books, hacking, Security technology
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Month: July 2019
courts, cryptography, historyofcryptography, privacy, Security technology, surveillance
I didn’t know that Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens “was also a cryptographer for the Navy during World War II.” He was a proponent of individual privacy. Powered by WPeMatico
identitytheft, impersonation, Security technology
Identity theft is getting more subtle: “My job application was withdrawn by someone pretending to be me“: When Mr Fearn applied for a job at the company he didn’t hear back. He said the recruitment team said they’d get back to him by Friday, but they never did. At first, he assumed he was unsuccessful, … Read More “Identity Theft on the Job Market” »
cameras, disclosure, exploits, patching, Security technology, vulnerabilities
The Zoom conferencing app has a vulnerability that allows someone to remotely take over the computer’s camera. It’s a bad vulnerability, made worse by the fact that it remains even if you uninstall the Zoom app: This vulnerability allows any website to forcibly join a user to a Zoom call, with their video camera activated, … Read More “Zoom Vulnerability” »
datacollection, foia, lawenforcement, nsa, police, privacy, Security technology, surveillance
Motherboard got its hands on Palantir’s Gotham user’s manual, which is used by the police to get information on people: The Palantir user guide shows that police can start with almost no information about a person of interest and instantly know extremely intimate details about their lives. The capabilities are staggering, according to the guide: … Read More “Palantir’s Surveillance Service for Law Enforcement” »
Security technology, squid
Cephalopod ancestors once had shells. When did they lose them? With the molecular clock technique, which allowed him to use DNA to map out the evolutionary history of the cephalopods, he found that today’s cuttlefish, squids and octopuses began to appear 160 to 100 million years ago, during the so-called Mesozoic Marine Revolution. During the … Read More “Friday Squid Blogging: When the Octopus and Squid Lost Their Shells” »
books, ch2ke, Security technology
In Click Here to Kill Everybody, I promised clickable endnotes. They’re finally available. Powered by WPeMatico
blockchain, cryptography, encryption, nationalsecuritypolicy, quantumcomputing, Security technology
At least one presidential candidate has a policy about quantum computing and encryption. It has two basic planks. One: fund quantum-resistant encryption standards. (Note: NIST is already doing this.) Two, fund quantum computing. (Unlike many far more pressing computer security problems, the market seems to be doing this on its own quite nicely.) Okay, so … Read More “Presidential Candidate Andrew Yang Has Quantum Encryption Policy” »
firmware, humor, internetofthings, Security technology
If you need to reset the software in your GE smart light bulb — firmware version 2.8 or later — just follow these easy instructions: Start with your bulb off for at least 5 seconds. Turn on for 8 seconds Turn off for 2 seconds Turn on for 8 seconds Turn off for 2 seconds … Read More “Resetting Your GE Smart Light Bulb” »
advancedpersistentthreats, china, fraud, hacking, ibm, intelligence, malware, Security technology, theft
Reuters has a long article on the Chinese government APT attack called Cloud Hopper. It was much bigger than originally reported. The hacking campaign, known as “Cloud Hopper,” was the subject of a U.S. indictment in December that accused two Chinese nationals of identity theft and fraud. Prosecutors described an elaborate operation that victimized multiple … Read More “Details of the Cloud Hopper Attacks” »