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The Internet

Submission + - SPAM: Study: ISPs meddled with customers' Web traffic

Submitted by alphadogg
alphadogg writes: About one percent of the Web pages being delivered on the Internet are being changed in transit, sometimes in a harmful way, according to researchers at the University of Washington. In a paper, set to be delivered Wednesday, the researchers document some troubling practices. In July and August they tested data sent to about 50,000 computers and discovered that a small number of Internet service providers (ISPs) were injecting ads into Web pages on their networks.
Link to Original Source
Security

Submission + - Malicious microprocessor opens doors for attack (networkworld.com)

Submitted by BobB-nw
BobB-nw writes: For years, hackers have focused on finding bugs in computer software that give them unauthorized access to computer systems, but now there's another way to break in: Hack the microprocessor. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign researchers this week have demonstrated how they altered a computer chip to grant attackers back-door access to a computer. It would take a lot of work to make this attack succeed in the real world, but it would be virtually undetectable.
Technology (Apple)

Submission + - The iPhone SDK and free software: not a match

Submitted by kookjr
kookjr writes: Are you planning to develop software for the iPhone? If you want to develop Free Software, linux.com has a good review of the conflicts between Apple's Registered iPhone Developer Agreement and licenses like the GPL. This is important for people who may not read all the agreements they click Agree to.
Transportation

Submission + - BMW engines absorb and burn ambient air pollution (motorauthority.com)

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: BMW has unveiled a new internal combustion engine design that not only produces near zero emissions, but also absorbs and burns ambient air pollutants. The ultra-clean engine debuts in the new mono-fuel Hydrogen 7 saloon and is on display at this week's World Congress meeting in Detroit. Based on the original BMW Hydrogen 7 bi-fuel version (petrol and hydrogen), the new mono-fuel vehicle's internal combustion engine is optimized to run solely on hydrogen and delivers the same performance, comfort, and safety as a regular production BMW 7 Series plus better mileage than its predecessor.
Security

Submission + - Adobe Flash Vulnerable To New Exploit Class (matasano.com)

Submitted by spikedLemur
spikedLemur writes: Security guru Mark Dowd of TAoSSA has figured out how to turn a class of DoS bugs into a code execution attack. He wrote a detailed PDF explaining how he used a NULL pointer dereference in Flash to create a 100% reliable cross-browser/platform exploit. The guys at Matasano have already discussed the technique in two detailed writeups, which I highly recommend for the casual reader. Since the root problem is an ignored malloc failure (a very common mistake) we can expect to see this bug class popping up in lot of software in the near future. You might also want to make sure your Flash installation has the most current patch, since almost everybody is vulnerable to this one.
Security

Submission + - NSA to Offer a Secure Platform for Outside Use

Submitted by
Pickens
Pickens writes: "The National Security Agency is spearheading a team of intelligence agencies and information technology vendors in an effort toward broader use of secure multilevel workstations based on High Assurance Platform (HAP) standards and specifications. NSA expects to approve outside use of HAP systems this year, allowing adoption by federal agencies that handle unclassified data in addition to private companies and eventually individuals. Ed Hammersla, chief operating officer at Trusted Computer Solutions. says the virtual computing features in HAP can strengthen security and provide electricity savings for agencies and companies. "For example, companies that operate electricity grids and pipelines have become concerned that their general business-side computers, such as the mainframes used for accounting, could provide pathways for insiders to drill through to the supervisory control and administration (SCADA) systems that regulate their networks." HAP's virtualization features and NSA's work could even lead to greatly upgraded household computers. "An individual user could create a secure zone for sensitive personal financial information while allowing less-trusted systems to access other parts of a home computer," Hammersla added."
Microsoft

Submission + - What Would You Ask Brad Smith at OSBC? (blogs.com)

Submitted by
Stephen Walli
Stephen Walli writes: "Microsoft general counsel, Brad Smith, is giving the closing keynote on day one of the Open Source Business Conference in a week's time. It could be interesting, or it could be more of the same rhetoric we've come to expect from the Microsoft executive team. (I offer commentary here.) At the end of the talk, he's being asked questions by a panel before the audience gets a chance. The panel includes Mark Shuttleworth, Stephen O'Grady, and Andy Updegrove. A colleague and I set up a polling site to collect questions and ideas — in essence, what would you ask Brad Smith at OSBC?"
Software

Submission + - Finding open source project teams (itwire.com)

Submitted by
davidmwilliams
davidmwilliams writes: "Software is only as good as the people that work on it. All of the great open source projects had great project teams. If you want to be the next big thing in open source a good team is essential. Here's the low down on getting a gang together as well as the non-coding roles you'll want to consider."
Patents

