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Does a society of sheep deserve a government of wolves?
by Georgi Guninski 06 Dec '14

06 Dec '14

The question is: === Does a society of sheep deserve a government of wolves? === Some rants: Obama is protecting the NSA and is probably claiming "I am elected by the sheep, so the sheep are protecting the NSA". If it weren't Obama only the names will change. The majority of sheep are economically enslaved and/or brainwashed IMO.

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<nettime> Julian Assange on Living in a Surveillance Society
by Eugen Leitl 05 Dec '14

05 Dec '14

----- Forwarded message from nettime's avid reader <nettime(a)kein.org> ----- Date: Fri, 05 Dec 2014 14:46:29 +0100 From: nettime's avid reader <nettime(a)kein.org> To: nettime-l(a)mx.kein.org Subject: <nettime> Julian Assange on Living in a Surveillance Society User-Agent: Mozilla/5.0 (X11; Linux i686; rv:31.0) Gecko/20100101 Thunderbird/31.2.0 Who Should Own the Internet? Julian Assange on Living in a Surveillance Society By JULIAN ASSANGE DEC. 4, 2014 http://www.nytimes.com/2014/12/04/opinion/julian-assange-on-living-in-a-sur… It is now a journalistic cliché to remark that George Orwell’s “1984” was “prophetic.” The novel was so prophetic that its prophecies have become modern-day prosaisms. Reading it now is a tedious experience. Against the omniscient marvels of today’s surveillance state, Big Brother’s fixtures — the watchful televisions and hidden microphones — seem quaint, even reassuring. Everything about the world Orwell envisioned has become so obvious that one keeps running up against the novel’s narrative shortcomings. I am more impressed with another of his oracles: the 1945 essay “You and the Atomic Bomb,” in which Orwell more or less anticipates the geopolitical shape of the world for the next half-century. “Ages in which the dominant weapon is expensive or difficult to make,” he explains, “will tend to be ages of despotism, whereas when the dominant weapon is cheap and simple, the common people have a chance ... A complex weapon makes the strong stronger, while a simple weapon — so long as there is no answer to it — gives claws to the weak.” Describing the atomic bomb (which had only two months before been used to flatten Hiroshima and Nagasaki) as an “inherently tyrannical weapon,” he predicts that it will concentrate power in the hands of the “two or three monstrous super-states” that have the advanced industrial and research bases necessary to produce it. Suppose, he asks, “that the surviving great nations make a tacit agreement never to use the atomic bomb against one another? Suppose they only use it, or the threat of it, against people who are unable to retaliate?” The likely result, he concludes, will be “an epoch as horribly stable as the slave empires of antiquity.” Inventing the term, he predicts “a permanent state of ‘cold war,"’ a “peace that is no peace,” in which “the outlook for subject peoples and oppressed classes is still more hopeless.” There are parallels between Orwell’s time and ours. For one, there has been a lot of talk about the importance of “protecting privacy” in recent months, but little about why it is important. It is not, as we are asked to believe, that privacy is inherently valuable. It is not. The real reason lies in the calculus of power: the destruction of privacy widens the existing power imbalance between the ruling factions and everyone else, leaving “the outlook for subject peoples and oppressed classes,” as Orwell wrote, “still more hopeless.” The second parallel is even more serious, and even less well understood. At present even those leading the charge against the surveillance state continue to treat the issue as if it were a political scandal that can be blamed on the corrupt policies of a few bad men who must be held accountable. It is widely hoped that all our societies need to do to fix our problems is to pass a few laws. The cancer is much deeper than this. We live not only in a surveillance state, but in a surveillance society. Totalitarian surveillance is not only embodied in our governments; it is embedded in our economy, in our mundane uses of technology and in our everyday interactions. The very