Life On the Wicked Stage: Act 2

The Bush Cyber Secrets Paradox

This is a real humdinger. The Bush Administration has a lot of our cash to burn (some $30 billion) on protecting the country's cyber infrastructure from attacks and the bad guys. But they need the private sector's help in doing so. The corporate chieftains aren't too thrilled with the Bush Administration's incessant secrecy and are understandably a bit hesitant. They are asking for transparency.

Might as well ask for the truth. Won't get either. In any event, this is an interesting read on Forbes.

UK Looses Data On Almost Half Its Population

Wow. Apparently this happened over the Thanksgiving Day holiday but I just heard about it on The Red Tape Chronicles. What is being called the worst data loss in the Information Age happened in the UK when hard drives containing data on families that receive a government child benefit were lost. It gets better, or worse depending on how you look at it. The data also contained bank account numbers. The disks were apparently lost in transit. Records on over 25 million were lost.

Ouch.

TSA Experimenting With Checking All Your Gadgets

So, I'm wondering if this was what President Bush had in mind when he was talking about trying to improve the snarls at airports ahead of the Thanksgiving Day weekend?

At the Cincinnati/Kentucky airport they are experimenting with making passengers empty all of their electronic gadgets out before heading through the X-Ray machines. You pull it out, but it in the bin, and send it through. Sounds simple, but I don't think so. I think it sounds like more headaches ahead.

Via The Consumerist

Technorati Tags: TSA

The Chinese Hacked SecDef's Computer

CyberWars. The Financial Times is reporting that China's People's Liberation Army continues to hack away at US military (and other) computers, and this time they got into one used by the Secretary of Defense. New battlefields.

Apple Patents DRM For Power Chargers

According to this article on Ars Technica, Apple has filed a patent for a method of combating iPod (and presumably iPhone) theft. It is kind of like a DRM for chargers. Apparently the way it works is that your device would be tied to a specific charger, so if it was stolen once the battery drains, it isn't of much use. If you try to use a different charger the recharging mechanism would be disabled.

The patent makes provisions for third party chargers, but I still think it is on shaky ground with the potential for more bugs than benefit.

Step Away From The Camera...

So the Department of Homeland Security as this list of "sensitive" government buildings that you can't photograph see. But the list is top secret and we can't tell you which buildings you can't photograph. So, you might be snapping a picture with one of these top secret buildings in the background you're up a creek without a paddle.

Joseph Heller must be smiling somewhere.

Via BoingBoing

Now We Have Ransom-Ware

We've got CRAPWARE, Spyware, AdWare, Trojans, Worms, Viri, Rookits and all sorts of other bad stuff out there. Now add to it Ransom-Ware. Apparently this beast encrypts all your data and demands a ransom. It appears to be targeted and specific. The US Department of Transportation was caught up, along with a list of corporations that you can find here.

Yikes.

2.3 Million Consumer Records Stolen

So a Fidelity National Information Services broker sells off 2.3 million records of consumer finanicial data. Of course he's been fired. I'm thinking we ought to have a more creative justice system for things like this. Certainly the guy will do time, but I"m thinking that when we do bust these kind of criminals they should be the one's who have to clean up the mess they made. How long would it take? Who cares. 

Via MSNBC

Google and Terror

You just knew it was going to happen sooner or later. Google Maps or Google Earth was going to get caught up in a terror plot somehow. And no, I'm not talking about the terror someone might feel when they see themselves unexpectedly on Google Street View. Apparently the JFK pipeline plotters were using Google Earth to case the deal.

Here's the next move in the game. The Feds will want Google's search data. No, wait. They already want that.

Via The Smoking Gun

Google Street View: Where Is That Candid Camera?

Xeni Jardin at BoingBoing asks the question would we be more or less bothered about the news of Google's Street View if those doing the viewing were the CIA or NSA? Hello. Been happening for awhile. Drive down an Interstate lately? Folks who have been using that technology just don't need to broadcast about it to gain a bounce for their investors. Just another in a long line of technology advances as Google prepares to take over the world if you ask me. As much as this makes me feel a little exposed, I am sure we are going to see lots more revealing uses of this kind of thing in the months to come.