Submission + - "Patent Troll Tracker" Sued for Defamation

Submitted by
jellie
jellie writes: "Richard Frenkel, who outed himself recently as the Patent Troll Tracker (invitation only), is now being sued for defamation over content in his blog relating to a case in which his employer is involved, ESN V. Cisco, filed in the Eastern District of Texas. Cisco is also named as a defendent in the lawsuit. In the original post, PTT alleged

that the filing date for ESN v. Cisco was changed from Oct. 15, 2007, to Oct. 16, 2007, after ESN's local counsel "called the EDTX court clerk, and convinced him/her to change the docket to reflect an October 16 filing date, rather than the October 15 filing date." The filing date is significant, Frenkel alleged in the blog, because the ESN patent that is the basis of the suit was not issued until Oct. 16.
Interestingly, one of the plaintiff's lawyers is John Ward, Jr., who is the son of U.S. District Judge T. John Ward of the Eastern District."
Government

Submission + - Church of Scientology violates Federal Law (rapidshare.com) 5

Submitted by
FreedomToThink
FreedomToThink writes: "This is a very long story I'm sure the editors will have fun with, but I couldn't see how to cut it down at all.

On the eve of the Ides of March protest, from the source of the recent 'Anonymous' submitted CCHR leak on wikileaks, comes this message

"Dear $cientology,You attempt injunctions.I respond.Shall we continue the game? Much Love, DEEP CLAM"

Included was yet another PDF this time including yet more emails leaked from a Church of Scientology front group.

Vote Rigging?

From: "Mike Kaplan" <mkaplan@tampabay.rr.com>
To: <Undisclosed-Recipient:;>
Subject: Fw: RE-ELECT FRANK HIBBARD, MAYOR OF CLEARWATER
Date: Sun, 6 Jan 2008 11:53:07 -0400

See below. Everyone in Clearwater MUST vote. Every vote will be needed to be
sure Hibbard gets re-elected. The alternative is Rita Garvey who is an SP.

— Original Message —
From: Shelly <mailto:shelly.bauer@Earthlink.net> Bauer
To: Shelly Bauer <mailto:shelly.bauer@earthlink.net>
Sent: Sunday, January 06, 2008 8:09 AM
Subject: RE-ELECT FRANK HIBBARD, MAYOR OF CLEARWATER

DO YOUR PART
RE-ELECT FRANK HIBBARD
MAYOR OF CLEARWATER
VOTE!!!
JANUARY 29TH
TAKE NOTHING FOR GRANTED!

Lunch with your preferred Presidential candidates for a high price?

ONE SEAT LEFT

I have arranged a private one-hour luncheon with Ron Paul on 11/28 in St.
Pete when he will be in town for the CNN/YouTube Republican debate.

This luncheon is reserved for $1000+ donors to Ron Paul's presidential
campaign. 19 people so far have paid and confirmed and will have the honor
and pleasure of having lunch and communicating with Ron Paul directly.


From the head of the "Non Proffit" CCHR Bruce Wiseman

Go the the HELP committee website. The link is here.
http://help.senate.gov/About.html
Here you will see the names of the Committee members on the left hand
side
of the page. Please go to the individual websites of the Republican =
members
(this will take just a bit of leg work on your part by putting their =
name
into Google) and calling their office or sending a fax to them (email is =
the
least effective) stating your opposition to S. 1375 The Mother's Act.


Currently, the law prohibits political campaign activity by charities and churches by defining a 501(c)(3) organization as one "which does not participate in, or intervene in (including the publishing or distributing of statements), any political campaign on behalf of (or in opposition to) any candidate for public office."

An OCMB (Operation Clambake Message Board)regular adds :

I downloaded myself a copy and started looking through them. I found an interesting one on pages 47-48.
http://rapidshare.com/files/99292051/CCHRLeak3.pdf.html

Karin Pouw of OSA of CofS writes a message.
It's forwarded by Michael Genung. He's the guy who runs ACSR, Association for Citizens Sociel Reform. http://www.citizensforsocialreform.org/ ["CSR Background and Philosopy: CSR was founded in 2001 by a group of Scientologists and other like-minded individuals concerned with the escalating social ills in society. CSR's purpose is to work with in the field of public policy to bring about more effective and humane solutions to these social ills of illiteracy, criminality substance abuse and general decay of character."]

Then it's forwarded by Doyle Mills, of LEAF fame (Letters to the Editor Attack Force).
Then it's forwarded by Mary C. (possibly one of two Mary C's I'm thinking of, but unsure).
Then it's forwarded by Mike Kaplan, another person who runs an email list and forwards CCHR type stuff to CofS members.

If that ain't stringing a line from the CofS to CCHR and the CofS front group ("grassroots") movements, then I don't know what is!


Apologies in advance as the Enturbulation servers will not be up to a slashdotting so the Coral Cache link is here Enturbulation Discussion (already cached for you)

ANYONE CAN REPORT TAX FRAUD DIRECTLY TO THE IRS : http://www.irs.gov/compliance/enforcement/article/0,,id=106778,00.html It does require that you print out and mail in an actual hardcopy, but it does not require you to identify yourself.

Just a casual user passing on a message from the Enturbulation forum, this is already out there, there's no reason to attack the messenger."

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