concept of the Internet — a single, global, homogenous network that enmeshes the world — is the essence of a surveillance state. The Internet was built in a surveillance-friendly way because governments and serious players in the commercial Internet wanted it that way. There were alternatives at every step of the way. They were ignored. At their core, companies like Google and Facebook are in the same business as the U.S. government’s National Security Agency. They collect a vast amount of information about people, store it, integrate it and use it to predict individual and group behavior, which they then sell to advertisers and others. This similarity made them natural partners for the NSA, and that’s why they were approached to be part of PRISM, the secret Internet surveillance program. Unlike intelligence agencies, which eavesdrop on international telecommunications lines, the commercial surveillance complex lures billions of human beings with the promise of “free services.” Their business model is the industrial destruction of privacy. And yet even the more strident critics of NSA surveillance do not appear to be calling for an end to Google and Facebook. Recalling Orwell’s remarks, there is an undeniable “tyrannical” side to the Internet. But the Internet is too complex to be unequivocally categorized as a “tyrannical” or a “democratic” phenomenon. When people first gathered in cities, they were able to coordinate in large groups for the first time, and to exchange ideas quickly, at scale. The consequent technical and technological advances brought about the dawn of human civilization. Something similar has been happening in our epoch. It is possible for more people to communicate and trade with others in more places in a single instant than it ever has been in history. The same developments that make our civilization easier to surveil make it harder to predict. They have made it easier for the larger part of humanity to educate itself, to race to consensus, and to compete with entrenched power groups. This is encouraging, but unless it is nurtured, it may be short-lived. If there is a modern analogue to Orwell’s “simple” and “democratic weapon,” which “gives claws to the weak” it is cryptography, the basis for the mathematics behind Bitcoin and the best secure communications programs. It is cheap to produce: cryptographic software can be written on a home computer. It is even cheaper to spread: software can be copied in a way that physical objects cannot. But it is also insuperable — the mathematics at the heart of modern cryptography are sound, and can withstand the might of a superpower. The same technologies that allowed the Allies to encrypt their radio communications against Axis intercepts can now be downloaded over a dial-up Internet connection and deployed with a cheap laptop. Continue reading the main story Whereas in 1945, much of the world faced a half-century of tyranny as a result of the atomic bomb, in 2015, we face the inexorable spread of invasive mass surveillance and the attendant transfer of power to those connected to its superstructures. It is too early to say whether the “democratizing” or the “tyrannical” side of the Internet will eventually win out. But acknowledging them — and perceiving them as the field of struggle — is the first step toward acting effectively. Humanity cannot now reject the Internet, but clearly we cannot surrender it either. Instead, we have to fight for it. Just as the dawn of atomic weapons inaugurated the Cold War, the manifold logic of the Internet is the key to understanding the approaching war for the intellectual center of our civilization. Julian Assange is the founder of WikiLeaks and the author of the recently published “When Google Met WikiLeaks.” A version of this special report appears in print on December 6, 2014, in The International New York Times. Order Reprints| Today's Paper|Subscribe # distributed via <nettime>: no commercial use without permission # <nettime> is a moderated mailing list for net criticism, # collaborative text filtering and cultural politics of the nets # more info: http://mx.kein.org/mailman/listinfo/nettime-l # archive: http://www.nettime.org contact: nettime(a)kein.org ----- End forwarded message -----

