Blog Heap o'Links
Just random links galore
filed under the
Blog Heading
of
Blog Heap o'Links filed under the Blog Heading of

Digital Threat

Displaying 31 - 60 of 81
Kieren McCarthy, Register • Sat 2016 Jan 30, 8:12am

Internet anonymity should be banned and everyone required to carry the equivalent of a license plate when driving around online.

That's according to Erik Barnett, the US Department of Homeland Security's attaché to the European Union. …

Let's ban DHS instead.
Mordor Eye
War News Updates • Thu 2016 Jan 14, 11:10pm

…On Monday the Supreme Court declined to hear a petition from the Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC) that sought to force the Department of Homeland Security to release details of a secret “killswitch” protocol to shut down cellphone and internet service during emergencies. …

What could go wrong? Everything.
Kerry
Daniel Halper, Weekly Standard • Mon 2015 May 18, 7:56pm

In a speech today in South Korea, Secretary of State John Kerry said that the Internet "needs rules to be able to flourish and work properly." This, according to Kerry, is necessary even for "a technology founded on freedom." … [Doublespeak]

Sophie Jane Evans, Mail UK • Sun 2015 May 17, 9:04pm

A prominent hacker and security researcher who was kicked off a United Airlines flight last month had previously admitted to the FBI that he had taken control of a plane and made it fly sideways.

Jim Hoft, Gateway Pundit • Mon 2015 Mar 9, 10:55am

"ISIS supporters set up their own rival to Facebook called “Selafabook” recently. The social media site aims to become an alternative to Facebook and Twitter amid the crackdown against the terrorist group’s followers. …" (Middle East Eye report)

Fox News & AP • Thu 2015 Feb 26, 2:38pm

The Federal Communications Commission on Thursday adopted sweeping new regulations sought by President Obama for how Americans use and do business on the Internet… voted 3-2 to adopt its so-called net neutrality plan — a proposal that remained secret in the run-up to the final vote. …would put the Internet in the same regulatory camp as the telephone by classifying it like a public utility…

[And nothing improves service like government regulation, lots and lots of regulation.]

David Auerbach, Slate • Mon 2015 Feb 23, 7:48am

…“I can intercept the encrypted communications of SuperFish’s victims (people with Lenovo laptops) while hanging out near them at a cafe wifi hotspot.” If you have a Lenovo laptop that has Superfish on it (try Filippo Valsorda’s Superfish test to see), I would advise nothing short of wiping the entire machine and installing vanilla Windows—not Lenovo’s Windows. Then change all of your passwords.

Windows, broken
Quinn Norton in The Message • Sun 2014 May 25, 3:46pm

It’s hard to explain to regular people how much technology barely works, how much the infrastructure of our lives is held together by the IT equivalent of baling wire. Computers, and computing, are broken. … The number of people whose job it is to make software secure can practically fit in a large bar, and I’ve watched them drink. It’s not comforting….

Business Insider/Reuters • Wed 2012 Oct 10, 6:44pm

Committee Chairman Mike Rogers did not specifically identify the purported new threat nor its origin but referred several times to what he described as Iran's growing cyber espionage capabilities.

"I think they're (Iran) closer than we'd all like them to be to come in and cause trouble on our financial services networks," the Michigan Republican told a cybersecurity conference hosted by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

Seton Motley at Breitbart • Wed 2012 Sep 26, 3:22pm

The Internet Association formally threw open its doors for business Wednesday, unveiling the 14 Web companies that make up its membership (they include AOL, Amazon, Facebook, Google, LinkedIn, RackSpace and Zynga, among others)....

Its launch, and its new chief...mark a turning point on Capitol Hill.

You may have noticed these names ring a bell or two. Indeed, after you scratch off the thin layer of fresh Red paint, you find the same old Leftists, pushing the same old illegal and unpopular, failed and failing policies.

