OPM-Impersonating Spam Emails Distribute Locky Ransomware
… Recently,
Locky’s operators decided to impersonate the US Office of Personnel Management
in a new distribution campaign.
The messages distributed as part of this spam campaign
claim alleged “suspicious movements” in the victim’s bank account, supposedly
detected by OPM. The emails come with a
ZIP archive attached, with JavaScript code packed inside. The JavaScript is meant to download and run
the Locky ransomware, similar to many other distribution campaigns.
According to PhishMe, because
the emails in this campaign appear to have been sent by the OPM, they are
likely to trick government workers and employees of government contractors. Moreover, they are also highly likely to
appeal to individuals who have been impacted by last year’s high-profile OPM
breach.
Quis custodiet ipsos custodes? Epic does?
From EPIC.org:
EPIC has filed a FOIA
lawsuit against the Federal Bureau of Investigation for information
about the agency’s plans to transfer biometric data to the Department of
Defense. The FBI maintains one of the
world’s largest biometric databases, known as the “Next
Generation Identification” system, but the FBI has resisted maintaining
privacy safeguards. The Bureau
previously proposed to exempt the database from many of the
safeguards in the federal Privacy Act, which EPIC opposed. Then EPIC,
following a FOIA
lawsuit, obtained documents that revealed an error rate up to 20% for
facial recognition searches in the FBI database. Now EPIC has filed an open government lawsuit
to obtain a secret document that details the transfer of personal data in the
FBI system to the Department of Defense.
Privacy made public.
Federal Privacy Council Online Law Library
by Sabrina
I. Pacifici on Nov 14, 2016
“The Federal Privacy Council is the principal
interagency forum to improve the privacy practices of agencies and entities
acting on their behalf.
… “The Law Library is a compilation of information
about and links to select Federal laws related to the creation, collection,
use, processing, storage, maintenance, dissemination, disclosure, and disposal
of personally identifiable information (PII) by departments and agencies within
the Federal Government. The Law Library
does not include all laws that are relevant to privacy or the management of PII
in the Federal Government. The Law
Library only includes laws applicable to the Federal Government.
I wonder if this is more common in Washington and the
surrounding area?
Matt Apuzzo and Michael S. Schmidt reports:
For about $50, you can get a smartphone with a
high-definition display, fast data service and, according to security
contractors, a secret feature: a backdoor that sends all your text messages to
China every 72 hours.
Security contractors recently discovered preinstalled
software in some Android phones that monitors where users go, whom they talk to
and what they write in text messages. The
American authorities say it is not clear whether this represents secretive data
mining for advertising purposes or a Chinese government effort to collect
intelligence.
Read more on the New
York Times.
Never touch your touch screen without wearing Bob’s
genuine non-latex gloves! Only $29.95 a
pair! Guaranteed to fit any hand, even
OJ’s!
The Grime on Your Smartphone Can Reveal Your Secrets
… By taking just a
quick swab of the chemical residue on a
smartphone, scientists at the University of California, San Diego, could
construct a lifestyle sketch of the phone's owner, including his or her diet,
health status, locations visited and even preferred hygiene products.
The researchers said they see a range of possible uses for
such an analysis, from criminal profiling and forensics to health studies that
monitor a person's exposure
to toxins or adherence to a medicine regimen.
… He said the
technique can become more powerful as more molecules are added to the reference
database, which his group has developed and expanded via crowdsourcing. Dorrestein added that the researchers are
interested in the molecules of the most common foods, clothing materials,
carpets, wall paints and anything else people come into contact with.
Could this be easily spoofed? It’s only a color ‘flag.’ Perhaps a customer name would be better
insurance against hackers?
Lyft Sees Cash in Dashboard Flash
… About the size
of a remote control, Lyft’s new “Amp” device can display six different colors
to passengers awaiting a ride. Once a
rider has entered the vehicle, an inward-facing LED screen can display a preset
greeting, such as “Happy New Year.”
… The new device
is a blunt instrument in the war with Uber to attract more drivers and
passengers after Lyft’s chief rival rolled
out an overhauled app earlier this month.
It could also be a savvy, albeit expensive, way for Lyft to get a piece
of hardware into cars it doesn’t own, if, say, it one day wants to show
advertising or anything else it might dream up.
Dick Tracy technology is finally here!
http://www.wsj.com/articles/whatsapp-adds-video-calling-to-ios-android-and-windows-phones-1479188823
WhatsApp Adds Video Calling to iOS, Android and Windows
Phones
WhatsApp, the massively popular messaging app owned by Facebook Inc., is adding video calling to
its smartphone app across three operating systems: Apple Inc.’s iOS, Alphabet Inc.’s Android and Microsoft Corp.’s Windows smartphone OS.
… Like Apple’s
FaceTime and iMessage apps, WhatsApp offers a security feature called
end-to-end encryption that’s turned on by default for text, voice and now video
messaging. End-to-end encryption means
the transmission is encrypted even on WhatsApp’s own servers, so it would be
equally obscured from hackers and government agencies, and would be hard for
WhatsApp to divulge, even with a court order. [Nothing unique… Bob]
(Related) When you
feel someone gaining on you, release some new features!
You can now use Skype without an account
Microsoft is making Skype a little easier to use without
the need for a full account. While Skype
has allowed
group chats with guests, Microsoft is now
enabling all of Skype's audio and video calling features to be used without
an account. Skype users can create a
special conversation that link that can now be shared with anyone to enable
messaging, voice / video calling, and screen sharing, all free without an
account.
