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Comment Unbiased estimates... (Score 3, Insightful) 91

by JoeIsuzu83 (#48939727) Attached to: US Wireless Spectrum Auction Raises $44.9 Billion

The wireless industry estimates that for every 10 Megahertz of spectrum licensed for wireless broadband, 7,000 American jobs are created and U.S. gross domestic product increases by $1.7 billion."
Yes, of course they do. That's a nice press release for both the wireless industry, and the politicians they paid for.

Submission + - Computers are evil in early education (nytimes.com) 2

Submitted by nbauman
nbauman writes: Middle school students who got computers did worse in school. They wasted their time on games, social media, and entertainment (just like adults), according to Susan Pinker in the New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2015/01... Computers only help when they're used by good, trained teachers. Infants who interact with parents do better in school. Screen time reduces interaction with parents.

In the early 2000s, economists tracked the academic progress of nearly one million disadvantaged middle-school students against the dates they were given networked computers. They assessed math and reading skills for 5 years.

“Students who gain access to a home computer between the 5th and 8th grades tend to witness a persistent decline in reading and math scores,” they wrote. The Internet was also linked to lower grades in younger children.

Weaker students (boys, African-Americans) were affected more than others. When their computers arrived, their reading scores fell off a cliff.

Technology has a role in education — but only when it’s perfectly suited to the task, and only when it's deployed as a tool by a terrific, highly trained teacher.

Comment Re:Visible from Earth? (Score 1) 126

by JoeIsuzu83 (#48914333) Attached to: Proposed Space Telescope Uses Huge Opaque Disk To Surpass Hubble

That would be perfectly normal. Lots of small satellites are visible with the naked eye at just the right time of day. If they're still in the sunlight, and you're in the dark (dusk and dawn) you can see them.

With this one being "geo-sychrounous" (probably geostationary) it would only be visible in certain locations.

Submission + - Google Releases More Windows Bugs (computerworld.com)

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: Just days after Google angered Microsoft by releasing information about a Windows security flaw, they've now released two more. "The more serious of the two allows an attacker to impersonate an authorized user, and then decrypt or encrypt data on a Windows 7 or Windows 8.1 device. Google reported that bug to Microsoft on Oct. 17, 2014, and made some background information and a proof-of-concept exploit public on Thursday. Project Zero is composed of several Google security engineers who investigate not only the company's own software, but that of other vendors as well. After reporting a flaw, Project Zero starts a 90-day clock, then automatically publicly posts details and sample attack code if the bug has not been patched." Microsoft says there's no evidence these flaws have been successfully exploited.

Submission + - Proposed CFAA Amendments Could 'Chill" Security Research (threatpost.com)

Submitted by msm1267
msm1267 writes: Legitimate security researchers, from bug hunters to pen-testers, are buckled in for a bumpy ride as vague language in President Obama’s proposed amendments to the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (CFAA) is expected to be debated and sorted out as it makes its way through the legislature.

The amendments come with stiffer penalties for those convicted of hacking, with some sentences doubled and some offenses elevated to felonies.

One amendment to the CFAA contains language that is a redefinition of what it means to exceed authorized access; it broadens the scope of the CFAA considerably.

From section six in the amendment: ” ‘exceeds authorized access’ means to access a computer with authorization and to use such access to obtain or alter information in the computer (a) that the accesser is not entitled to obtain or alter; or (b) for a purpose that the accesser knows is not authorized by the computer owner.”

Submission + - This USB Wall Charger Secretly Logs Keystrokes From Microsoft Wireless Keyboards

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: Privacy and security researcher Samy Kamkar has released a keylogger for Microsoft wireless keyboards cleverly hidden in what appears to be a rather large, but functioning USB wall charger. Called KeySweeper, the stealthy Arduino-based device can sniff, decrypt, log, and report back all keystrokes — saving them both locally and online. This is no toy. KeySweeper includes a web-based tool for live keystroke monitoring, can send SMS alerts for trigger words, usernames, or URLs (in case you want to steal a PIN number or password), and even continues to work after it is unplugged thanks to a rechargeable internal battery. That’s an impressive list of features, especially given that Kamkar told VentureBeat the whole process “took a few days” including a few over Christmas break and this past weekend when he decided “to properly document it.”

Submission + - Phony USB Charger Masquerades as Wireless Keylogger (threatpost.com) 3

Submitted by msm1267
msm1267 writes: Hardware hacker and security researcher Samy Kamkar has released a slick new device that masquerades as a typical USB wall charger but in fact houses a keylogger capable of recording keystrokes from nearby wireless keyboards.

The device is known as KeySweeper and Kamkar has released the source code and instructions for building one of your own. The components are inexpensive and easily available, and include an Arduino microcontroller, the charger itself and a handful of other bits. When it’s plugged into a wall socket, the KeySweeper will connect to a nearby Microsoft wireless keyboard and passively sniff, decrypt and record all of the keystrokes and send them back to the operator over the Web.

Submission + - US Slaps Sanctions on North Korea After Sony Cyberattack (securityweek.com)

Submitted by wiredmikey
wiredmikey writes: The United States imposed financial sanctions Friday on North Korea and several senior government officials in retaliation for a cyber attack on Sony Pictures. President Obama said he ordered the sanctions because of "the provocative, destabilizing, and repressive actions and policies of the Government of North Korea, including its destructive, coercive cyber-related actions during November and December 2014."

The activities "constitute a continuing threat to the national security, foreign policy, and economy of the United States," he added, in a letter to inform congressional leaders of his executive order. The new measures allow the Treasury Department "to apply sanctions against officials of the Government of North Korea and the Workers' Party of Korea, and persons determined to be owned or controlled by, or acting for or on behalf of" these bodies.

Submission + - Doxing As An Attack 1

Submitted by HughPickens.com
HughPickens.com writes: Bruce Schneier writes that the practice of publishing personal information about people without their consent can be incredibly offensive. Doxing is not new, dating back to at least 1987 when Robert Bork's video tape rentals were leaked to the press. Usually it’s things like an address and phone number, but it can also be credit card details, medical information, private e-mails—pretty much anything an assailant can get his hands on. More recently in 2013, several women were doxed by male gamers trying to intimidate them into keeping silent about sexism in computer games. Companies can be doxed, too as we've seen in the past few weeks with the ongoing doxing of Sony. "Everyone from political activists to hackers to government leaders has now learned how effective this attack is. Everyone from common individuals to corporate executives to government leaders now fears this will happen to them. And I believe this will change how we think about computing and the Internet."

Submission + - Toronto PET Users Group stages flash mob at Starbucks

Submitted by psychonaut
psychonaut writes: In the fall of 2014, PET-wielding members of the Toronto PET Users Group descended en masse upon a local Starbucks to share their love of old-school Commodores with today's tablet- and smartphone-using public. This was the club's second such flash mob (the first, in 2013, commemorated the 30-year anniversary of the Commodore SX-64 "luggable" computer) and this time Starbucks itself sent a film crew. The result was T.P.U.G., a short promo documentary which the company released in October. The film shows the club, once the world's largest and now the world's oldest user group, still going strong after nearly 37 years in operation.

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