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immune system diseases, TSA, false positives
by Major Variola (ret) 20 Oct '04

20 Oct '04

An immune system is a great thing until it attacks the self. In part this can be due to the limited size of recognized motifs. For instance, the string "David Nelson" triggers the TSA goons. If you add the phonetic-similarity recognition (required when you transcode arabic names), the matching string-set grows even larger. Any reports from Dave Nelsohns out there? At work the IT-dept-installed AV software on my PC found a virus. Only it was an object file I had just cross-compiled, for an obscure Freescale (nee Motorola) CPU. It promptly notified me and moved my binary. Breaking my build. Costing the company my time, and another engineer's to resolve it. By suppressing the immune system, at least in one region; the cornea is readily transplanted because the immune system can't touch it. I suppose anyone who's pregnancy has been endangered by Rh incompatability knows the dangers of friend or foe vigilance. Interesting security parable, I thought, anyway. ........ Another case: Bush campaigning in FLA. His security parade prevents my folks, living there, from voting, that day. (One of many states with early voting, now.) The irony overwhelms. "Terrorists are the only true avant-garde artists because they're the only ones who are still capable of really surprising people." ---Laurie Anderson (official artist of NASA..)

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RF stories
by Major Variola (ret) 20 Oct '04

20 Oct '04

Read a story about some college student whose plasma TV was emitting quite a lot of 121.5 MHz. He got a nice visit from S&R & Sheriffs types telling him to shut his TV off. Or else. 121.5 is a satellite-received distress freq. Toshiba will send him a new TV for free. Chatting with an Aussie from work. He was surprised that I knew what Pine Hills, where his dad worked, was. He told me a story about working there as a kid, painting a fence. The wind took his and his friend's hats flying towards some antennae, he went chasing. The Italian supervisor was very distressed when he returned to the fence. Gesticulated towards the antennae, then the ground, went "boom". Nice field there, apparently, when it was on. I wonder if it was a 'roo or a staffer who first found this out. I explained that the NSA was the Adversary, so We monitored Them; he was surprised, thought it was the Russkies. But he's a bit of a republican-yokel. I explained Little Sister vs. Big Brother; who had the $ and acres of computers (etc), and that Technical Means is Technical Means, regardless of your politics. Also mentioned that terraserver.microsoft.com recently added "urban area" pix, so you can see in full color the cars in your 'hood early morning last spring. Why UBL doesn't use his sat phone, fibre optics hurt but WiFi is great, or not, and in any case if the CounterIntel folks at the FBI and CIA go for under $2mill it really doesn't matter much anyway. Got Keyloggers?

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stealth
by Major Variola (ret) 20 Oct '04

20 Oct '04

Various ways to stego pharmaceuticals: http://www.usdoj.gov/dea/programs/forensicsci/microgram/bulletins_index.html

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Get Out Of Jail Freeree
by R.A. Hettinga 20 Oct '04

20 Oct '04

<http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/1020041forge1.html> The Smoking Gun Get Out Of Jail Freeree Indiana man charged with forging court records in escape bid OCTOBER 20--Meet Jared Bailey. The 20-year-old Indiana man was locked up in a Bloomington jail when he recently hatched a unique escape plot, investigators allege. Jailed on felony forgery and theft charges--and being held on $100,000 bond--Bailey fabricated court documents ostensibly dropping his bond to $500, according to a probable cause affidavit. A supposed Monroe Circuit Court order, which included the signatures of a judge and clerk, recounted a September 29 pretrial hearing during which Judge Douglas Bridges drastically cut Bailey's bond. However, Bailey's gambit failed when a friend on the outside mistakenly faxed the phony court order (and an accompanying docket sheet) to Monroe County Correctional Center, where officials were immediately suspicious of the documents. It surely didn't help that the material--apparently fashioned in Bailey's jail cell--was faxed from a nearby Kinko's and, on one line of the order, the county was spelled "MONROEROE." For his efforts, Bailey was hit with a few more felonies and had his bond boosted to $250,000. (5 pages) -- ----------------- R. A. Hettinga <mailto: rah(a)ibuc.com> The Internet Bearer Underwriting Corporation <http://www.ibuc.com/> 44 Farquhar Street, Boston, MA 02131 USA "... however it may deserve respect for its usefulness and antiquity, [predicting the end of the world] has not been found agreeable to experience." -- Edward Gibbon, 'Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire'

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test [3]
by Riad S. Wahby 20 Oct '04

20 Oct '04

This is another test. Please disregard. -- Riad S. Wahby rsw(a)jfet.org

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test [2]
by Riad S. Wahby 20 Oct '04

20 Oct '04

This is another test; hopefully it's the last one. Sorry for the trouble. -- Riad S. Wahby rsw(a)jfet.org

