Global Security Watch: October 2005 Archives

Global Security Watch > October 31, 2005

Xerox DocuColor tracking dots decoded

[The Pathedral and the Kazoo] asked the EFF after PC World published an article stating that "several printer companies quietly encode the serial number and the manufacturing code of their color laser printers and color copiers on every document those machines produce. The EFF received many printer test sheets from around the world and recently managed to decode the matrix of tiny yellow dots that appears repeatedly on about every inch of your printout.

HIPAA Deadline Passes with Little Fanfare

[HIPAA Blog - Your guide to HIPAA Compliance and Medical Privacy] Well, the deadline to complete the security requirements of HIPAA passed yesterday with little fanfare.

Posted at 09:34 AM

October 31, 2005

Xerox DocuColor tracking dots decoded

Posted at 09:37 AM

HIPAA Deadline Passes with Little Fanfare

[HIPAA Blog - Your guide to HIPAA Compliance and Medical Privacy] Well, the deadline to complete the security requirements of HIPAA passed yesterday with little fanfare.

Posted at 09:34 AM

Firewall !!

[SecuriTeam Blogs] Firewall is a good thing, but its entire purpose in life is to filter packets. It does so by following sets of rules and instructions, and if it does not know what do with a certain communication, well, than it depends on the firewall - it will either block anything that it does not know about, or pass the communication.

Read related posts for „Firewall !!“.

Posted at 09:33 AM

October 30, 2005

forget about privacy

[ : : : nostress ~ sidelinks : : :] america "the land of the free": Who Hijacked Our Country: Big Brother is Spying on YOU, With YOUR Help On Del.icio.us: bigbrother, usa, government...

Posted at 01:27 PM

ID cards: more authoritative views against

[A Consuming Experience] Concerns continue to be expressed, including by official bodies such as the UK Information Commissioner, not to mention Parliament's Joint Committee on Human Rights in a recent progress report on legislation (PDF file, 55 pages). Technorati Tags: Identity Cards, ID Cards, Government, Politics, Society, Privacy, Human Rights, Identity Theft, Crime, Terrorism, Improbulus, A Consuming Experience, Consuming Experience...

Posted at 01:26 PM

New World RFID Passports

[Hammer of Truth - Libertarian Blog] Starting in early 2006, the US Department of State will begin issuing passports with 64KB RFID (radio frequency identification) chips containing the name, nationality, gender, date of birth, place of birth, and digitised photograph of the passport holder.

Posted at 01:25 PM

October 29, 2005

U.S. to get RFID passports

[IO ERROR] U.S. to get RFID passports 2005/10/28 at 13:04:11 | Homeland Stupidity, Privacy | Comments (0) | Trackbacks (0) | Trackback URI Completely ignoring...

Posted at 01:49 PM

Wireless encryption/security hassle

[Yuhui's World of Wonder] Technorati search this blog all blogs

Posted at 01:47 PM

Warfare & Deception

[611 - Sir GreenSPan Interest Rate Con-UN-Drum] Sun Tzu on the Art of War. "New Forces" that were not yet understood were likely behind the unusual environment...

Posted at 01:41 PM

October 28, 2005

Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act

[NoSheep!] Luckily the FTC has published: Financial Institutions and Customer Data: Complying with the Safeguards Rule, whcih as the name implies gives a nice summary of how to comply. Of particuar interest to me is the “Information Systems”

Posted at 11:47 AM

Federal Judge Rejects Warrantless Cellphone Tracking

[Gahtan’s Technology and Internet Law Blog] This entry was posted on Thursday, October 27th, 2005 at 8:06 am and is filed under Privacy. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.

