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Blackberry

Submission + - RIM Helping UK Police Track Down Rioters (itworld.com)

Submitted by
jfruhlinger
jfruhlinger writes: "Protests against a police shooting in the poor London neighborhood of Tottenham escalated into rioting and looting this past weekend. Initial reports have it that the activity was coordinated not by Twitter or Facebook but by the relatively old-tech method of BlackBerry messaging. Now the official Twitter account of RIM's UK division has announced that it is "engaged with the authorities to assist in any way we can," which presumalby means that it's handing over messages sent by rioters. Is BlackBerry being a responsible part of British society, or is it, in the word of one Twitter user, "snitching"?"
Cloud

Submission + - Shagbook: Facebook Should Not Be A Trademark (zdnet.com)

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: Facebook is known for going after any company that uses the word “book” in its name, having already filed suit against TeachBook.com, FacebookOfSex.com, and most recently UK adult dating website Shagbook.com. Shagbook is accusing Facebook of trademark bullying, says the term facebook is generic, and is even arguing that Facebook’s trademark should never have been granted.
Security

Submission + - Will lazy, careless computers save us from us? (motherboard.tv)

Submitted by HansonMB
HansonMB writes: Can lazy machines cruising a synthetic internet defend against sloppy humans?

Researchers at the University of Southern California led by Jim Blythe hope so. They’ve devised a system to test computer-security networks by having machines themselves mimic man’s mistakes. These “seemingly innocuous actions” – users downloading files, or IT personnel ditching security features that can bog down machines – can leave networks exposed to nefarious activity.
Android

Submission + - Latest Android Flaw Facilitates Phishing Attacks (itproportal.com)

Submitted by hypnosec
hypnosec writes: A newly discovered flaw in Google’s Android mobile operating system could allow hackers to launch phishing attacks in order to steal banking credentials. Researchers at security firm Trustwave have revealed that the flaw allows hackers to create a fake log-in page which can be used to steal user names and passwords when users visit a banking website. According to the company, the flaw resides in Android’s ability to put forward one application to the front of active processes instead of giving out alerts at the notification bars. The company also said that flaw could be exploited to serve pop-up ads.

Submission + - Housing Crash Getting Worse in U.S.? (carneyproperties.com)

Submitted by
katelyndunn
katelyndunn writes: "An article just recently released by Market Watch states that the housing crash is showing signs of getting worse, depending of course on where you live. However, in some areas, like our very own SWFL area that were hit hardest a few years back, are showing signs that the area is recovering."

Submission + - World's first Cybernetic Athlete to Compete (bbc.co.uk)

Submitted by
Tufriast
Tufriast writes: "The world's first mechanically augmented athlete, Oscar Pistorius, will now compete against unaugmented peers on behalf South Africa. He'll be running in the 400m and 4x400m relay at the World Athletics 2011 Championships. Pistorius, a double leg amputee, has had special leg blades crafted for him that allow him to compete against his peers. He's fought hard to prove the provide no advantage, and according to IAAF they do not. This should be a very interesting race to watch. His nickname: The Blade Runner."
Cloud

Submission + - Google also passes on European data to US authorit (h-online.com)

Submitted by suraj.sun
suraj.sun writes: Google also passes on European data to US authorities:

Google is making data that is stored in its European data centres accessible to authorities in the United States. When asked by the German language WirtschaftsWoche magazine, a company spokesperson saidGerman language that Google has passed on European user data to US intelligence services on several occasions.

US laws such as the Patriot Act require companies based in the country to make even data that is stored abroad accessible to the US authorities. In June, Microsoft had already admitted passing on European customer data from its Office 365 cloud service to US government departments.

H-online: http://www.h-online.com/security/news/item/Google-also-passes-on-European-data-to-US-authorities-1319434.html
Government

Submission + - North Korea Training Hackers To Hack Online Games (itproportal.com)

Submitted by hypnosec
hypnosec writes: New reports suggest that the North Korean government is encouraging its young hackers to penetrate into the arch enemy South Korea’s popular online gaming websites and find loopholes to collect points convertible to cash in abundance. According to experts, the North Korean government has taken the initiative as a part of their desperate attempt to recover their gradually falling economy in whatever way possible. It has been often covered by the media, especially those in the West, how the North Korean establishment has been spending a hefty amount in training an army of hackers and computer programmers despite its economic downfall.
Censorship

Submission + - How to Combat IP-Based Censorship?