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Berkeley Hack Yields 1.4 Million SSNs
by R.A. Hettinga 20 Oct '04

20 Oct '04

<http://www.informationweek.com/shared/printableArticle.jhtml?articleID=5090…> Break-In At Berkeley May Have Compromised Data Of 1.4 Million Californians State officials say it's not clear if names and Social Security numbers were accessed or stolen but urge individuals to take precautions against identity theft. By Thomas Claburn, InformationWeek Oct. 20, 2004 URL: http://www.informationweek.com/story/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=50900249 California state officials revealed Tuesday that in August a hacker broke into a University of California, Berkeley, computer containing a database with the names and Social Security numbers of some 1.4 million Californians. Carlos Ramos, assistant secretary at the California Health and Human Services Agency, said the breach occurred on Aug. 1 but wasn't detected until the end of the month. It was reported to the state Sept. 21. He confirmed that the California Highway Patrol and the Federal Bureau of Investigation are pursuing the incident and that the hacker has not been found. He also stressed that it has not been determined whether the information in the database on the compromised system was actually accessed or stolen. "Really, this announcement is a precautionary measure," he says. The database in question contained the names, addresses, Social Security numbers, and dates of birth of caregivers and care recipients participating in California's In-Home Supportive Services (IHSS) program since 2001. The data was being used in a UC Berkeley study of the effect of wages on in-home care and was obtained with authorization from the California Department of Social Services. The Social Services Department is urging IHSS participants to follow the recommendations of the Office of Privacy Protection, which include contacting the three major credit bureaus in order to review their credit reports for signs of identity theft and related fraud. UC Berkeley officials were not immediately available for comment. "It's a bit ironic," says Jonathan Bingham, president of Intrusic Inc., a security software company focused on internal threats. "The same thing happened to UC Berkeley back in 1998. What it highlights are a couple of factors that are inherently flawed within the industry and within the security profile of not just UC Berkeley but all of the organizations that are out there today." The university's approach to security is focused too much on keeping unauthorized intruders out and not enough on policing the actions of users deemed by the system to be legitimate, Bingham contends. He points to the fact that the intruder operated for a month before being detected as a sign that those with access need to be watched more closely. "UC Berkeley has a fairly open network, as most universities do," he says. "They want to give access to as many people as possible, especially in their research network. When you start introducing confidential information into open network settings, you need to have a better ability to detect compromises." -- ----------------- R. A. Hettinga <mailto: rah(a)ibuc.com> The Internet Bearer Underwriting Corporation <http://www.ibuc.com/> 44 Farquhar Street, Boston, MA 02131 USA "... however it may deserve respect for its usefulness and antiquity, [predicting the end of the world] has not been found agreeable to experience." -- Edward Gibbon, 'Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire'

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Certicom Hosts First Annual ECC Conference
by R.A. Hettinga 20 Oct '04

