Bruce Schneier Interviews the Head of the TSA

Bruce has some very good pointed questions that the head of the TSA mostly doesn’t answer. What a shame. In five parts: Bruce Schneier interviews head of the TSA Tags:

Huge Bust – Mod Chippers Go Down

This story makes me a little sad. It’s true that Mod Chips generally allow you to play downloaded and burned music, but they also allow the very important ability to play import games and backup discs. There’s no reason someone shouldn’t be able to play a backup copy and keep the real game in pristine condition and there’s no reason at all that these dummy hardware manufacturers should limit what language game we should be able to play. Why on earth would they limit their market like that. It just makes no sense to me. Anyway, a bunch of mod chippers got raided, but it does say they were busted for primarily selling pirated games. The article makes it sound like the mod chips themselves were illegal, but they aren’t.

DRM Scorecard – Hackers 1000, Industry 0

I wonder how much money these companies spend to create DRM that gets broken by content fans in just a few days. Anyway, it's clear that DRM is not a good investment. (H/T to slashdot for the link)

Bush, “I Need MOR POWA!!!” Wants to Revise FISA

Bush is pressuring congress to give him more authority by amending FISA. I just can't take this anymore. Someone please tell me that even if congress won't impeach him, he'll see the inside of a jail cell sometime after his "presidency". JTAG ERROR: No privacyorg_ht index defined Tags:

Calling for Accountability of the Federal Trade Commission

If you didn't already know, I'm pretty mad at the FTC. Though ID theft has been the top consumer complaint for the last 6 years running, though they have put a large amount of resources into their consumer education campaign (on their anti-ID theft website for example), though the chairwoman of the FTC, Deborah Platt Majoras, co-chaired the Presidential ID Theft Taskforce, they have completely failed to educate customers about Credit Security Freezes. I sent a member of the FTC's media relations department an e-mail requesting to know how the FTC is doing their job if they won't promote credit freezes, but, of course, I got no reply. Therefore, I'm going to see what happens if I contact the Government Accountability Office instead. Their job is to report any agency that is wasting tax-payer money right? So this should be right up their alley. Here's the e-mail I sent them:
To whom it may concern, I am a computer security professional who has worked to bring more attention to the ID theft issue and viable solutions to the problem. I have long been frustrated that the Federal Trade Commission has failed to propose or recommend the one most valuable tool in combating ID theft that there is. Credit Security Freezes, which have been enacted in many states, allow customers to lock their credit files under a special code or password that only the consumer knows. Once frozen, anyone who would attempt ID theft (in situations that require a credit check) would fail no matter how much of the consumer's personal information that the thief has. Freezes are fast, simple, effective, low cost, and provide peace of mind. The only people who don't want to see this in action are the credit reporting companies themselves who make millions by selling the information they gather to as many people as they can, thief or otherwise. But the question wasn't "how can we keep credit reporting company's profit lines intact", it's "how can we curb or eliminate ID theft". My point in contacting you is that the FTC is well aware of how important Freezes are, but does not include much (if any) information on them on the FTC's website or in their training and public education efforts. Further, the presidential ID theft task force co-chaired by the chairwoman of the FTC included a very small negatively worded summary of Freezes as being something that would be more likely to "inconvenience the consumer". The FTC is wasting millions of dollars, wasting our time, and not doing their job by ignoring this simple solution to what has been the top consumer complaint for the last 6 years (and counting). Please let me know if your agency has authority to call them to task for their unconscionable waste of money and efforts and, if not, please let me know who does. Thank you for your time. Jeremy Duffy CISSP
2007 Oct 09 No response. Not that I'm surprised.

FTC Seeks Comments on Use of Social Security Numbers

I wonder if it will do any good this time, but the FTC is requesting comments on how SSNs tie into ID theft. I wasn't too excited by the results of their last attempt to seek comments.
Yes, I know that I'm complaining about the ID Theft Task force and not the FTC directly, but the head of the FTC was the co-chair of the task force so I'm going to lump them together. So there.
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E-Voting Still Not Working

California did an audit on three of the major e-voting products and found them all to be seriously lacking. To keep a long story short, my view on this is simply: how does a company release products this bad for something this important and not expect it to blow up in their face? Every state that has used these machines should sue Diabold etc.

