Comment Who's minding the store? (Score 1) 528
How do you steal 100 TB of sensitive data without any network, database or IDS alerts going off?
Comment great ... new attack surfaces (Score 3, Insightful) 261
This will simply open up new attack surfaces on unsuspecting vehicles.
Submission + - Google Tips Off Police To Child Porn Transmitted Using Gmail (yahoo.com)
SonicSpike writes: A Houston man has been arrested after Google sent a tip to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children saying the man had explicit images of a child in his email, according to Houston police.
The man was a registered sex offender, convicted of sexually assaulting a child in 1994, reports Tim Wetzel at KHOU Channel 11 News in Houston.
"He was keeping it inside of his email. I can't see that information, I can't see that photo, but Google can," Detective David Nettles of the Houston Metro Internet Crimes Against Children Taskforce told Channel 11.
After Google reportedly tipped off the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, the center alerted police, who used the information to get a warrant.
A search of the man's other devices revealed more suspicious images and text messages. Police arrested him and he's being held on a $200,000 bond.
On one hand, most people would certainly applaud the use of technology to scan email in a case like this.
On the other, debate rages about how much privacy users can expect when using Google's services like email. In a word: none.
A year ago, in a court brief, Google said as much. Then, in April, after a class-action case against Google for email scanning fell apart, Google updated its terms of service to warn people that it was automatically analyzing emails .
Considering Google has been working to fight online child sexual abuse since 2006, it stands to reason the company would scan emails looking for those sorts of images. Google has never come right out and said so, but hinted strongly at it about a year ago when Jacquelline Fuller, director of Google Giving, specifically mentioned the National Center's "CyberTipline" in a blog post . The CyberTipline receives leads and tips regarding suspected crimes.
The man was a registered sex offender, convicted of sexually assaulting a child in 1994, reports Tim Wetzel at KHOU Channel 11 News in Houston.
"He was keeping it inside of his email. I can't see that information, I can't see that photo, but Google can," Detective David Nettles of the Houston Metro Internet Crimes Against Children Taskforce told Channel 11.
After Google reportedly tipped off the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, the center alerted police, who used the information to get a warrant.
A search of the man's other devices revealed more suspicious images and text messages. Police arrested him and he's being held on a $200,000 bond.
On one hand, most people would certainly applaud the use of technology to scan email in a case like this.
On the other, debate rages about how much privacy users can expect when using Google's services like email. In a word: none.
A year ago, in a court brief, Google said as much. Then, in April, after a class-action case against Google for email scanning fell apart, Google updated its terms of service to warn people that it was automatically analyzing emails .
Considering Google has been working to fight online child sexual abuse since 2006, it stands to reason the company would scan emails looking for those sorts of images. Google has never come right out and said so, but hinted strongly at it about a year ago when Jacquelline Fuller, director of Google Giving, specifically mentioned the National Center's "CyberTipline" in a blog post . The CyberTipline receives leads and tips regarding suspected crimes.
