Category: privacy

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Bulk Surveillance of Money Transfers

Posted on By infossl
law enforcement, national security policy, privacy, Security technology, surveillance, Uncategorized

Just another obscure warrantless surveillance program. US law enforcement can access details of money transfers without a warrant through an obscure surveillance program the Arizona attorney general’s office created in 2014. A database stored at a nonprofit, the Transaction Record Analysis Center (TRAC), provides full names and amounts for larger transfers (above $500) sent between … Read More “Bulk Surveillance of Money Transfers” »

The FBI Identified a Tor User

Posted on By infossl
dark web, de-anonymization, fbi, hacking, nsa, privacy, Security technology, surveillance, tor, Uncategorized

No details, though: According to the complaint against him, Al-Azhari allegedly visited a dark web site that hosts “unofficial propaganda and photographs related to ISIS” multiple times on May 14, 2019. In virtue of being a dark web site—­that is, one hosted on the Tor anonymity network—­it should have been difficult for the site owner’s … Read More “The FBI Identified a Tor User” »

Threats of Machine-Generated Text

Posted on By infossl
academic papers, ChatGPT, machine learning, privacy, Security technology, threat models, Uncategorized

With the release of ChatGPT, I’ve read many random articles about this or that threat from the technology. This paper is a good survey of the field: what the threats are, how we might detect machine-generated text, directions for future research. It’s a solid grounding amongst all of the hype. Machine Generated Text: A Comprehensive … Read More “Threats of Machine-Generated Text” »

Experian Privacy Vulnerability

Posted on By infossl
identification, identity theft, impersonation, privacy, Security technology, Uncategorized

Brian Krebs is reporting on a vulnerability in Experian’s website: Identity thieves have been exploiting a glaring security weakness in the website of Experian, one of the big three consumer credit reporting bureaus. Normally, Experian requires that those seeking a copy of their credit report successfully answer several multiple choice questions about their financial history. … Read More “Experian Privacy Vulnerability” »

Security Vulnerabilities in Eufy Cameras

Posted on By infossl
cameras, lies, privacy, Security technology, surveillance, Uncategorized, vulnerabilities

Eufy cameras claim to be local only, but upload data to the cloud. The company is basically lying to reporters, despite being shown evidence to the contrary. The company’s behavior is so egregious that ReviewGeek is no longer recommending them. This will be interesting to watch. If Eufy can ignore security researchers and the press … Read More “Security Vulnerabilities in Eufy Cameras” »

The Decoupling Principle

Posted on By infossl
academic papers, anonymity, authentication, privacy, pseudonymity, Security technology, Uncategorized

This is a really interesting paper that discusses what the authors call the Decoupling Principle: The idea is simple, yet previously not clearly articulated: to ensure privacy, information should be divided architecturally and institutionally such that each entity has only the information they need to perform their relevant function. Architectural decoupling entails splitting functionality for … Read More “The Decoupling Principle” »

Computer Repair Technicians Are Stealing Your Data

Posted on By infossl
computer security, privacy, Security technology, Uncategorized

Laptop technicians routinely violate the privacy of the people whose computers they repair: Researchers at University of Guelph in Ontario, Canada, recovered logs from laptops after receiving overnight repairs from 12 commercial shops. The logs showed that technicians from six of the locations had accessed personal data and that two of those shops also copied … Read More “Computer Repair Technicians Are Stealing Your Data” »

Apple’s Device Analytics Can Identify iCloud Users

Posted on By infossl
apple, cloud computing, courts, identification, ios, privacy, Security technology, tracking, Uncategorized

Researchers claim that supposedly anonymous device analytics information can identify users: On Twitter, security researchers Tommy Mysk and Talal Haj Bakry have found that Apple’s device analytics data includes an iCloud account and can be linked directly to a specific user, including their name, date of birth, email, and associated information stored on iCloud. Apple … Read More “Apple’s Device Analytics Can Identify iCloud Users” »

NSA Over-surveillance

Posted on By infossl
nsa, privacy, Security technology, surveillance, Uncategorized

Here in 2022, we have a newly declassified 2016 Inspector General report—”Misuse of Sigint Systems”—about a 2013 NSA program that resulted in the unauthorized (that is, illegal) targeting of Americans. Given all we learned from Edward Snowden, this feels like a minor coda. There’s nothing really interesting in the IG document, which is heavily redacted. … Read More “NSA Over-surveillance” »

Using Wi-FI to See through Walls

Posted on By infossl
academic papers, drones, privacy, Security technology, surveillance, Uncategorized, Wi-Fi

This technique measures device response time to determine distance: The scientists tested the exploit by modifying an off-the-shelf drone to create a flying scanning device, the Wi-Peep. The robotic aircraft sends several messages to each device as it flies around, establishing the positions of devices in each room. A thief using the drone could find … Read More “Using Wi-FI to See through Walls” »