Comment Science or Pseudo-science? (Score 5, Interesting) 1046
Has this software been subjected to repeated double-blind testing? Otherwise, there's no point in reporting this.
Comment e-voting (Score 1) 100
This episode should serve as a reminder/proof that we should stick to good old fashioned paper based voting for as long as we can. Besides the fact that it's easier to run attacks on e-voting, there is also the nagging doubt that will always linger about the results when the count is close (ie: can you really be sure the algorithms weren't tampered with?)
Comment Re:Tip of the Scummy Iceberg (Score 1) 100
Elections Canada has so far identified only one "riding" (district) where many robo-calls were placed, and this riding was won decisively by the Liberals. So far, it is estimated by independent media that exactly -zero- ridings were swung either way. But don't let the facts get in the way of your opinions.
Comment Re:What makes it really interesting... (Score 3, Insightful) 100
Talk about flamebait. So far the investigation points to one young guy, and not even the opposition is accusing any government/party officials of any wrongdoing.
Political discourse would be a lot more civil if people didn't throw around baseless accusations.
Political discourse would be a lot more civil if people didn't throw around baseless accusations.
Submission + - Money Mules, Not Customers, The Real Victims? (threatpost.com)
chicksdaddy writes: "Threatpost is reporting on research from Microsoft that argues money mules — the accomplices who help move stolen funds — may be the real victims of online banking scams, not the bank customers who are the ostensible targets of fraudsters.
In a paper that turns conventional wisdom on its head, Microsoft researcher Cormac Herley and two co-authors argue that, mules, unlike fraud victims, are not protected by Federal anti fraud laws. And, unlike the criminals they work for, they are not beyond the reach of the banks or law enforcement. Further, as banks and other financial institutions have gotten better at tracing account takeover scams and reversing charges, it is the mules who pay the price: having funds extracted from their account to make the victim whole, assuming such funds are available.
"The thief is really stealing from the mule, not the compromised account, though that fact does not become clear until the dust settles," the researchers write.
Their conclusion: shoring up customer accounts (say, through stronger passwords) will have only limited utility in stemming fraud. A better approach would be to crack down on muling, denying fraudsters the critical link in getting money out of compromised accounts: a legitimate bank account that will take an illegal money transfer from a hacked account and turn it into a legitimate transfer to the fraudsters' account."
In a paper that turns conventional wisdom on its head, Microsoft researcher Cormac Herley and two co-authors argue that, mules, unlike fraud victims, are not protected by Federal anti fraud laws. And, unlike the criminals they work for, they are not beyond the reach of the banks or law enforcement. Further, as banks and other financial institutions have gotten better at tracing account takeover scams and reversing charges, it is the mules who pay the price: having funds extracted from their account to make the victim whole, assuming such funds are available.
"The thief is really stealing from the mule, not the compromised account, though that fact does not become clear until the dust settles," the researchers write.
Their conclusion: shoring up customer accounts (say, through stronger passwords) will have only limited utility in stemming fraud. A better approach would be to crack down on muling, denying fraudsters the critical link in getting money out of compromised accounts: a legitimate bank account that will take an illegal money transfer from a hacked account and turn it into a legitimate transfer to the fraudsters' account."
Submission + - Google Drive coming as early as April (tech-stew.com)
techfun89 writes: "The wait may finally be over for the rumored Google Drive or GDrive. GigaOm's Om Malik says that it will be launched the first week of April.
"According to the details from my sources, Google is going to offer 1 GB of storage space for free, but will charge for more storage. The market leader Dropbox currently offers 2 GB for free. Google's product will come with a local client and the web interface will look much like the Google Docs interface. Interestingly, it will launch for Google Apps customers and will be domain specific as well. Google has also built an API for third party apps with this service so folks can store content from other apps in the Google drive. My sources are impressed, so far with what they have seen."
Google has fumbled in the past like with their initial release of Google Music without any record labels, which they later fixed. Google Play could to have ties to GDrive for storing things like digital movie content. So the potential exists for big results from Google Drive."