Posted at 11:43 AM

Google now knows what you shop for

[Feh! v2] Google now knows what you shop for Posted by Ian Holsman Thu, 27 Oct 2005 06:43:00 GMT I just read the recent blog post of Jen Sense which explains how google pays different amounts to it’s advertisers depending on if you actually purchase goods or not. ie.. if the ad is successful google charges more from the advertiser and rewards the publisher. Fantastic idea.. I’m all for better measures on how effective ads and publishers are for showing those ads. But I’m just wondering if it is being used on the flip side? by that I mean if you the viewer click and spend money on digital cameras. Will google show you more camera ads when you surf? or display higher value ads because you actually spend money on the net? or even perhaps google will share the information with the publisher, and allow ”˜high-value’ viewers access to premium areas of the site.. it definatly does open some doors not currently available. What if it determines your a lousy mark^h^h^h not a person prone to actually...

Posted at 11:42 AM

Privacy and Security Round-up (May 1, 2005)

[YC] Privacy and Security Linklets: FCW reports, Cybersecurity office bill gains steam : Wasn't this what Richard Clarke was driving for the creation of a...

Posted at 11:40 AM

October 27, 2005

The National Strategy for Maritime Security, September 2005

[Port Security, Maritime Security, and Homeland Security Blog] The safety and economic security of the United States depends upon the secure use of the world’s oceans. Since the attacks of September 11, 2001, the Federal government has reviewed and strengthened all of its strategies to combat the evolving threat in the War on Terrorism.

Posted at 06:44 PM

Disney uses new protection on Oscar DVDs

[Digital Tech Life] In the latest effort to thwart piracy, Disney believes they have the solution to stop the copying of DVDs provided to voters. The company will be utilizing an encryption technology from Cinea, a Dolby company, which involves distributing the S-VIEW DVD player to almost 12,000 voters.

Posted at 06:42 PM

The Automotive Industry Records Substantial Long-Term Vehicle Quality Improvements

[Jonathan Fry] For consumers, the VDS offers insight into the reliability and dependability of brands and specific models as they approach the end of a typical warranty period. Manufacturers use this information to track the quality performance of their models over time to implement product improvement plans.

Posted at 06:40 PM

Rapidshare Online Decoder

[Google Hacks] Rapidshare Online Decoder Posted in Tools at 4:24 pm by Martin As you probably know rapdishare offers a timebased protection for visitors who have no premium access to their system. I found an online script that lets you easily bypass the time you would have to wait normally.

Posted at 06:37 PM

October 25, 2005

EFF breaks Xerox DocuColor color printer tracking codes

[IO ERROR] EFF breaks Xerox DocuColor color printer tracking codes 2005/10/17 at 11:35:29 | Homeland Stupidity, Privacy | Comments (0) | Trackbacks (0) |...

Posted at 01:58 PM

Katrina & Avian Flu

[Sir GreenSPan Interest Rate Con-UN-Drum] Hurricane Katrina & Avian Flu The Paradox of Chaos Forecasting This article to be released in December explains, by using two recent examples, why a...

Posted at 01:57 PM

Male circumcision reduces HIV risk

[Nouslife] Why circumcision should offer some protection is not well understood, but researchers know that the part of the foreskin that is removed in the operation is rich in Langerhans cells that the virus strongly attaches to. "HIV has to gain access to the body and to do that it binds to particular cell types," Dr Puren said.

Posted at 01:55 PM

The Gremlins That Thwart MG Rover

[Jonathan Fry] Owners of some of the last MG RoverÃ¢€™s built in the UK have suffered from a raft of mechanical niggles and gremlins according to a new study from independent automotive warranty provider, Warranty Direct. Research conducted by Warranty Direct, (www.warrantydirect.co.uk), reveals an estimated 1 in 5 cars produced during the last three years of the now-defunct British marque, have been plagued by manufacturing faults.

Posted at 01:52 PM

October 23, 2005

Webroot guesstimates inflate UK spyware problem

[CastleCops] The UK had the third highest rate of spyware infections last quarter, according to research by anti-spyware firm Webroot Software which lumps tracking cookies in with far more malicious risks such as Trojans and keylogging programs. The UK has 18 spies on an average PC if you include cookies but only 4.5 if you exclude these lesser threats, a figure which puts the UK outside the top 10 of spyware infested nations.

