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Security

Schneier's Keynote At Linux.conf.au 138

Posted by kdawson from the necessary-security-theater dept.
Stony Stevenson writes "Computer security expert Bruce Schneier took a swipe at a number of sacred cows of security including RFID tags, national ID cards, and public CCTV security cameras in his keynote address to Linux.conf.au (currently being held in Melbourne, Australia). These technologies were all examples of security products tailored to provide the perception of security rather than tackling actual security risks, Schneier said. The discussion of public security — which has always been clouded by emotional decision making — has been railroaded by groups with vested interests such as security vendors and political groups, he claimed. 'For most of my career I would insult "security theater" and "snake oil" for being dumb. In fact, they're not dumb. As security designers we need to address both the feeling and the reality of security. We can't ignore one. It's not enough to make someone secure, that person needs to also realize they've been made secure. If no-one realizes it, no-one's going to buy it,' Schneier said."
The Courts

Submission + - RIAA drops another case (blogspot.com)

Submitted by
NewYorkCountryLawyer
NewYorkCountryLawyer writes: "Once again the RIAA has dropped a case "with prejudice", this time after concluding it was the defendant's daughter, rather than the defendant, that it should have sued in the first place. In a White Plains, New York, case, Lava v. Amurao, mindful that in similar scenarios it has been held liable for the defendant's attorneys fees (Capitol v. Foster and Atlantic v. Andersen), the RIAA this time went on the offensive over its attorneys fee exposure, even though there was no attorneys fee motion pending, arguing that it was the defendant's fault — and not the RIAA's — that the record companies sued the wrong person, because the defendant didn't tell them that his daughter was the file sharer they were looking for."
The Internet

Submission + - EBay saves billions for bidders

Submitted by Stony Stevenson
Stony Stevenson writes: Independent research by two statisticians from the University of Maryland has found that eBay buyers saved an average of $4 per person, or $19 billion total, at the popular online auction site per year. The study seeks to calculate what economists call "consumer surplus" — the difference between the top price buyers were ready to pay and what they actually ended up paying. E-commerce sites provide a treasure trove of data that allows researchers to test out theories of consumer behavior.
Wireless Networking

Submission + - Utah to make free and open wifi illegal

Submitted by thisplaceisalmostout
thisplaceisalmostout writes: State Representative Brad Daw from Orem Utah, is introducing HB 139.
Among other things, this legislation will make it against the law for any person to offer free and open wireless internet access, for instance a business to it's customers, or the public at large.
This law says in effect, that to offer wireless internet access to your customers, they must first prove that they are an adult, by providing either a government issued ID, or a Credit Card. Failure to do so would result in a fine up to $25,000.00

Furthermore the bill states "A person may not provide wireless Internet access to the public unless the person restricts access to prevent a minor from accessing material harmful to minors."
Additionally HB 139 makes it illegal for any retailer to sell a device capable of accessing the internet wirelessly, without it being clearly labeled as such.
Pete Ashdown the President and CEO of XMission the states largest internet provider, says that he will "shut down all XMission free wireless and cease expansion of this service." if this legislation is passed.

XMission provides a completely free wireless network that covers a substantial portion of down town Salt Lake City, and another similar one that is being constructed in Ogden will benefit the residents of that city as well.
If you live in Utah I urge you to contact your legislators and ask them to stop this bill, the potential long term damages from this bill are staggering.

IE7 Blocking Google Image Search? 253

Posted by kdawson from the play-nicely-now dept.
An anonymous reader writes, "I just tried a Google Image Search in IE7 for the first time. Whenever I click on an image, my browser tells me in big bold letters, "This is a reported phishing website." Try it yourself: make sure automatic phishing detection is turned on and do an (adorable) image search; click on one of the result thumbnails. MSN Live Image Search has no such issues. Insert Microsoft evil conspiracy theory here." I get this behavior under IE7, Win XP Pro, SP2, Parallels, Mac OS X.