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: For a while now there has been a lot of buzz on a new proposed censorship scheme in Turkey. The government wants to crack down on freedom of speech and other rights by preventing us from accessing any websites it deems unsuitable. The reasons for that could be criticism of the government, pornography and basically anything a politician might dislike (Youtube is blocked for example, not sure about Google etc. because I'm bypassing the filter). Right now the state is using DNS-based filtering which can be circumvented with OpenDNS or proxy services which everybody knows about in Turkey. On August 22 however a new scheme will go into effect that uses IP-based filtering. Bypassing this by any means is illegal, but I wanted to get some opinions on how this could be done without having to set up a VPN server outside of Turkey and using it as a private proxy. (Really sorry for the lack of good sources but most of the articles I found are not in English.)

Comment Re:oooh 1,000 infected computers (Score 1) 214

by bwayne314 (#36939338) Attached to: PayPal Hands Over 1,000 IP Addresses To the FBI
As much as I don't like it, I have to agree with your logic, it is sabotage. That having been said, politically correct protests and pickets are not exactly possible to do using the tubes. If you chose to picket a brick and mortar store, you would be able to physically interact with people walking in and out, you could be holding signs that they might inadvertently read in passing and maybe change their mind about doing business in the store. You could be chanting some clever slogan about the evilness and corruption that people would be forced to hear, and so on. How would you accomplish this on the internet?

Yes you could start something like www.paypalsucks.com ... That site has been around a few years, and has it made a difference?

If I was said customer, how would you get your message to me about the evil of paypal if I type paypal.com into the URL bar and go directly to their site?

Now, if there was a way to set up a legal virtual picket, I would be all for it. Something like, briefly redirecting users to a page with protest signs or whatnot. But then guess what, every single site would get "picketed" by somone or other.
Security

Submission + - Hackers Could Open Convicts' Cells in Prisons

Submitted by
Hugh Pickens writes
Hugh Pickens writes writes: "Kim Zetter writes that some of the same vulnerabilities that the Stuxnet superworm used to sabotage centrifuges at a nuclear plant in Iran exist in the country’s top high-security prisons where programmable logic controllers (PLCs) control locks on cells and other facility doors and researchers have already written three exploits for PLC vulnerabilities they found. “Most people don’t know how a prison or jail is designed, that’s why no one has ever paid attention to it,” says John Strauchs, who plans to discuss the issue and demonstrate an exploit against the systems at the DefCon hacker conference next week. “How many people know they’re built with the same kind of PLC used in centrifuges?” A hacker would need to get his malware onto the control computer either by getting a corrupt insider to install it via an infected USB stick or send it via a phishing attack aimed at a prison staffer, since some control systems are also connected to the internet, Strauchs claims. “Bear in mind, a prison security electronic system has many parts beyond door control such as intercoms, lighting control, video surveillance, water and shower control, and so forth,” adds Strauchs. "Once we take control of the PLC we can do anything (PDF). Not just open and close doors. We can absolutely destroy the system. We could blow out all the electronics.”"
Security

Submission + - PayPal hands over 1,000 IP Addresses to the FBI (tekgoblin.com) 3

Submitted by
tekgoblin
tekgoblin writes: "PayPal was attacked by Anonymous last year when they had blocked the Wikileaks accounts transactions. Now PayPal has finally come up with enough evidence to strike back at Anonymous with the help of the FBI. PayPal has come up with a list of over 1,000 IP Addresses left behind when they were attacked by Anonymous."

Submission + - SFPD Arrests Suspect in Airbnb Rental Trashing

Submitted by theodp
theodp writes: Just days after it was reported that apartment sharing startup Airbnb had raised $112MM at a $1B+ valuation from investors that included Marc Andreessen and Jeff Bezos, Airbnb user EJ's blog entry on the ransacking of her apartment by Airbnb renters went viral, creating a PR nightmare that's turning into a war of words. CNET reports San Francisco police have confirmed that a 19-year-old woman has been arrested in the case, booked on possession of stolen property, methamphetamine, fraud charges, and an outstanding warrant. Since it seems doubtful that this news will convince EJ to endorse the service, perhaps Airbnb investor Bezos could list the spare rooms in his Seattle mansion, LA mansion, NYC penthouse, and Texas ranch houses with the service to show his support. Security pros might want to keep an eye on the Airbnb job site, although even the best of security is no match for a nightmare guest, as the Sofitel New York hotel can attest to.

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