Posted at 02:34 AM

Our Insecurity Blanket

[Counseling Kevin] Apparently, the Keystone Cops manage our federal government's cybersecurity. These types of stories just curl what little hair I have left:...

Posted at 02:32 AM

Data Compromises Across America (102105)

[BizzyBlog.com] (Chinese Reported Economic Data Questioned), Re Paul Hackett’s Ohio Candidacy for the US Senate: A Question, Quote of the Day: Well of Course They Are, Who in Their Right Mind Would Do Business in France? (HP Laying Off 1,200 Is a Near-National Crisis), User-Generated News?

Posted at 02:30 AM

Secret Code in Color Printers Lets Government Track You

[Chaos Magnet] Technology The Electronic Frontier Foundation has broken the code that printer companies have put in, causing printers to include a tiny invisible...

Posted at 02:29 AM

October 22, 2005

Less on the Do-Not-Hesitate-To-Call List

[ robhyndman.com] Michael Geist writes on the depressing state of affairs over the House’s review of the Do Not Call legislation, which seems to have been overtaken by an Orwellian departure from reality and a Kafka-esque descent into absurdist theatre. I quite enjoyed Michael’s report of one MP’s assertion that the List is good for telemarketers, who themselves, the MP seems to say, are eager to respect the privacy of Canadians:

Posted at 09:27 PM

New Swedish NGO

[WROTE: Sound and fury, Signifying nothing] Since the main focus of the NGO is to bring a major part of an international discussion into the Swedish domain the site is in Swedish.

Posted at 09:25 PM

Maryland Will Begin Photographing Vehicles That Don't Use EZ Pass Toll System

[Thinking About Technology] If I don't want the government or some billing agent to know where my car was a particular time, I can choose this (less efficient) means of navigating the tolls. Now, with traffic cameras recording each car as it passes along the highway, digitally reading the license plate number, and comparing it to a database of names and addresses, the ability to protect myself from...

Posted at 09:24 PM

Don't let up in ID card battle

[Nouslife] Where is the detailed costing? Where is the biometric technology that will work for sixty million individuals?

Posted at 09:23 PM

October 21, 2005

Decoding the hidden ID tracker in your printer output

[Ho John Lee’s Weblog] Now EFF has decoded the information-hiding scheme on the Xerox Docucolor series, by getting EFF supporters to print out pages from their printers and mail them to our researchers, who examined them under magnification and special light and cracked the code.

Posted at 01:34 PM

Cell Phone Tracking

[The Open Society Paradox] In Missouri, the Department of Transportation is experimenting with using cell phone signals to track traffic patterns across...

Posted at 01:32 PM

Your Printer, Tool of the Man

[Emergent Chaos: The Emergent Chaos Jazz Combo of the Blogosphere] (Posted by Adam) The EFF has done some great work on how high resolution color printers are embedding tracers in every document...

Posted at 01:31 PM

Is Your Printer Spying on You?

[Free Tech Support - Computer Questions and Answers - Ask Bob Rankin] The EFF (Electronic Frontier Foundation) has recently proven what many have suspected for a long time - that at least some laser printers embed a secret machine identification code on every page they print, which reveals when the page was printed, and the serial number of the printer on which it was printed.

Posted at 01:28 PM

October 20, 2005

Preventing embarrassing information becoming public

[Wilson's Blogmanac] "Guidelines issued by the Australian government's Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet advise public servants on how to avoid personal notebook comments being disclosed under the Freedom of Information Act.

Posted at 12:58 PM

Two Factor Authentication, Redux

[ robhyndman.com] Bruce Schneier explains why two factor authentication is not a solution to phishing or identity theft and why it won’t secure online bank accounts from fraudulent transactions.