Skype without an account works on the web, and up to 300
people can participate in a Skype group chat, with up to 25 people on a voice
or video call.
(Related) Why encryption is increasingly common.
Silencing the Messenger: Communication Apps Under Pressure
·
Internet freedom around the world declined in
2016 for the sixth consecutive year.
·
Two-thirds of all internet users – 67 percent –
live in countries where criticism of the government, military, or ruling family
are subject to censorship.
·
Social media users face unprecedented penalties,
as authorities in 38 countries made arrests based on social media posts over
the past year. Globally, 27 percent of
all internet users live in countries where people have been arrested for
publishing, sharing, or merely “liking” content on Facebook.
·
Governments are increasingly going after
messaging apps like WhatsApp and Telegram, which can spread information quickly
and securely.
Mess with your paper money, drive people to e-money?
Paytm hits record 5 mn transactions a day
Buoyed by a sudden surge in demand for digital
transaction, India’s largest mobile payments platform Paytm said it has touched a figure of five million payment
transactions per day.
Following the ban on Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes, mobile
wallets, debit and credit cards, online money transfers have seen a rise of
200%, industry experts have observed.
Interesting. Can
Walmart control workers outside the store or in their homes?
Wal-Mart Tells Workers: Don’t Download Labor Group’s Chat App
Wal-Mart Stores Inc. is warning store workers not to
download a smartphone app designed by OUR Walmart, an organization that
advocates for higher pay and other benefits, as the battle between employers
and labor groups increasingly shifts to social media.
The app, released on Android phones Monday, allows
Wal-Mart store employees to chat among themselves and receive advice on
workplace policies or legal rights, said leaders from OUR Walmart on a
conference call.
Wal-Mart has instructed store managers to tell their
employees that the app wasn’t made by the company and described it as a scheme to gather workers’ personal information, [Well,
is it? Bob] according to a
document viewed by The Wall Street Journal.
… OUR Walmart
developed the WorkIt app with Quadrant 2, a New York City-based software
development company that has designed products for companies and activist
organizations including the American Civil Liberties Union.
The app uses International
Business Machines Corp.’s Watson
artificial-intelligence technology to build a set of answers to employee
questions over time, said Jason Van Anden, founder of Quadrant 2. If Watson is stumped “there is a peer network
of experts that will interact with the users,” said Mr. Van Anden.
I wonder what took them so long? You would think they would want to be seen as
defenders of their sellers and buyers…
Amazon files its first-ever lawsuits against alleged sellers
of counterfeit goods
… The suits, filed
in King County Superior Court in Seattle, are believed to be the first
time Amazon has sued third-party sellers over the alleged sale of counterfeit
goods on its site.
In the past, Amazon itself has
been sued by sellers who alleged that the company was partially
responsible for enabling the sale of counterfeit goods infringing on their
intellectual property.
Here are the lawsuits as filed by the company.
Amazon Counterfeit Lawsuits
by Todd Bishop on Scribd
Like many of the second tier credit cards.
Samsung Pay Rewards Program Brings Unprecedented Incentives
For A Digital Wallet: Here's How It Works
… The new Samsung Pay rewards program, aptly named Samsung
Rewards, offers various perks whenever users pay for stuff using the service
online or at retail stores in the United States.
… The rewards
program is pretty straightforward and easy to grasp, functioning in a way
similar to regular banking cards that give users points whenever they make a
purchase. Buying more stuff with Samsung Pay earns more points, which can then be used
toward bonuses such as other Samsung products, gift cards for select stores and
a Visa prepaid card.
“Yeah we hate him, but now that he’s been elected…”
Here's what 40 internet companies want Trump to do
In July, 145 tech leaders called Donald Trump "a
disaster for innovation." But
now that he's been elected president, some of those companies are trying to appeal
to his good graces.
The Internet Association -- a group of 40 top internet
companies including Airbnb, Amazon, Facebook, Google, LinkedIn, Netflix,
Twitter, Uber and Yahoo -- issued an open letter
on Monday that congratulates Donald Trump on his victory and offers a long
list of policy positions they hope he'll consider during his time as president.
Perspective. I too
believe the perfect hamburger is more important than trivial matters like
curing cancer or world peace.
A Perfect Burger: The Holy Grail of Food Delivery
… With flourishes
like truffle butter, veal jus, slabs of bacon and soft pretzel buns,
fast-casual and higher-end restaurants have elevated the once humble
burger to cult status. But fancier
ingredients also up the risks of a burger gone wrong, creating challenges for
delivery services.
As food delivery services explode, so have burger
cravings. On GrubHub, one of the largest digital food
delivery companies in the U.S., the average price per burger is $9.52 in New
York, $9.44 in Los Angeles and $8.40 in Dallas, according to Stan Chia, the
company’s senior vice president of operations.
… In the U.S.,
GrubHub says it sees hundreds of thousands of orders a month, while burgers
were the second-most popular item in 2015, behind french fries, purchased on
DoorDash, a delivery company that operates in several U.S. states.
And in London, burgers are the most-searched item on
UberEATS, says Toussaint Wattinne, general manager of the delivery
service app from transportation company Uber. Deliveroo says burgers are among the top three
cuisines in 90% of over 110 cities where it operates in Europe, Asia and
Australia.
Does this mean they will ban The Onion? http://www.theonion.com/
Facebook Joins Google With Updated Policy Restricting Ads on
Fake News Sites
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