Submission + - The high-tech warfare behind the Israel - Hamas conflict (timesofisrael.com)
Taco Cowboy writes: The Israel — Hamas conflict in Gaza is not only about bombs, missiles, bullets, but also about cyberwarfare, battles of the mind over social media, smart underground tunnels and cloud-based missile launching systems
The tunnels that Hamas has dug deep beneath Gaza are embedded with high tech gadgets, courtesy of Qatar, which has funded Hamas with billions to equipped their tunnels with intelligent sensors which are networked to control centers enabling the command and control staff to quickly notify operatives nearby that IDF units are advancing inside a certain tunnel, allowing for rapid deployment of attack units and the setting up of bobby traps inside the tunnel
In addition, Hamas has automated its rocket firing system using networked, cloud-based launching software provided by Qatar which can set off a rocket from any distance, and set them to go off at a specific time, using timers. “Anyone who thinks they have dozens of people sitting next to launchers firing rockets each time there is a barrage is mistaken,” said Aviad Dadon, a senior cyber-security adviser at several Israeli government ministries
While Doha is allowing Hamas to use its technology to fight Israel, it’s their own cyber-security the leaders of Qatar are worried about. For the Qataris, the war between Israel and Hamas is a proving ground to see how their investments in cyber systems have paid of — Qatar is very worried that one of its Gulf rivals — specifically Saudi Arabia — will use technology to attack it, and Qatar spends a great deal of money each year on shoring up its cyber-technology
The tunnels that Hamas has dug deep beneath Gaza are embedded with high tech gadgets, courtesy of Qatar, which has funded Hamas with billions to equipped their tunnels with intelligent sensors which are networked to control centers enabling the command and control staff to quickly notify operatives nearby that IDF units are advancing inside a certain tunnel, allowing for rapid deployment of attack units and the setting up of bobby traps inside the tunnel
In addition, Hamas has automated its rocket firing system using networked, cloud-based launching software provided by Qatar which can set off a rocket from any distance, and set them to go off at a specific time, using timers. “Anyone who thinks they have dozens of people sitting next to launchers firing rockets each time there is a barrage is mistaken,” said Aviad Dadon, a senior cyber-security adviser at several Israeli government ministries
While Doha is allowing Hamas to use its technology to fight Israel, it’s their own cyber-security the leaders of Qatar are worried about. For the Qataris, the war between Israel and Hamas is a proving ground to see how their investments in cyber systems have paid of — Qatar is very worried that one of its Gulf rivals — specifically Saudi Arabia — will use technology to attack it, and Qatar spends a great deal of money each year on shoring up its cyber-technology
Comment Pi day is next year (Score 2) 218
Pi day should be next year: 3/14/15 at 9:26:53.58 ...
Comment A degree gives you a systematic, broad education (Score 1) 504
I've seen too much poorly-written code to accept the statements that you don't need a degree
to code well. It is true that you can write code that works without getting a broader CS education,
much like you can do your own wiring or plumbing in your house. Much of the time, things will work.
But then, one time your incorrect wire gauge will start a fire that can burn down your house, or
(more likely in the business world) the house of the poor shmuck who bought the house from you
(or inherited your code).
I wouldn't hire someone who does not have a broad and systematic introduction to computer science.
Comment Better teaching = less laptop use (Score 1) 804
There are effective and natural ways for mitigating laptop use in classrooms ... the most obvious of
which is better, interactive classroom management. Of course, this is impossible in a 300 person class ... but
maybe that says as much as about the colleges' priorities as the students'.
Submission + - 439 Fewer Ways to Hate Bank of America
theodp writes: Haters of Bank of America and CEO Brian Moynihan now have 439 fewer ways to express their disdain for the bank. In recent days, at least 439 domain names that are critical of BofA’s top officials were taken off the market. The registrations of the domain names, which include imaginative swipes at the bank's CEO, such as BrianMoynihanBlows.com and BrianTMoynihanSucks.net, will stop BofA-haters from slamming the bank's top execs and directors with a couple of very specific pejoratives. Companies have made it a practice to scoop up negative web addresses that might be used by disgruntled customers, but this domain name buy is unusual in that it focuses on BofA's directors and corporate officers rather than the corporate brand. In other BofA news, a cloud of suspense surrounds Bank of America and WikiLeaks amidst speculation that BofA may be the next target of Julian Assange.
Submission + - Licensing books
arit writes: I recently got a review copy of a book from a publisher with the following note "Evaluation copies are provided to qualified academics ... for review purposes only ... These copies are licensed and may not be sold or transferred to a third party." Has anyone heard of licensing books (as opposed to software)? If it is valid, why hasn't anyone tried this before to limit first-sale privileges?
Submission + - Computing Pioneer Thacker to Win Turing Award (wsj.com)
btcoal writes: The Wall Street Journal has a profileof Charles Thacker, of Alto fame. It reads, "The Association for Computing Machinery on Tuesday is naming Thacker the latest recipient of the A.M. Turing award, which comes with $250,000 and carries prestige akin to a Nobel Prize in the industry. Thacker is being recognized largely for the Alto, a machine developed in 1974 at Xerox’s famed Palo Alto Research Center that is often called the world’s first personal computer. The ACM is also citing Thacker’s contributions at Xerox PARC to the invention of Ethernet–the most widely used technology for local networks–as well as work on tablet-style computers since becoming a researcher at Microsoft in the 1990s.