Posted at 12:55 PM

Market for Sunspots

[Sir GreenSPan Interest Rate Con-UN-Drum] From the Owners of Sir Greenspan Interest Rate Con-UN-Drum, promoters of the «Instructions for Security & Prosperity», a foolproof protection from the the Global Economic & Financial Meltdown, necessary result of the Irrational Exuberance, the Greenspan Conundrum, the Burst of the Asset Price Bubble & Keynes' Liquidity Trap. We will then organize an adjusted, discrimination free, credit free, free market economy.

Posted at 12:53 PM

Homeland Stupidity Ponderings

[Tempus Fugit Blog [ Tempus Fugit | TxFx.net ]] Michael Hampton, on perpetual “Homeland Stupidity” watch, responds to the question: “Are you against the idea of homeland security, or just appalled...

Posted at 12:52 PM

Secret Tracking Codes Embedded in Printouts

[Hammer of Truth - Libertarian Blog] However, in my case, they were not likely to have been able to track the documents I printed, as my printer does not appear on the list of printers known contain the embedded code. I am using a Tektronix Phaser 850DP, which uses thermal wax, as opposed to a laser process.

Posted at 12:31 AM

Still want that color laser printer?

[CMoore.com] Posted in Privacy, Technology at 15:56 by chris And here you thought I was the paranoid conspiracy theorist. Turns out, they (they being the Powers that Be) bypassed my anti-RFID vigilance and went straight for the low-tech obfuscation, using unique ink dots to identify your color laser printouts.

Posted at 12:30 AM

The Owners

[Sir GreenSPan Interest Rate Con-UN-Drum] Adams Smith warned: people of the same trade seldom meet together, even for merriment and diversion, but the conversation ends in a conspiracy against the public, or in some contrivance to raise prices.

Read related posts for „The Owners“.

Posted at 12:28 AM

Hotlink and Targeting

[flipthedolphin] I’ve done so because I reached 80% of my monthly bandwidth and looking at the stats it seems that many were just linking directly to my old blog’s images (like the ones of Ar*a Giov*nni or Ta*my Pl*nte).

Posted at 12:26 AM

October 19, 2005

Does anyone else think”¦..

[Meeciteewurkor:: This is your brain on Tulsa] Now that I’ve got that really cool keywords plugin, I need to come up with some better and LESS categories! hmmmm”¦”¦.

Posted at 01:30 PM

Rational Exuberance

Posted at 01:26 PM

Protect Your PC

[BorkWeb] This ad says it all. tags: hacker, hax, protection, pc, ad, humor...

Posted at 01:24 PM

October 18, 2005

Decoding DocuColor tracking dot

[ Techdigger] The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) has published a guide on how you can reveal whether your printer is secretly setting you up. It reveals that the DocuColor series prints a rectangular grid of 15 by 8 miniscule yellow dots on every color page.

Posted at 01:47 PM

Visa's Mother's Maiden Name (In)Security

[EPIC West: Electronic Privacy Information Center West Coast Office] Carrie McLaren of Stay Free has posted about that same prankster's newest trick, where he sets out to prove that using the mother's maiden name as a password is silly. He does this by saying something unintelligible when asked for his mother's maiden name, and Visa still gives him access to the account balance:

Posted at 01:40 PM

DocuColor Tracking Dot Decoding Guide

[SecuriTeam Blogs] The EFF has created a web application that can be used to decode the dots which hide the time, date, and serial number of the printer.

Posted at 01:39 PM

The Feed of the Shield

Posted at 01:35 PM

October 16, 2005

Ciphertext from Hell

[Terminally Incoherent] Any clue what cipher was used to encrypt this? I've been poking at it since Saturday evening and I have very little to show :(

Posted at 11:57 AM

WordPress Link List Generation

[Lewies Blog] Permanent Link Previous: « Previous Entries Next: Categories Blogging (214) Communications (193) Computers (112) Employment (113) Entertainment (487)...

Posted at 11:52 AM

A Hot and Humid Day of Nothing

[Popsicles and Pipe Dreams] So, clearly I am going to have to go on the fan hunt again because I simply cannot bear this heat and humidity. I vaguely remember thinking I might have seen a Home Depot in town here at some point, so I hop in Zippy and drive around until I find one.