Children are ID Theft Victims Too

In case you haven’t been paying attention, kids are just as likely to be ID theft victims as adults, even more so. Because they don’t have any regular financial activity and no one would ever think to get a credit report for their kids (since they shouldn’t have one), the theft can go on for much longer without detection. Tags: , ,

The 12 Kinds of Ads – Know Their Tricks so You Don’t Fall For Them

It's interesting how knowing the basic purpose behind the ad can help you prevent any manipulative attempts they make. It's a lot like watching a horror movie with the sound off. You completely destroy the maker's ability to control your response. Be sure to check the link for the commentary and sample ads, but here's the abbreviated version:
  1. The "Demo" – The only purpose of this ad is to show you how a product is used.
  2. The "Demonstrate the problem" – Shows you a problem or need and the solution (their product of course).
  3. The "Problem Analogy" – An exagerated demonstration of the problem. Example: someone who has turned into a giant nose (alergies) who then becomes normal after taking medication.
  4. The "Comparison" – Explaining why their product is better than a competitor's.
  5. The "Exemplary Story" – Tells a story about a situation where you'd need their product. Think Onstar (who I hate for this reason)
  6. The "Benefit Causes Story" – Because of a product feature, a funny or interesting story happens. Usually, the event happens and the product benefit is the punchline. Example: street is crowded, riot police show up, national guard comes in, but it's just because everyone is checking out the new Lexus parked there.
  7. The "Testimonial" – A "friend" or demonstrator says why they use/recommend this product.
  8. The "Ongoing Character/Celebrity" – Think Mr. Clean, The Kool Aid Man, and the author's favorite (one of mine too), the Geico Cavemen
  9. The "Benefit Analogy" – Like the problem analogy, but the exaggerated picture or situation is related to the benefit this time. Example, mosquito repellant demonstrated by laser guided turrets protecting your lawn area by shooting down incoming insects.
  10. The "Associated User Imagry" – Show people that you want to be like with your product. Sports sponsors generally fit this profile. "Be like Mike, just do it! Nike."
  11. The "Unique Personality Property" – Demonstrates something unique about THIS particular product that makes it stand out from competitors. Now this one makes perfect sense. Entire marketing campaigns have been launched on a single feature that makes something stand out.
  12. The "Parody or Borrowed Format" – Making fun of another ad, situation, TV or Movie.
I would add one to the list though:
  1. The "Doesn't mean anything" – There's no point to this commercial other than to be comical and make you have positive feelings about the brand. Think, Taco Bell Chihuahua.
(H/T to The Consumerist for the link)

The State of Airline Security From the Pilot’s Perspective

Almost six years after 9/11, it is inexcusable that — in an environment where TSA misses more than 90% of weapons, RON [aircraft left unattended and unlocked at night] aircraft are not secured, and ground employees are not screened — fewer than 2% of our airliners have a team of armed pilots aboard, fewer than 5% have air marshals, and the flight attendants have no mandatory tactical or behavioral assessment training. $24 billion dollars later, we are not materially safer, except in the areas of intelligence that prevent an attack from getting to an airport. Once at the airport, there is little reason to believe the attack won’t succeed.
Well said. Be sure to read the full thing which has a stinging review of the TSA's failed efforts to make airlines more secure. Keep in mind that this guy is the president of the Airline Pilots Security Alliance and he knows what he's talking about. JTAG ERROR: No schneier_ht index defined Tags: ,

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How to Avoid Bogus Websites

There are bogus websites out there hoping you'll hit them by accident or using phishing to trick you into coming to them. Learn my simple trick to avoid these sites!

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Online Addiction

Concerned about online addiction? You should be. Learn the types, the signs, and the preventions.

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The Consequences of Posting Online

It's fun to post online. What you think, what you feel. But words typed and posted on the Internet can come back to bite you more than anything you could say with your mouth.

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Tricks and Scams

Just because you won't willing give up data doesn't mean that I can't trick you out of it. Don't fall for these well known tricks!

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Account Creation Tips

When you create an account with an online site, you should know a few things first.

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Account Hijacking

One of the newest threats we face is the risk of someone getting control of your online account and using it against you and the people you know. Do everything you can to prevent that from happening!

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Using HTTPS For Secure Login and Payment Online

Making online accounts is useful and fun, but doesn't mean much if someone can capture your login information and use it against you. Make sure to use this simple trick to prevent that from happening.

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