security

NSA; The Not Secure Agency

"It's not a 'sophisticated' bypass, the NSA didn't protect databases from Database and Systems Administrators. Here's a blog article by a database security product vendor's research group about this widely known problem from January of last year. Even then, the information in the blog article was long in the tooth. This implies that everything the NSA has said about the careful auditing they do to prevent unauthorized access by employees and contractors is a joke - it's not possible when you don't take these basic precautions." Continue reading →

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Is FinCEN Leaking Your Personal Data?

"When citizens file their information with the federal government there is a law in place called the Privacy Act. This law is supposed to protect the information from disclosures. When I visited FinCEN I noticed an unusual link at the bottom labeled 'Google Privacy.' The page states 'This website utilizes Google Analytics to get aggregate metrics on website usage' and goes on to provide links to the Google privacy policy. Of course by the time you see the notice Google already has your info. If you were logged on to your personal account Google now knows you have an interest in Financial Crime networks. FinCEN provides 'opt-out' instructions but, guess what, it is too late." Continue reading →

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Paris Pickpockets Are Profiling Chinese Tourists

"Chinese visitors are descending on Paris in record numbers and their lavish spending on luxury brands has made them an irresistible target for thieves. Petty crime between January and the end of June in one of the world’s most-visited cities jumped 7.8 per cent compared with the same period in 2012 – but it was up by more than 24 per cent when it came to Chinese tourists. Jean-Francois Zhou, a tour operator based on the Champs-Elyseés, says that thieves see the hordes of Chinese as prime targets because they carry far more cash than visitors from other countries." Continue reading →

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Fargo man charged with coin theft from UPS hub

"A Fargo man has been charged in the theft from the UPS shipping center here of more than $65,000 worth of gold and silver coins being shipped by Treasure Island Coins to a customer. The first theft, which was of 20 American Eagle gold coins worth $33,797, was on April 15. The second, of 100 American Eagle silver coins worth $2,570, was on June 6. The third was six days after that. Twenty Canadian Maple Leaf gold coins worth $28,840 were stolen. Keller told police that Pulicicchio was best friends with someone who worked at UPS." Continue reading →

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Hackers who targeted media last year now targeting think tanks

"The hackers who penetrated the computer network of The New York Times last year have resurfaced with an attack on 'an organization involved in shaping economic policy,' experts warned Monday. The security firm FireEye said the original perpetrators 'appear to be mounting fresh assaults that leverage new and improved versions of malware.' Chinese officials repeatedly denied responsibility for the attacks, and since then the United States has in turn been accused of penetrating foreign networks through the spy programs revealed by leaker Edward Snowden. FireEye said it had detected 'a retooling of what security researchers believe is a massive spying operation based in China.'" Continue reading →

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A View Down The Road

"The latest versions of these GPS systems have 'real time' functionality. They can adjust route guidance to take account of accidents along your planned route, for instance. This is handy. But the same functionality can be put to other uses, too. For instance, there is no technological reason why the new Lincoln MKZ’s ability to keep abreast of the speed limit wherever you happen to be driving could not also be used to limit the speed you drive – or at least, record your failure to abide by the speed limit and perhaps report your noncompliance to the authorities. Or more likely, your insurance company. Perhaps both." Continue reading →

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Facebook won’t reward hacker who exposed security flaw in Zuckerberg’s profile

"Palestinian researcher Khalil Shreateh said on his blog he found a way for Facebook users to circumvent security and modify a user’s timeline. He said he took the unusual step of hacking into Zuckerberg’s profile after being ignored by the Facebook security team. His reward for exposing the flaw was having his Facebook account disabled. Facebook security engineer Matt Jones posted a comment Sunday on a security forum saying 'we fixed this bug on Thursday,' and admitted that 'we should have asked for additional… instructions after his initial report.'" Continue reading →

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Developer warns: Take Twitter “write access” at your own risk

"When the right individual or organization Tweets, it can have the power to move global financial markets and major economies, as well as incite mass chaos – all with a single, well-placed, 140 character missive. We’ve seen as much recently when a single Carl Icahn tweet raised Apple’s market cap by $17 billion and another by a hacked Associated Press Twitter account that caused an estimated $135 billion to evaporate from the S&P 500 Index. In an era when everyone from disgruntled teens to war-minded nations are looking for ways to inflict pain, Twitter is an increasingly attractive target." Continue reading →

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DEA Bans Security Companies, Armored Cars From Serving Pot Dispensaries

"Less than two weeks after Attorney General Eric Holderannounced plans for sweeping drug sentencing reform to help fix a 'broken system,' the Drug Enforcement Administration has ordered security and armored vehicle companies to quit serving state-legal cannabis providers, according to industry sources. Armored vehicles allow California's legal medical marijuana dispensaries a secure way to transport large amounts of cash. The services are critical, since federal authorities pressured banks and credit card companies to stop servicing the pot industry in 2011." Continue reading →

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The Best Free Ways to Send Encrypted Email and Secure Messages

"Do you need to send someone sensitive information through email? Regular email is sent 'in the clear' and therefore is subject to interception by hackers. However, there are many options for sending private, sensitive information securely through email. We have collected some links to sites providing solutions for sending secure email, secure one-time messages, and secure instant messaging, and encrypting files to send through email." Continue reading →

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