Googling for ATM Master Passwords 356

Posted by Zonk from the that-should-probably-not-be-online dept.
default DOLLAR writes to mention an eWeek article following up on the ATM reprogramming scam pulled in Virginia Beach last week. A security researcher in New York has used a YouTube video, a few Google searches, and other legal methods to discover the master passwords to thousands of ATMs across the country. From the article: "Dave Goldsmith, founder and president of penetration testing outfit Matasano Security, in New York, did not say how he obtained the operator manual--which contains master passwords and other sensitive security information about the cash-dispensing machines--but an eWEEK investigation shows that a simple Google query will return a 102-page PDF file that provides a road map to the hack."

Lithium-Ion Batteries Linked to Airplane Fires 244

Posted by timothy from the mine-keep-not-exploding dept.
smellsofbikes writes "The National Safety Transportation Board thinks it's possible that lithium-ion batteries caused a fire that destroyed a United Parcel Service airplane on Feb 8, 2006. The FAA already bans non-rechargeable lithium batteries from air shipment because aircraft don't carry fire suppression equipment capable of extinguishing lithium fires. The interesting thing is: these batteries aren't being used or charged, they're just being shipped: spontaneous battery combustion. Is this something that happens in the back of computer stores, or just on airplanes?"

U.S. Government to Adopt IPv6 in 2008 284

Posted by timothy from the they-should-adopt-odf-too dept.
IO ERROR writes "The U.S. Government is set to transition to IPv6 in June 2008, according to Government Computer News: 'In the newest additions to the IPv6 Transition Guidance, the CIO Council's Architecture and Infrastructure Committee has provided a list of best practices and transition elements that agencies should use as they work to meet the deadline. The latest additions, (MS Word) released in May, are a compilation of existing recommendations and best practices gathered from the Defense Department, which has been testing and preparing for the transition for years, the private sector, and the Internet research and development community.'"

New Piracy Loss Estimate 480

Posted by samzenpus from the avast-ye-mateys dept.
An anonymous reader writes "WSJ reports on a new MPAA estimate losses due to piracy. "The study, by LEK Consulting LLC, was completed last year, and people familiar with it say it reached a startling conclusion: U.S. movie studios are losing about $6.1 billion annually in global wholesale revenue to piracy, about 75% more than previous estimated losses of $3.5 billion in hard goods. On top of that, losses are coming not only from lost ticket sales, but from DVD sales that have been Hollywood's cash cow in recent years."

Mozilla Firefox 1.5.0.3 Released 250

Posted by CmdrTaco from the get-your-patch-on dept.
Mini-Geek writes "Mozilla Firefox 1.5.0.3 has been released. As with previous 1.5.0.x patches, 1.5.0.3 can be downloaded as a small, incremental download. From the article: 'This update fixes a publicly disclosed denial of service weakness. All users are encouraged to upgrade to this version. The bugfixes previously planned for Firefox 1.5.0.3 were shifted to 1.5.0.4, and a quick update was released shortly after the recent to address the publicly reported issue.'"

Asus PW191 LCD Review 176

Posted by ScuttleMonkey from the goes-with-your-designer-office-furniture dept.
Tom's Hardware has quite the flattering review of one of the latest LCDs coming from Asus, the Asus PW191. From the review: "I won't mince words. The PW191 is the handsomest monitor I've ever seen. It's true that people's tastes vary, but no one can deny that the Asus designers have talent. While a lot of their competitors are using a white Macintosh look for lack of better ideas, Asus is innovating, offering designs that are both personal and novel. And they've applied that know-how to good effect in designing the PW191. The monitor's lines are superb, and the choice of colors is elegant and restrained."

Dell's Marketshare Decline Due to Intel? 275

Posted by Zonk from the jump-ship dept.
timeOday writes "News.com reports that Dell's PC sales are growing more slowly than the overall PC market for the first time on record. Gartner's Charles Smulders blames Dell's decline on their allegiance to Intel, and cites Hewlett Packard's embrace of AMD as a key to their growing sales. Can Dell continue to shun AMD, or is a breakthrough imminent for the #2 chipmaker?"

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