Scary O
Paul Joseph Watson, Infowars • Wed 2012 Jun 27, 5:18pm
A political website that contained stinging criticism of the Obama administration and its handling of the Fast and Furious scandal was ordered to be shut down by the Obama campaign’s ‘Truth Team’, according to private investigator Douglas Hagmann, who was told by ISP GoDaddy his site contained information that was “maliciously harmful to individuals in the government.” … Turning to his contacts within government, Hagmann then spoke with another source who confirmed that the ‘Obama Truth Team’ was responsible for the shut down order.
Dan Goodin, Ars Technica • Mon 2012 Jun 4, 10:49pm
Espionage software that was recently found targeting Iranian computers contains advanced Bluetooth capabilities, taking malware to new heights by allowing attackers to physically stalk their victims… could even surveil smartphones not infected by the malware…. With a size of 20 megabytes, Flame is a massive piece of malware whose discovery might be the security equivalent of oceanographers finding a previously unknown sea. Expect new factoids to trickle out steadily for the foreseeable future. [h/t Drudge]
Charles Arthur, guardian.co.uk • Wed 2012 May 30, 10:45am
Two Cambridge experts have discovered a "back door" in a computer chip used in military systems and aircraft such as the Boeing 787 that could allow the chip to be taken over via the internet…. will heighten concerns about the risks of cyber-attacks on sensitive installations… [after] discovery this week of the 'Flamer' virus which has been attacking computer systems in Iran, Syria and Saudi Arabia….
Chi-Com flag
The Hill • Sun 2012 May 27, 5:23pm
House lawmakers will consider an international proposal next week to give the United Nations more control over the Internet. The proposal is backed by China, Russia, Brazil, India and other UN members, and would give the UN’s International Telecommunication Union (ITU) more control over the governance of the Internet. [Um... no. FYNQ.]
Joseph S. Nye, Jr. at CNN • Wed 2012 Apr 11, 7:53pm

Mountains and oceans are hard to move, but portions of cyberspace can be turned on and off by throwing a switch. ... barriers to entry in the cyber domain are so low that non-state actors and small states can play a significant role at low cost. ... it makes little sense to speak of dominance in cyberspace. If anything, dependence on complex cyber systems for support of military and economic activities creates new vulnerabilities in large states that can be exploited by non-state actors. ... greater dependence on networked computers and communication leaves the US more vulnerable to attack than many other countries, and cyberspace has become a major source of insecurity, because, at this stage of technological development, offense prevails over defense there. ... actors are diverse (and sometimes anonymous), physical distance is immaterial, and some forms of offense are cheap. Because the Internet was designed for ease of use rather than security, attackers currently have the advantage over defenders. ... [No good conclusion to this except that "states need to sit down" to address the threat. Yeah. H/t War News Update]

Screwy Puppy • Tue 2012 Apr 3, 6:15pm

Arizona will make it possible to prosecute you for posting something offensive on the net.

A. It is unlawful for any person, with intent to terrify, intimidate, threaten, harass, annoy or offend, to use a telephone any electronic or digital device and use any obscene, lewd or profane language or suggest any lewd or lascivious act, or threaten to inflict physical harm to the person or property of any person. It is also unlawful to otherwise disturb by repeated anonymous telephone calls electronic or digital communications the peace, quiet or right of privacy of any person at the place where the telephone call or calls communications were received.

dailymail.co.uk • Fri 2011 Jul 15, 8:41pm

The Pentagon has admitted a foreign power hacked and stole 24,000 files from the United States this year forcing them to treat the internet as a warzone. The audacious theft was announced as Deputy Defense Secretary William Lynn launched a new online security strategy, which now classes cyberspace as an 'operational domain' like the sea, air and land. ... He said as part of its active defences, the Pentagon would introduce new operating concepts and capabilities on its networks, such as sensors, software and signatures to detect and stop malicious code before it affects U.S. operations. [And even though the whole herd of horses has been stolen, we are doubling the locks on the barn door!]

biggovernment.com • Tue 2011 Jul 12, 5:15pm

The Democrat Congress couldn't pass the energy sector-killing Cap & Trade? No problem, President Obama's Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) just began to implement it as if it did. The Democrat Congress couldn't pass the union-payoff, anti-free choice Employee Free Choice Act? No problem, President Obama's National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) just began to implement it as if it did. Then there is President Obama's Federal Communications Commission (FCC) — and its December 21 illegal Internet power grab executed so as to then impose the absurd Network Neutrality. The Democrat Congress couldn't pass Net Neutrality — and in fact 302 of its members were opposed to the FCC unilaterally force-feeding it to us. Please note: The FCC has zero authority over anything unless and until Congress writes a law that says "Hey FCC, do this." And as FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski readily admits, Congress has never done so with the Internet. ... The Media Marxists — the folks who are working to have the government control all news, media and communications — know this. They have moved past the "Fairness" Doctrine to other, bigger, newer forms of censorship. Mark Lloyd — a Hugo Chavez-loving Media Marxist whom the FCC hired as their inaugural "Chief Diversity Officer" — wrote a piece called "Forget the Fairness Doctrine" in which he details other ways to achieve the same silencing of the Right on the radio. But the Left is thinking long term — and that means Net Neutrality. The Godfather of the Media Marxist movement — Robert McChesney — describes Net Neutrality thusly: "(T)he ultimate goal is to get rid of the media capitalists in the phone and cable companies and to divest them from control."

