If your Computer
Security manager hasn't contacted you, you need to send him this
article. Question: Is it ethical to pay the ransom?
CryptoLocker
Is The Nastiest Malware Ever & Here’s What You Can Do
Ransomware
is an especially odious type of malware. The way it works is simple.
Your computer will be infected with some malicious software. That
software then renders your computer entirely unusable, sometimes
purporting to be from local law enforcement and accusing you of
committing a computer crime or viewing explicit pictures of children.
It then demands monetary payment, either in the form of a ransom or
a ‘fine’ before access to your computer is returned.
Horrible, isn’t it?
Well, get ready to meet CryptoLocker;
the evil patriarch of the Ransomware family.
CryptoLocker
is a piece of malware targeting computers running the Microsoft
Windows operating system. It is typically spread as an email
attachment, often purporting to be from a legitimate source
(including Intuit and Companies House).
Will this prove to be
the final solution?
EPIC
– Leahy and Sensenbrenner Introduce USA FREEDOM Act
by Sabrina
I. Pacifici on October 29, 2013
“The Democratic Chair
of the Senate Judiciary Committee and the Republican author of the
Patriot Act have introduced the USA
FREEDOM Act, which would reform the Foreign Intelligence
Surveillance Act and limit NSA surveillance activities. A
bi-partisan coalition, including 17 Senators and 70 Members of
Congress, have joined as original co-sponsors. Key provisions of the
FREEDOM Act increase transparency of intelligence activities, prevent
end-runs around the FISA Court, and improve public reporting. In
2012 EPIC testified
before the House Judiciary Committee about the need to reform FISA
and to improve oversight of the FISA court. The FREEDOM Act also
ends the controversial bulk
phone records collection program. EPIC has brought a challenge
in the Supreme Court to the phone records program, explaining that it
is unlawful under current law. For more nformation, see EPIC:
In re EPIC and EPIC
– Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act.”
So I'll need to
Photoshop a few (dozen) drivers licenses. No problem.
JG Vibes reports:
This
week a large number of Facebook users have been locked out of their
accounts and are being forced to submit a government ID before they
are allowed to log back in. This is part of a process that Facebook
began over a year ago, which seeks to remove any trace of anonymity
from Facebook, so every single profile is attached to someones
personal identity.
Similar
mass lockouts have occurred on Facebook in the past, most recently in
January this year.
“This
is just a general practice for both Facebook and Instagram to request
photo IDs for verification purposes depending on what type of
violation may have occurred,” Facebook said at the time.
Read more on
Intellihub.
[From
the article:
According to Facebook
help section:
We
require everyone using Facebook to use their real name and birthday.
This way, you always know who you’re connecting with. When
we discover accounts that look fake or like they’re using fake
information, we ask the owner to confirm that
they are who they say they are.
In
most cases, the easiest way to confirm your identity is to follow the
on-screen steps to enter your mobile phone number and request a code.
If
can’t verify your account using your mobile number, you’ll need
to provide a copy of your photo ID. This could be a scanned copy or
a close-up photo you’ve taken. We’ll
permanently delete this document after we resolve your issue.
Significant
opportunities for my Data Analysis students? (Since we analyze Open
Data) Note: This is also “Big Data”
Open
data: Unlocking innovation and performance with liquid information
by Sabrina
I. Pacifici on October 29, 2013
Open
data—machine-readable information, particularly government data,
that’s made available to others — “has generated a great
deal of excitement around the world for its potential to empower
citizens, change how government works, and improve the delivery of
public services. It may also generate significant economic value,
according to a new McKinsey report. Our research suggests that seven
sectors alone could generate more than $3 trillion a year in
additional value as a result of open data, which is already giving
rise to hundreds of entrepreneurial businesses and helping
established companies to segment markets, define new products and
services, and improve the efficiency and effectiveness of operations.
Although the open-data phenomenon is in its early days, we see a
clear potential to unlock significant economic value by applying
advanced analytics to both open and proprietary knowledge. Open data
can become an instrument for breaking down information gaps across
industries, allowing companies to share benchmarks and spread best
practices that raise productivity. Blended with proprietary data
sets, it can propel innovation and help organizations replace
traditional and intuitive decision-making approaches with data-driven
ones. Open-data analytics can also help uncover consumer
preferences, allowing companies to improve new products and to
uncover anomalies and needless variations. That can lead to leaner,
more reliable processes.”
(Related) Or maybe
not? Actually, my students can write the programs that automate
their analysis.
Commentary
– America’s Incredible Shrinking Information Sector
by Sabrina
I. Pacifici on October 29, 2013
Vision
Statement: America’s Incredible Shrinking Information Sector -
Interactive by Alvin Chang; Analysis by Hank Robison
“The information
industry – which the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics defines as
processors, producers, and distributors of data, informational, and
cultural products—shed more jobs in the first decade of the
millennium than any other sector except manufacturing. Down more
than 750,000 jobs, the industry accounts for about 2% of the U.S.
market and 4.6% of America’s GDP. The losses seem surprising,
given that information businesses have long been assumed to be an
engine of the modern economy. The culprit, ironically enough, is
tech-driven innovation, which has produced dramatic gains in
efficiency and widespread automation.”
My Math students will
be thrilled! (Not really, but I can dream)
Wikispaces
Adds GeoGebraTube to Their Widget Library
Math teachers who use
Wikispaces may be happy to learn that Wikispaces
has just added GeoGebraTube to their education widget library.
GeoGebraTube
is a large gallery of models and animations created by GeoGebra
users. The gallery currently has more than 48,000 submissions.
To add a GeoGebraTube
element to your wiki just open the editor on any of your wiki's
pages, select "widget," then choose "education"
to find the GeoGebraTube widget. You can browse through the
GeoGebraTube gallery while still in Wikispaces. You can preview the
widget before it goes live on your wiki.
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