just following it.” Now we can expect them to write a version of the law that 'gets medieval.'
"Aereo's court battles are far from over, to be sure, but the ruling earlier this month that the TV streaming service doesn't violate copyright laws must have the folks at music streaming service Pandora shaking their heads, wondering why they're still paying royalties that currently consume more than half their revenues. The implications of Aereo's business model are far-reaching and may ultimately 'be resolved by Congress, just as it did when cable first came on the scene, by passing legislation to redefine a public performance,' writes broadcast industry attorney David Oxenford."


For a Risk Assessment class.
April 24, 2013
TRAC - Domestic Terror Cases Outnumbering International Two-to-One in FY 2013
"During February 2013, there were 16 new federal criminal prosecutions for terrorism and national internal security offenses, according to the latest available data from the Justice Department. So far during fiscal year 2013 (which began October 2012), a total of 83 such cases have been filed. These criminal prosecutions have been brought in a surprisingly large number of federal districts from all regions of the country. And at this point, domestic terrorism cases outnumber international terrorism by a factor of two-to-one. For more details, including district rankings, see the report here."


For those time when you can't waterboard? I seems to remember a whole library full of ways to spot lies from body language, but changes in word choice is well documented also. I wonder if we could explan on this?
… Below are some of those ways to figure out whether or not someone is pulling the virtual wool over your eyes. Are the determining factors perfect? No. Neither are lie detector results. Nevertheless, they are a good start if you have a quick mind and generally know people fairly well.
Abnormal Changes In Syntax
Negation
Varying Response Times During IM
Status Updates Simply Don’t Line Up


For my Math students. Look at the difference between “Upper Level” workers and “Lower Level” workers and tell me how much Math you need to move up.
Here's How Little Math Americans Actually Use at Work
… As it turns out, less than a quarter of U.S. workers report using math any more complicated than basic fractions and percentages during the course of their jobs. The graphs below are based on survey data compiled by Northeastern University sociologist Michael Handel. Handel surveyed about 2,300 workers first from 2004 through 2006, then again between 2007 and 2009. The catchall category of "any more advanced" math includes algebra through calculus.

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