OnStar To Spy On People
OnStar is apparently hoping to create a new revenue stream by collecting data about the movements of OnStar-equipped cars. Obviously, this data set will be more comprehensive—and, therefore, more lucrative—if it includes data from former OnStar subscribers .... [Click here to read the rest of this post]4th Amendment Summary by the EFF
You can't use rights you don't know about or don't understand. The Electronic Frontier Foundation has posted a summary of your 4th amendment rights to deny the government permission to search you or your belongings (digital or otherwise).
It's good to know what you can and can't .... [Click here to read the rest of this post]
Tags: 4th Amendment, Cellphones, EFF, Police, Your RightsCitibank Unable to Afford Secure Web Design
When I teach, I explain how most of the breaches and problems you hear in the world aren't about clever hackers or sophisticated attackers, but instead about weak security. This has just become my new go-to example.
Basically after you logged into your account as a Citi customer, the URL contained a code identifying your account. All you had to do was change .... [Click here to read the rest of this post]China Forcing Prisoners to Play Video Games for Money
I've always thought that prisoners should be made to work to support themselves and others. Maybe the Chinese have hit on something with this:
"Prison bosses made more money forcing inmates to play games than they do forcing people to do manual labour," Liu told the Guardian. "There were 300 prisoners forced to play games. We .... [Click here to read the rest of this post]TSA Nude Scanners Coming To American Malls
So…
Wait.
What now?
A Yahoo article says that because women's cloths sizing is hard, they're going to nude scan them to figure out what they can wear. Seriously!?
Ms. Shaw, the entrepreneur, is chief executive of a company called MyBestFit that addresses the problem. It is setting up kiosks in malls to offer a free 20-second full-body .... [Click here to read the rest of this post]
RFID Chips in Hotel Towels
As anyone who reads much of my site knows, I'm not a fan of how RFID is being implemented. However, I'm not against the technology itself as it has many practical uses. For example, some hotels have begun putting washable RFID in the towels and bathrobes to keep people from stealing them.
Since the RFID towels have no privacy invading purpose at all and serve .... [Click here to read the rest of this post]
Tags: Big Business, Hotels, RFID, TheftPS3 Versus the World
Sony has been going crazy trying to keep clever users from unlocking the PS3 to run homebrew (like the Wii hack which I love!).
First of all, companies are trying everything they can, but in the end it won't amount to much. Consider that all it takes is one person anywhere in the world to figure out the encryption codes (not the real name, but .... [Click here to read the rest of this post]
Tags: Big Business, Gaming, Homebrew, PS3, SonyUK Immigration Officer Put Wife on No-Fly List
This is awesome terrible. Apparently a UK immigration officer added his wife to the no-fly list when she was out of country effectively stranding her.
Based on the lack of details and the fact that she could have just taken a ferry not an airplane, this story doesn't really seem that likely, but it's making the rounds and the most important issue here is that .... [Click here to read the rest of this post]
Tags: Accountability, No-Fly List, TSAWikileaks Prepares; Bank of America Panics
I'm fairly ambivalent about the whole Wikileaks issue. I've long been a supporter of whistleblowing in general as companies and the governement should be held accountable for abuses and wrong-doing and often it's only fully public scandals that allow that to happen (though sometimes not even then).
Anyway, as to whether Wikileaks has done anything wrong, one must first ask if there was anything posted .... [Click here to read the rest of this post]
Tags: Bank of America, Banks, Easter eggs, Money, WikileaksResearchers Steal Cars With Wireless Ignition
If you read this site much, you probably know I have a "guilty till proven innocent" attitude when it comes to new technology, particularly wireless technology. That's why it's no surprise to me (and hopefully no surprise to you), that they've discovered they can break into and steal cars that use wireless entry and ignition.
Tags: Keyless Entry, Keyless Ignition, Oops, Physical Security