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surveillance, its proponents and its opponents
by dan＠geer.org 04 Dec '14

04 Dec '14

Sociologically speaking, is it not interesting that Pres. Obama's freshest proposal for race relations is to deploy yet more surveillance cameras? Body cameras for all police, an announcement made while arch-racist Sharpton was in the White House, is, of course, wholly consistent with Obama's basic intuitions whether we are talking drones in Asia or the data sharing requirements under Obamacare. The immigrant amnesty groups certainly got under Obama's skin by calling him the "deporter in chief;" is it not time to call him the "voyeur in chief?" --dan

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NSA OPULANT PUP A5/3 Crypt Attack
by John Young 04 Dec '14

04 Dec '14

NSA OPULANT PUP A5/3 Crypt Attack released by The Intercept 3Dec2014 http://cryptome.org/2014/12/nsa-opulant-pup-intercept-14-1203.pdf Along with 62 pages on NSA AURORA GOLD et all http://cryptome.org/2014/12/nsa-aurora-gold-intercept-14-1203.pdf (26.8MB)

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Sony and Cyberattacks
by MrBiTs 03 Dec '14

03 Dec '14

-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE----- Hash: SHA256 A bit interesting: http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/12/02/us-sony-cybersecurity-malware-idU… As Sony has her PSN, how playstation owners are vulnerable? CheerS - -- echo 920680245503158263821824753325972325831728150312428342077412537729420364909318736253880971145983128276953696631956862757408858710644955909208239222408534030331747172248238293509539472164571738870818862971439246497991147436431430964603600458631758354381402352368220521740203494788796697543569807851284795072334480481413675418412856581412376640379241258356436205061541557366641602992820546646995466P | dc -----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE----- Version: GnuPG v1 Comment: Using GnuPG with Thunderbird - http://www.enigmail.net/ iQEcBAEBCAAGBQJUfuvlAAoJEG7IGPwrPKWruaMH/RXIeroxYXeK/g7chtLtxWdD 4FJiSkK+HjvQM41R+KpeTEAqAc9kyDpY2pGpb7mD734cbh8ZXUOi5R8YV+4LcUY+ iTJB81Mp67j6Q5iKcd226bS8DZc1yjSvzDSwuhUYeE7UJ9RK1jPWD9bz0BS5DdoP LdI2pHWJ7/6N12TFGShzNrZPOE40tqQmbyChaIE3G72yo/H5iVGyY/xT3QwUU03M P6u2PJBF3SUVOn4X+oUI12RwTBN+BaPfMGPBoxO4CzbcAK7jvtLOG9a9SyzjIpMX xt78olEplpJjk7ziIzdAlpIIDFhGxOI8KoCMkTUwfWaVXBVnvkp2eBO1IDJ71aI= =bHcE -----END PGP SIGNATURE-----

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Re: Microsoft Root Certificate Bundle, where?
by grarpamp 02 Dec '14

02 Dec '14

On Fri, Nov 28, 2014 at 6:45 PM, Nabla C0d3 <nabla.c0d3(a)gmail.com> wrote: > Yes I should probably document that in the README. I'm using this project: > https://github.com/kirei/catt Yes, please do. I also asked MS for a URL to their current cert bundle, they never replied. Though it's MS references are much older than Sep 29 2014, I'll still look at catt. Thanks.

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Re: VeraCrypt Trustworthiness?
by Snehan Kekre 02 Dec '14

02 Dec '14

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[qubes-users] First Mention of Qubes in US Court Documents
by Eugen Leitl 02 Dec '14

02 Dec '14

----- Forwarded message from Andrew <kyboren(a)riseup.net> ----- Date: Tue, 02 Dec 2014 14:26:18 +0100 From: Andrew <kyboren(a)riseup.net> To: qubes-users(a)googlegroups.com Subject: [qubes-users] First Mention of Qubes in US Court Documents Message-ID: <547DBDFA.3000206(a)riseup.net> User-Agent: Mozilla/5.0 (X11; Linux x86_64; rv:31.0) Gecko/20100101 Thunderbird/31.2.0 Just FYI, this is the first mention I've seen of Qubes in documents filed in any US court: http://cryptome.org/2014/12/peck-roark-affidavit.pdf (page 7; note that to the best of my knowledge, the context is entirely hypothetical). Affidavit filed in support of this motion: http://cryptome.org/2014/11/roark-087.pdf. This case is likely familiar to many, but those who have not heard of it are likely to find its history very interesting. The docket is partially available here: http://dockets.justia.com/docket/oregon/ordce/6:2012cv01354/108333 -- those with PACER accounts are encouraged to use their $15 free credit to upload these public-domain documents with RECAP (https://www.recapthelaw.org/) so all may enjoy their right to public access. Andrew -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "qubes-users" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to qubes-users+unsubscribe(a)googlegroups.com. To post to this group, send email to qubes-users(a)googlegroups.com. To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/qubes-users/547DBDFA.3000206%40riseup.net. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout. ----- End forwarded message -----

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How Mt. Gox Debacle Won Over a Bitcoin Convert
by dan＠geer.org 02 Dec '14

