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Submission + - Obama authorizes penalties for foreign cyber attackers (thestack.com)

An anonymous reader writes: President Barack Obama has today signed an executive order [https://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2015/04/01/our-latest-tool-combat-cyber-attacks-what-you-need-know] extending the U.S. administration’s power to respond to malicious cyberattacks and espionage campaigns. The order enforces financial sanctions on foreign hackers who action attacks against American businesses, institutions and citizens. The new legislation will enable the secretary of the Treasury, along with the attorney general and secretary of State, to inflict penalties on cyber criminals behind hacking attacks which “create a significant threat to U.S. national security, foreign policy or economic health or financial stability of the United States,” Obama said. Sanctions could include freezing of assets or a total ban on commercial trade. The authorities will be limited to imposing the new sanctions solely in cases where the attacks are considered significant enough to warrant a penalty. Punishable attacks could include malicious security breaches of critical infrastructure, DDoS campaigns against computers and networks, or those that result in the “significant misappropriation of funds or economic resources, trade secrets, personal identifiers..."

Submission + - Amazon Moves "Buy Now" Into the Physical World, With the Dash Button (gizmag.com)

Zothecula writes: The Amazon Dash Button is a small device that you can stick to walls or a variety of household appliances. Each button is associated with a certain brand or product, and when you set it up (via smartphone) you associate the button with a specific size or quantity (like, say, two 12-packs of Starbucks K-cups or one 2-pack of 50 oz. Tide detergent) and shipping speed. When you start to get low on said product, mash the button and Amazon takes care of the rest.

Feed Google News Sci Tech: New Microsoft Surface 3 Matches iPad with $499 Price Tag - NBCNews.com (google.com)


NBCNews.com

New Microsoft Surface 3 Matches iPad with $499 Price Tag
NBCNews.com
Microsoft announced the Surface 3 on Tuesday, a lighter, cheaper alternative to its Surface Pro 3, which was released last year. Unlike Microsoft's other non-Pro tablets, this one will run a full version of Windows 8.1. And its price point puts it squarely in...
Surface 3 Looks Awesome But Don't Waste Your Money On 4G / LTEForbes
Microsoft Surface 3 promises great battery life, costs just $499 and runs ... PCWorld
Microsoft's Surface 3: Stuck in the middle between work and play?CNET
VentureBeat-PC Magazine-CNNMoney
all 186 news articles

Comment Re:OFAC knowledge here (Score 1) 68

Thanks for the info. I understand and can appreciate the implications of the OFAC lists (basically a simple form of economic warfare against specific individuals and parties, preventing them from using certain global financial companies).

But, OFAC checks are supposed to be performed before any funds are transferred (prior to contract entry in my experience). So they generally can't be seized or impounded by the US financial system, because letting them in at all is illegal (I'm sure they are at least frozen if a company, such as Paypal, performs transactions for a restricted party).

Comment OFAC knowledge here (Score 2) 68

I'm not sure if this is good or not, but it does represent a valid usage of OFAC (Office of Foreign Asset Control) regulations.

I've designed international life insurance admin systems that involved OFAC checks. Resolution requires manual verification.

OFAC provides a list of people that you cannot do business with if you are a US company (possibly if you have a US presence, I'm not sure though, I worked for a US company). It is basically a list of terrorists or otherwise sanctioned individuals that the US blocks financial transaction with.(Osama is still there as far as I know, he was our test case).

I've always considered OFAC to be a Federally mandated job program. Same for Sarbanes-Oxley (worked with that a lot as well). Just extra regulation requiring more bodies at every financial company.

I coined the never heard phrase "OFAC is to preventing terrorism as Sarbanes-Oxley is to preventing fraud" (I have an actuarial and IT background, so it's funny to me).

But in this case, initial appearances would suggest that the fine is justified. If the person on the OFAC list is justifiably on the list.

And that justification is my problem with the system. The rules are pretty secret, anyone could end up on the list and not be able to fight it. It's like the no-fly list which even impacted a Kennedy:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/...

Interesting for sure.

   

Comment Re:It's older than Godwin... (Score 1) 89

Thanks for the link, this is why I participate in Slashdot, to discover interesting nuggets I was not aware of previously.

I was not aware of Alan Watts prior to 15 minutes ago (I'm now listening to How to Make it Out of the Trap).

Thank you.

Submission + - CIA tried to crack security of Apple devices (theguardian.com)

An anonymous reader writes: The CIA led sophisticated intelligence agency efforts to undermine the encryption used in Apple phones, as well as insert secret surveillance back doors into apps, top-secret documents published by the Intercept online news site have revealed.

The newly disclosed documents from the National Security Agency's internal systems show surveillance methods were presented at its secret annual conference, known as the "jamboree".

Comment Re:the 11.8%? (Score 1) 97

Wouldn't any result involve a 2nd opinion?

Cases:
1. Dog finds nothing, perform biopsy, just in case (2nd opinion).
2. Dog finds cancer, perform biopsy to confirm (2nd opinion).

Or would you perform surgery on a dog's recommendation without a medical test?

Seems this dog would be a hypochondriac's best friend...

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