"According to the details from my sources, Google is going to offer 1 GB of storage space for free, but will charge for more storage. The market leader Dropbox currently offers 2 GB for free. Google's product will come with a local client and the web interface will look much like the Google Docs interface. Interestingly, it will launch for Google Apps customers and will be domain specific as well. Google has also built an API for third party apps with this service so folks can store content from other apps in the Google drive. My sources are impressed, so far with what they have seen."
Google has fumbled in the past like with their initial release of Google Music without any record labels, which they later fixed. Google Play could to have ties to GDrive for storing things like digital movie content. So the potential exists for big results from Google Drive."
Submission + - Cops Can Crack An iPhone In Under Two Minutes (forbes.com) 2
Sparrowvsrevolution writes: Micro Systemation, a Stockholm-based company, has released a video showing that its software can easily bypass the iPhone's four-digit passcode in a matter of seconds. It can also crack Android phones, and is designed to dump the devices' data to a PC for easy browsing, including messages, GPS locations, web history, calls, contacts and keystroke logs.
The company's director of marketing says it uses an undisclosed vulnerability in the devices it targets to run a program on the phone that brute-forces its passcode. He says the company's business is "booming" and that it's sold the devices to law enforcement and military customers in 60 countries. He says Micro Systemation's biggest customer is the U.S. military.
The company's director of marketing says it uses an undisclosed vulnerability in the devices it targets to run a program on the phone that brute-forces its passcode. He says the company's business is "booming" and that it's sold the devices to law enforcement and military customers in 60 countries. He says Micro Systemation's biggest customer is the U.S. military.
Comment Re:You will be investigated (Score 1) 267
Smartphones are worse, because once they seize them and download their contents, additional info can be recovered: GPS tracks, search engine logs, etc.
Comment You will be investigated (Score 4, Insightful) 267
For police, smartphones are the DNA or fingerprints of the 21st century. Soon every crime investigation will start with "any DNA on scene?" followed by "Who do the tower logs say was in the area at the time of the crime?"
Comment Profit (Score 4, Interesting) 222
While the corporations that use our data have profited much, so have users. I certainly have profited *hugely* from Google's free search engine, free email, free Docs service, free apps on iPhone and Android, etc. I guess some people also consider that they've profited from whatever benefits Facebook and Twitter offer as well.
The real problem is that the information that these companies accumulate can be captured by the government, and that the logs may go back years (or forever)...
The real problem is that the information that these companies accumulate can be captured by the government, and that the logs may go back years (or forever)...
Comment Miranda (Score 2) 671
Anything you do on a computer which doesn't belong to you may be used against you in a court of law.
Carry a live-VD, buy a tablet, or use any other means to do your personal computing. Never use someone else's computer to log into your email accounts, surf, etc. And if you think you have "nothing to hide" and can't even imagine how it could be used against you, then you *definitely* need to heed this advice.
Carry a live-VD, buy a tablet, or use any other means to do your personal computing. Never use someone else's computer to log into your email accounts, surf, etc. And if you think you have "nothing to hide" and can't even imagine how it could be used against you, then you *definitely* need to heed this advice.
Comment A better idea (Score 1) 676
The government should ban busybodies from serving in government or the legislature.
Comment Consent (Score 4, Insightful) 221
The only question should be: "Were the patients fully informed?" If I have a terminal or otherwise untreatable condition, I want to be able to decide for myself whether or not an unproven treatment is worth the risk.
Some people need "protection" or "hand-holding"? No problem. Protect them. But I also want the right to opt out of the government's protection.
Some people need "protection" or "hand-holding"? No problem. Protect them. But I also want the right to opt out of the government's protection.
Comment Pardon is the wrong word anyway (Score 2) 728
A pardon means "we forgive you for your offense".
It would be better for us to say "This law was wrong and the conviction was illegitimate." The only people who should be asking for a pardon are those who voted for and upheld that law.
It would be better for us to say "This law was wrong and the conviction was illegitimate." The only people who should be asking for a pardon are those who voted for and upheld that law.
Comment Policy (Score 2) 728
The current policy is wrong headed and contributes to current and continuing injury.
This policy must be changed such that convictions based on any crime that is now considered "cruel and absurd" must be overturned.
This policy must be changed such that convictions based on any crime that is now considered "cruel and absurd" must be overturned.