02 Dec '14

http://online.wsj.com/articles/how-mt-gox-debacle-won-over-a-bitcoin-conver… How Mt. Gox Debacle Won Over a Bitcoin Convert SAN MATEO, Calif. -- One event that inspired venture capitalist Tim Draper to amass a huge stash of bitcoin was the same one that turned other investors away. The Silicon Valley veteran says that he was so heartened to see bitcoin withstand the failure of Japanese virtual-currency exchange Mt. Gox in February that he decided to bid for nearly 30,000 bitcoin that were auctioned by the U.S. government in June. Continued bitcoin use by merchants and others after investors lost money in Mt. Gox "made me realize that there is a need for this," Mr. Draper said in a recent interview. "It is so important to people that they were willing to put up with that." Mr. Draper won all the bitcoin, making the co-founder of venture-capital firm Draper Fisher Jurvetson one of the world's largest holders of bitcoin. Thursday, Mr. Draper will try to increase his pile by bidding in another government auction of 50,000 bitcoin. The 56-year-old Mr. Draper is one of bitcoin's biggest advocates even though the price is down about 60% in the past year amid concerns about the Mt. Gox collapse, looming regulation and the stigma that the virtual currency is a haven for illicit activity. This week, Mr. Draper's bitcoin pile was worth about $11 million, down from roughly $17 million in June, based on the CoinDesk price index. Like many bitcoin enthusiasts, Mr. Draper compares the current state of the fledgling industry with the early days of the Internet. At Draper, Fisher, Jurvetson, he backed Internet companies from Hotmail and Skype to Paperless Post, an online invitation company Mr. Draper is one of a number of well-known investors who are pouring money into bitcoin, which was originally dominated by technology geeks and libertarians. Other bitcoin investors include Internet pioneer Marc Andreessen ; Virgin Group founder Richard Branson ; and Tyler and Cameron Winklevoss, twins who are best known for battling Mark Zuckerberg over ownership stakes of Facebook Inc. Launched in 2009, bitcoin is an online currency that isnt backed by a central bank or government. It is created on computers; bought, sold and traded on exchanges; and stored in virtual wallets. A growing number of merchants are accepting bitcoin for payment, in part because it helps them avoid fees and other costs associated with credit cards, debit cards, checks or cash. Bitcoin's increased awareness and popularity hasn't resolved price volatility that has roiled the virtual currency over the past year. The price of a bitcoin soared to more than $1,100 last year, but it has been sliding ever since. On Monday, bitcoin was trading at $377.90 on the CoinDesk price index of major exchanges. In an interview, Mr. Draper shrugs off the recent drop in bitcoin prices. He has recently predicted that the price will rise to $10,000 in three years. "I am looking at this as a great long-term opportunity," he says, adding that he checks the price only every two or three weeks. Mr. Draper, working through Bitcoin exchange startup Vaurum, was one of 45 bidders in the auction conducted by the U.S. Marshals Service auction in June. The government seized the bitcoin last year when it raided Silk Road, an online black market. Mr. Draper hasn't disclosed the price of his bid, made when the market price of the virtual currency was roughly $580. "When you win an auction, you have mixed feelings because you know that means you paid the most," he said with a chuckle. Still, he says he is confident with the purchase because he wouldn't have been able to amass such a stash in the open market, which is thinly traded and volatile. That thin market is one of the things that concerns Mark T. Williams, a Boston University finance professor who says the recent bitcoin forays made by big investors such as Mr. Draper aren't enough to make it thrive. "The probability of success is low, but if it does hit, the reward will be very large," he said. Mr. Draper says his interest in virtual currencies goes back 20 years, when a business associate described his sons fascination with an online game that allowed players to buy items for virtual characters with virtual cash. Outside of bitcoin, Mr. Draper has also plowed money into job-hunting startup Jobs Inc., Tesla Motors , and Xpert Financial, an online marketplace for pre-IPO companies. In 2012, Mr. Draper and other investors put a $500,000 investment into CoinLab, a bitcoin business incubator. He made his investment through Draper Associates, an entity that puts money into new ventures. He has also put money into a $6.6 million fund that was recently raised by his son, Adam, to support fledgling bitcoin entrepreneurs. Mr. Draper is particularly interested in using bitcoin to speed payments in less-developed countries. He also sees promise in using bitcoin's underlying technology to create financial contracts that can skirt the traditional fee structure of big banks. "Banks are afraid to embrace bitcoin, but I'm not sure they're as afraid as much as threatened," he says. Mr. Draper spends much of his time building Draper University, an eight-week entrepreneurship program that he launched last year. The school isn't accredited, but students can pay their $9,500 tuition with bitcoin.

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request for slides and transcript: "44Con 2014: GreedyBTS - Hacking Adventures in GSM"
by coderman 02 Dec '14

02 Dec '14

http://blog.mdsec.co.uk/2014/11/44con-2014-greedybts-hacking-adventures.html ''' ... GreedyBTS can be used to assist security researchers and analysts performing assessments of mobile connectivity in environments, as well as highlighting risks to organisations who may transfer potentially sensitive information over wireless devices. An increasing number of embedded systems have turned to GSM as a management channel, such as alarm panels, street lighting, safety systems and more, which could all be susceptible to man-in-the-middle and rogue BTS attacks. The current state of baseband security means that it is difficult to detect and determine if you or your devices are being targeted by malicious BTS environments. The tools that do exist are aimed at power users which makes wider adoption by business or consumers an increasingly difficult task. By sharing information that can assist security researchers we hope to increase the overall security of mobile devices and cause people to re-think how they handle sensitive information over GSM environments... '''

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