20 Oct '04

<http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=109&STORY=/www/story/10-2…> Certicom Hosts First Annual ECC Conference Industry experts, the creators of ECC and users convene in Toronto to discuss best practices and growing adoption of Elliptic Curve Cryptography MISSISSAUGA, ON, Oct. 20 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ - Certicom Corp. (TSX: CIC), the authority for strong, efficient cryptography, today announced it will host the Certicom ECC Conference 2004, the first-ever conference that brings together Elliptic Curve Cryptography researchers, industry experts and users. During the two-day conference, participants from North America, Europe and Asia will discuss the growing adoption of ECC and share best implementation practices and insights for future applications. The conference begins with an evening reception on November 15 with sessions running November 16-17 at the Four Seasons Hotel in Toronto, Canada. Keynote speakers include Mike Lazaridis, president and co-CEO of Research In Motion, and Dr. Scott Vanstone, Certicom founder and EVP strategic technology. Also participating are Norm Kern, Unisys; Dr. Jerry Krasner of Embedded Market Forecasters; Herb Little, Research In Motion; Dr. Ralph Merkle, Georgia Tech; and Dr. Leon Pintsov, Pitney Bowes. During the conference, Certicom will present recognition awards to ECC creators Dr. Neal Koblitz, University of Washington and Dr. Victor Miller, Institute for Defense Analyses Center for Communication Research, as well as an ECC visionary award to Dr. Walt Davis, Motorola (retired). ECC, which is often referred to as the next-generation public-key cryptography system, is used in a growing number of sectors ranging from consumer electronics, wireless devices and semiconductors to government and financial services. Specifically, its implementations protect content, securely transmit data and digitally sign documents. The small size of ECC is a main driver behind its growing adoption. It provides equivalent security to competing public-key cryptosystems but at a fraction of the size, making it ideally suited for resource-constrained devices such as smart phones, semiconductors and smart cards. Software developers, hardware engineers, and anyone responsible for buying or implementing cryptographic systems will benefit from this conference and the free exchange of practical ideas and real-world lessons. They also will gain insights into future applications of ECC, including standards and protocols. "This conference is a dynamic forum for ECC proponents to get together and engage in open discussions about the technology: its roots, how it is used today and where it's going," said Scott Vanstone. "We've pulled together a stellar roster of the who's who in the ECC world and representatives from some of North America's leading companies. This conference promises to advance the understanding of ECC and accelerate its adoption." To register or for more information, visit http://www.certicom.com/conference2004/registration . About Certicom Certicom Corp. (TSX:CIC) is the authority for strong, efficient cryptography required by software vendors and device manufacturers to embed security in their products. Adopted by the US Government's National Security Agency (NSA), Certicom technologies for Elliptic Curve Cryptography (ECC) provide the most security per bit of any known public key scheme, making it ideal for constrained environments. Certicom products and services are currently licensed to more than 300 customers including Motorola, Oracle, Research In Motion, Terayon, Texas Instruments and Unisys. Founded in 1985, Certicom is headquartered in Mississauga, ON, Canada, with offices in Ottawa, ON; Reston, VA; San Mateo, CA; and London, England. Visit http://www.certicom.com . Certicom, Certicom Security Architecture, Certicom CodeSign, Security Builder, Security Builder Middleware, Security Builder API, Security Builder Crypto, Security Builder SSL, Security Builder PKI, and Security Builder GSE are trademarks or registered trademarks of Certicom Corp. Intel is registered trademarks of Intel Corporation or its subsidiaries in the United States and other countries. All other companies and products listed herein are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders. Except for historical information contained herein, this news release contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. Actual results may differ materially. Factors that might cause a difference include, but are not limited to, those relating to the acceptance of mobile and wireless devices and the continued growth of e-commerce and m-commerce, the increase of the demand for mutual authentication in m-commerce transactions, the acceptance of Elliptic Curve Cryptography (ECC) technology as an industry standard, the market acceptance of our principal products and sales of our customer's products, the impact of competitive products and technologies, the possibility of our products infringing patents and other intellectual property of fourth parties, and costs of product development. Certicom will not update these forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date hereof. More detailed information about potential factors that could affect Certicom's financial results is included in the documents Certicom files from time to time with the Canadian securities regulatory authorities. SOURCE Certicom Corp. More news from PR Newswire... Issuers of news releases and not PR Newswire are solely responsible for the accuracy of the content. Terms and conditions, including restrictions on redistribution, apply. Copyright ) 1996-2004 PR Newswire Association LLC. All Rights Reserved. A United Business Media company. -- ----------------- R. A. Hettinga <mailto: rah(a)ibuc.com> The Internet Bearer Underwriting Corporation <http://www.ibuc.com/> 44 Farquhar Street, Boston, MA 02131 USA "... however it may deserve respect for its usefulness and antiquity, [predicting the end of the world] has not been found agreeable to experience." -- Edward Gibbon, 'Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire'

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Technology Review: Ari Juels of RSA "Top Young Innovator" for RFID Blocker Tag
by R.A. Hettinga 20 Oct '04