cbsnews.com • Sun 2011 Jun 12, 10:14am

The New York Times reports that U.S. government funding is helping to develop and deploy "shadow" Internet and mobile phone systems to undermine repressive regimes that seek to prevent dissidents from getting their stories out to the world. [Who will help us develop such systems when our own government comes after us?]

foxnews.com • Fri 2011 Jun 10, 9:05am

Senate Bill 978, a bipartisan measure introduced last month by Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) and Sen. Christopher Coons (D-Del.), is backed by supporters who say it closes glaring loopholes in current copyright infringement law created by the realities of the digital age. ... But critics say a section of the bill provides for steep penalties -- up to five years in prison -- for "publicly performing" copyrighted material and embedding the video to sites like YouTube. "It seems like (the bill) is attacking the core of the Internet itself, which is to promote communication amongst people all over the world" ....

ft.com • Wed 2011 May 18, 9:11pm

Owners of Android smartphones are being warned to avoid public WiFi networks after researchers found a security flaw that could affect the vast majority of devices based on Google's software.

nextgov.com • Mon 2011 May 16, 11:10pm

ObamaMonday's policy outlines the moves the United States must make in partnership with allies to promote compatible, secure, reliable and unfettered information exchange. "This is a strategy that goes beyond any singular partner or agency," John Brennan, President Obama's top counterterrorism adviser, said during a formal unveiling of the framework at the White House. Academics have long warned that poor interagency collaboration and misaligned domestic and foreign cyberspace policies are hurting U.S. efforts to, among other things, cut off financial support for terrorist groups. Nabbing the groups backing, for example, suicide bombers requires balancing national security and individual online privacy. Government officials typically must trace credit card transactions, online payments, emails and other communications to understand the target's day-to-day activities.

nationaljournal.com • Sat 2011 Apr 9, 7:27pm

Even as the House voted to repeal federal Internet access rules Friday, top Democratic policymakers called free and open communications a vital part of American democracy. Speaking at Free Press's National Conference for Media Reform, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., said she was pleased by Democratic opposition to the GOP-backed resolution, which cleared the House Friday afternoon. The resolution would nullify Federal Communications Commission net neutrality regulations that aim to prevent Internet service providers from blocking certain websites. "No one should be guarding the gate on the Internet," Pelosi said. [My doublespeak dictionary is wearing out] Critics of the regulations say they unnecessarily interfere in the private market. Republicans who sponsored the House legislation argued that the FCC overstepped its authority to enact rules that aren't needed.

computerworld.com • Sat 2011 Apr 2, 6:55am

Hundreds of thousands -- and possibly millions -- of websites have been hit with a cyberattack that some are calling "one of the biggest mass-injection attacks we've ever seen."

nbcbayarea.com • Mon 2011 Mar 14, 4:40pm

Viral hoax in waiting or brilliant marketing display of the iPhone's hidden capabilities?... claims to have added a transmitter to his iPhone that allows him to take over any video screen....

dailytech.com • Mon 2011 Mar 7, 2:25pm

...[Survey] discovered that two-thirds are losing sleep to devices like computers, televisions and cell phones... poll shows that the most sleep deprived age group are those ages 13 to 18, who stay up late at night texting before falling asleep....

pcmag.com • Fri 2009 Jul 31, 11:47pm

Apple on Friday confirmed that it has issued an update to fix a security glitch on the iPhone that could have allowed hackers to disable or take over the smartphones.

breitbart.com • Thu 2009 Jun 25, 9:59am

Hackers broke into the computers of the Oregon University System and posted a message telling President Barack Obama to mind his own business and stop talking about the disputed Iranian election. The message, which asserted there was no cheating in the election, was up for 90 minutes before technicians took it down Wednesday morning. The hackers apparently took advantage of third-party software that had not been properly updated... The text, in red on a black background... [YUCK! Why not make it FLASHING as well!]

bloomberg.com • Wed 2009 Jun 24, 9:03pm

A New Jersey man described as an Internet radio talk show host and blogger was arrested for allegedly threatening to kill three U.S. Appeals Court judges in Chicago who earlier this month upheld a law banning handguns.

sciencedaily.com • Sun 2009 Jun 14, 9:05pm

"... the heat generated from laptops can impact sperm production and development making it difficult to conceive down the road."... Other tips to protect male fertility... Avoid hot tubs... [Isn't all this old news?]

Pages