I can’t say I’m surprised, but it’s nice to get some
confirmation. Alastair Sharp and Allison
Martell of Reuters report that the Federal Trade Commission is investigating
Avid Life, parent company of Ashley Madison.
But what is the scope of their investigation. Executives admitted to Reuters that the use of
“fembots” is part of the investigation, which makes sense under the FTC’s
authority to address deceptive practices. But is FTC also investigating their data
security in light of their massive
breach? I would hope so. Avid Life executives told Reuters they still
don’t know how the breach occurred.
I expect that this investigation will result in a consent
order with a whopping monetary component to reimburse consumers who were duped
by fembots, but we’ll see in time.
Advertise with us and we’ll guarantee many people will see
your ad, even if we have to create virtual people.
HummingBad malware infects 85 million Android devices
An Android-based
malware campaign masterminded from China has snared as many as 85 million
Android devices and is making the gang behind it an estimated $1m every
quarter.Security software and services company Check Point claimed that it has had its eye on the Yingmob gang for five months, describing it as sophisticated, well-staffed and highly profitable.
Its tool of choice is a piece of malware called HummingBad, and the group works alongside an official advertising analytics company, according to Check Point's From HummingBad to Worse report (PDF).
"HummingBad is a malware Check Point discovered in February 2016 that establishes a persistent rootkit on Android devices, generates fraudulent ad revenue, and installs additional fraudulent apps," Check Point explained in a blog post.
A long report that says, “We don’t know what to do.”
House Homeland Security Report – Going Dark, Going Forward: A
Primer on the Encryption Debate
by Sabrina
I. Pacifici on Jul 4, 2016
June 29, 2016: “Terrorist attacks in Paris and San
Bernardino have sparked a public debate on the use of encryption in our society
because the attackers used encrypted communications to evade detection, a
phenomenon known as “going dark.” Today,
the Majority Staff of the House Homeland Security Committee released a new
report entitled, Going Dark, Going Forward: A Primer on
the Encryption Debate. This first
Congressional in-depth analysis of the issue summarizes the Committee’s findings, based on more than 100 meetings and
briefings Committee staff and Members have held with key
stakeholders over the past year. In
addition to providing insight into arguments on all sides of the encryption
debate, the report lays the groundwork for a National Commission on Security and Technology
Challenges proposed by Homeland Security Chairman Michel McCaul (R-TX) and
Senator Mark Warner (D-VA). The bipartisan
Commission has broad support from former and current Administration officials,
national security leaders, law enforcement, and the tech industry, and will
help to forge a general concurrence of opinions, informed by a common
understanding of the underlying facts. Ultimately
this effort will provide a better understanding of digital security issues for
Congress and the American public. The
report released today will help inform and advance debate that centers around
balancing personal cyber security and national security.”
Perspective.
Snapchat’s Teen Fans Wince as App Catches On With Their Folks
… Since its
founding five years ago, Snapchat has become a digital mecca for high school
and college-age students, allowing them to send photos and videos that disappear
in a matter of seconds. It has amassed
150 million daily active users, said a person familiar with the matter.
Snapchat also has been a refuge from parents. Until lately, that is.
Now, the “olds” are arriving in force, whether they are
parents spying on their kids, or professionals trying out another social-media
platform.
Numbers that I didn’t catch elsewhere.
Significant Digits For Tuesday, July 5, 2016
28 months
That’s how long the House select committee’s investigation
into the 2012 Benghazi attacks lasted, exceeding the amount of time
high-profile Congressional committees spent digging into Watergate, the
assassination of John F. Kennedy, the Sept. 11 attacks and Pearl Harbor. [AJC]
20,000 pounds of cheese
Crime of the century in Wisconsin: 20,000 pounds of cheese
from U.S. Foods, en route from Green Bay to New York, was stolen. [The
Associated Press]
The world changes again.
The Saudis had the most accessible oil early in the last century. Then Russia figured out how to extract oil
when wells could freeze. Now with shale
extraction, the US looks big. Still,
there is only 70 years of oil left at the current rate?
US oil reserves surpass those of Saudi Arabia and Russia
… Rystad Energy
estimates recoverable oil in the US from existing fields, discoveries and yet
undiscovered areas amounts to 264bn barrels. The figure surpasses Saudi Arabia's 212bn and
Russia's 256bn in reserves.
The analysis of 60,000 fields worldwide, conducted over a
three-year period by the Oslo-based group, shows total global oil reserves at
2.1tn barrels. This is 70 times the current production rate of
about 30bn barrels of crude oil a year, Rystad Energy said on Monday.
… More than half
of the US's remaining oil reserves are in unconventional shale oil, Rystad
Energy data show. Texas alone holds more
than 60bn barrels of shale oil.
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