'This guy is a real genius,' says Alan Kay, a researcher who worked with Thacker at PARC and a fellow Turing award winner. 'We don’t like to sling that word around in our field, but he is one. He is magic.'"
'This guy is a real genius,' says Alan Kay, a researcher who worked with Thacker at PARC and a fellow Turing award winner. 'We don’t like to sling that word around in our field, but he is one. He is magic.'"
Submission + - Which smartphone keyboard is the best? (pcpro.co.uk) 1
Barence writes: A debate that crops up time and again is whether it’s better to have a dedicated keyboard on your smartphone or whether an on-screen keyboard with text correction is adequate. Some phones with screen-based keyboards have started to provide tactile feedback, either using an ultra-quick spin of their vibration alert or, like the BlackBerry Storm2, using clever piezo-electric technology to simulate the feel of a button press. But which system works best? PC Pro's Paul Ockendon gathered six of the most popular handsets around and put them through a timed typing test to see which proved quickest and most typo-free.
Submission + - FBI: Suspect wanted to cyber-bomb insruance co. (networkworld.com)
coondoggie writes: Threatening e-mails, false public statements and spam were all part of a California man's cyber-extortion plan against the New York Life insurance company, according to the FBI. The FBI said it arrested Anthony Digati of Chino, California on March 6, 2010, on charges of attempting to extort approximately $200,000 — which would go to $3 million if the firm didn't comply in time — from a New York-based insurance company which was later identified as New York Life. Digati allegedly threatened to make false public statements and blast computer spam in an effort to damage the reputation of the company and cost it millions of dollars in revenue.
Submission + - HTC Google Phones Preinstalled with Malware (threatpost.com)
Trailrunner7 writes: Security researchers have found that Vodafone, one of the world's larger wireless providers, is distributing some HTC phones with malware pre-installed on them. The phone, the HTC Magic, runs the Google Android mobile operating system, and is one of the more popular handsets right now. A researcher at Panda Software received one of the handsets recently, and upon attaching it to her PC, found that the phone was pre-loaded with the Mariposa bot client. Mariposa has been in the news of late thanks to some arrests connected to the operation of the botnet.
Submission + - Cybercrooks Surpassed Old School Bankrobbers in 09 (krebsonsecurity.com)
krebsonsecurity writes: Organized cyber criminal gangs stole $25 million in the 3rd quarter alone last year, by pilfering the online bank accounts of small to midsized businesses, the FDIC reported last week. In contrast, traditional bank robbers hauled just $9.4 million in 1,184 bank robberies during that same period, according to an analysis of FBI bank crime statistics by krebsonsecurity.com. From that story: "The federal government sure publishes a lot more information about physical bank robberies that it makes available about online stick-ups. Indeed, the FBI’s bank crime stats are extraordinarily detailed. For example, they can tell you that in the 3rd quarter of last year, bank robbers were more likely to hold up their local branch between the hours of 9 a.m. and 11 a.m. on a Wednesday than at any other time or day of the week; they can tell you the number of tear gas and dye packs taken with the loot, the number of security cameras activated, the number of food stamps taken, even what percentage of suspected perpetrators had illegal drug habits at the time of the robberies. About the only thing the stats don’t tell you is what brand of jeans the perpetrators were wearing and whether the getaway car had cool vanity plates. What do we get about e-crime statistics from the federal government? One guy from the FDIC giving a speech at the RSA conference.
Submission + - Java devs spend 1/3 of their dev time on tooling 3
nerdyglasses writes: Developers don't code 8 hours a day, more like 5 hours. Out of those 5 hours the Java guys spend 1/3 on waiting for tools to complete their tasks (compiling, packaging) and also for the resulting applications to run (redeploy) — altogether turnaround cost. This is a lot of wasted time and forced context switching. Take those numbers, average pay and # of Java devs and we see money sent to /dev/null. Are the other technology stacks also so developer unfriendly? How much time is wasted in the .NET/(your fav platform) realm?