20 Oct '04

<http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=109&STORY=/www/story/10-1…> RSA Security CEO Art Coviello Awarded Top Honors from New England Business and Technology Association Dr. Ari Juels of RSA Laboratories also recognized as one of the world's Top Young Innovators by MIT's Technology Review Magazine BEDFORD, Mass., Oct. 19 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- RSA Security Inc. (Nasdaq: RSAS) today announced that it has been awarded top honors by two leading technology organizations - the New England Business and Technology Association (NEBATA), and the Technology Review, MIT's Magazine of Innovation. Art Coviello, president and chief executive officer at RSA Security, was recognized with a New England Business and Technology Award for his significant impact in developing and deploying technologies that have addressed critical business issues, while at the same time, contributing to the prosperity of New England. RSA Laboratories' director and chief scientist, Dr. Burt Kaliski, was awarded this honor in 2003. "The New England Business and Technology Awards program recognizes New England business and technology leaders who have made significant strides in the development, deployment or utilization of technology," said Thomas Hopcroft, president, NEBATA. "We are proud to recognize Mr. Coviello for his contributions to the New England business community." Under his direction and leadership, Coviello has been instrumental in establishing RSA Security as an industry leader in information security, increasing its customer base to more than 15,000 organizations around the globe, and company revenue from $25 million in 1995, to $259 million in 2003. Coviello is also an established authority on industry and national cyber security issues, consumer identity protection, and necessary steps to enable further Internet innovation. "I am honored to be recognized by NEBATA for our accomplishments as both an industry-leading identity and access management solutions provider, but also for our healthy increase in both revenue and workforce, including those employed at our headquarters in New England," said Coviello. "Recognition from this prestigious organization proves that we're making great progress in important areas, and setting a more positive tone for the information security industry as a whole." In addition to Coviello's honors last week, Technology Review, MIT's Magazine of Innovation, recently named Dr. Ari Juels, RSA Laboratories' principal research scientist and manager of Applied Research, to the 2004 list of the world's 100 Top Young Innovators. Chosen by the editors of Technology Review and an elite panel of judges, the TR100 consists of 100 individuals under age 35 whose innovative work in technology has created a profound impact. "In the five years since we began naming our annual selection of the world's top innovators under age 35, inclusion among the TR100 has become one of the most prestigious awards for young innovators around the world," said David Rotman, executive editor of Technology Review. "This year's winners are all pioneering fascinating innovations in the fields of biomedicine, computing and nanotechnology, and were chosen after a rigorous selection and judging process. The result is an elite group whose visions and inventions will shape the future of technology." Dr. Juels was recognized for his key role in the development of the RSA(R) Blocker Tag, a technology designed to enforce consumer privacy while allowing consumers and businesses to reap the full benefits of Radio-Frequency Identification (RFID) technology. Dr. Juels, who completed his Ph.D. in Computer Science at U.C. Berkeley, focuses his research at RSA Laboratories, the research division of RSA Security, on data security, with emphases on authentication, biometrics, electronic voting and financial cryptography. About The New England Business and Technology Association The New England Business and Technology Association, Inc. (NEBATA), is a non-profit business association that brings together providers and users of technology in business, education and government to foster knowledge-sharing and business development in a professional environment. NEBATA Programs explore the critical business and leadership issues at the intersection of technology and business. Continuing series include the Leadership Roundtable, New England Business and Technology Awards, Critical Issues Series, and unique programs focusing on the Financial Services, Health & Life Sciences, and Retail & Logistics industries. These initiatives support the overall vitality of the New England economy. About the Technology Review Technology Review, Inc., an MIT Enterprise, delivers essential information about emerging technologies and their impact on business leaders. Since 1998, paid circulation for the company's magazine, Technology Review, has more than tripled, climbing from 92,000 to 315,000. Combined with its signature events, newsletters, and online businesses, Technology Review reaches over two million business leaders throughout the world each month. About RSA Security Inc. RSA Security Inc. helps organizations protect private information and manage the identities of people and applications accessing and exchanging that information. RSA Security's portfolio of solutions - including identity & access management, secure mobile & remote access, secure enterprise access, secure transactions and consumer identity protection - are all designed to provide the most seamless e-security experience in the market. Our strong reputation is built on our history of ingenuity, leadership, proven technologies and our more than 15,000 customers around the globe. Together with more than 1,000 technology and integration partners, RSA Security inspires confidence in everyone to experience the power and promise of the Internet. For more information, please visit http://www.rsasecurity.com. RSA is a registered trademark of RSA Security Inc. in the United States and/or other countries. All other products and services mentioned are trademarks of their respective companies. For more information: Wendy Bulawa Matt Buckley McGrath/Power Public Relations RSA Security Inc. (978) 994-1447 (781) 515-6212 wendyba(a)mcgrathpower.com mbuckley(a)rsasecurity.com SOURCE RSA Security Inc. Web Site: http://www.rsasecurity.com More news from PR Newswire... Issuers of news releases and not PR Newswire are solely responsible for the accuracy of the content. Terms and conditions, including restrictions on redistribution, apply. Copyright ) 1996-2004 PR Newswire Association LLC. All Rights Reserved. A United Business Media company. -- ----------------- R. A. Hettinga <mailto: rah(a)ibuc.com> The Internet Bearer Underwriting Corporation <http://www.ibuc.com/> 44 Farquhar Street, Boston, MA 02131 USA "... however it may deserve respect for its usefulness and antiquity, [predicting the end of the world] has not been found agreeable to experience." -- Edward Gibbon, 'Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire'

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13yo arrested for kiddie porn
by Steve Furlong 20 Oct '04

20 Oct '04

First saw the story linked from Drudge, then googled up a handful of stories: http://www.kptv.com/global/story.asp?s=2435549&ClientType=Printable Boy,13. arrested on child porn charges 10-15-04 TACOMA, Wash. -- A 13-year-old Lacey boy is accused of child pornography by taking pictures of himself and posting them on the Internet. The boy was arrested Wednesday by investigators from the State Patrol's Missing and Exploited Children task force. They also seized three computers. The boy is being held in juvenile detention without bail. Prosecutors expect to file charges by Monday. http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1246411/posts http://www.theolympian.com/home/news/20041015/topstories/15049.shtml

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