Posted at 11:50 AM

Security & Prosperity

Posted at 11:48 AM

October 12, 2005

Would you like intrusion with your pizza?

[Rob Cottingham] Saved By Technology The ACLU has a hilarious Flash flick (seriously, check it out) with a serious undercurrent: your private, personal information is being stored in a lot of government and corporate databases, and they’re starting to connect the dots. That relates to a relatively new idea: that the information about what things you pay attention to is valuable, and you have the right to control it.

Posted at 12:07 AM

PGP readying PGP-secured BlackBerry email solution

[BBHub] This companies said this solution enables enterprises to extend PGP email security to individuals who use both laptop/desktop computers and BlackBerry wireless devices. It provides customers with sender-to-recipient email security, and thereby complements the industry-leading wireless transmission security and device protection security inherent in the BlackBerry architecture.

Posted at 12:04 AM

Ciphertext from Hell Revisited

[Terminally Incoherent] Also thank's to Ben for the valiant attempt (and spectacular failure) at cracking this thing! :) So let's recap - the ciphertext: ptgpz ggprf bdkrg pequt tngtf ggpzf zfqgp tukrw wkzfg kquyd qxwzu ltuet zfrfl ptgpz ggprf bdkrg pequt dhmgw tgokr wwdtt bxqug tuedq xequt fraty rdaur erfzg rqfot gjzfr gorfa wrftd hdgqx rfyxz hwqdz fokpt utuzg ptugp zfrfq hudtw jtdpt gpzgu tzydz fyluq kdfqk rdtud hdcta gdfqg prdqk fytxr artfa omhga qecwz rfdqx pzuyk quydz fyqmd ahutd tfgtf atdzf yzdbd kpomq qbdzu tkurg gtfkp rapaz ffqgm thfyt udgqq y And the plaintext (I added spacing and punctuation for readability): HE THAT THINKS WITH MORE EXTENT THAN ANOTHER WILL WANT WORDS OF LARGER MEANING.

Posted at 12:03 AM

Marware unveils 10 nano cases

[The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW)] Marware has unleashed 10 cases for the iPod nano, most of which should be shipping by the end of October. The new lineup includes their trademark sportsuit designs, professional style leather wallets and a clever "Sidewinder"

Posted at 12:02 AM

October 09, 2005

Pondering Phishing

[Matthews weblog] Well, Bruce Schneider has written an article about phishing that is changing my thinking”¦ I previously had really mixed feelings about holding...

Posted at 08:54 PM

We want your information!! (Musical selection)

[SecuriTeam Blogs] We want your information!! (Musical selection) Gadi - October 9, 2005 on 10:24 am | In Commentary, Privacy, Culture | No Comments Okay, sharing MP3’s...

Posted at 08:53 PM

Encrypted IM for the Masses?

[What Future?] Google Talk has been both hyped (Google could kill AIM and MSN!) and panned (Google Talk has no features!). Right now there’s not a lot to Google Talk that any other IM service couldn’t offer, but here’s what has me excited:

Posted at 08:49 PM

Email Security and the Necessity of Security Education for Small Business

[Computer Internet Security eLamb :: Main Page] Essential Security Software (ESS) is a provider of document and email security solutions. ESS has developed a premier, easy-to-use, peer-to-peer content protection and user rights management solution that enables small business owners and individuals to securely distribute sensitive email messages and documents while protecting the privacy, integrity and authenticity of their intellectual property.

Posted at 08:47 PM

October 07, 2005

Turn up your CD players

[Kim Cameron's Identity Weblog] I predicted this in one of my early blog postings, and of course it had to come true. Please note that I'm not hitting on Google - I'm pointing out a problem much broader than any one company or technology.

Posted at 09:04 PM

Domain Names and Mail Fraud

[Steve Eady’s Brainlock] If some people were to take all of the time they put into scamming others, and instead, directed their efforts towards more credible pursuits, they...

Posted at 09:03 PM

Review: Digital Fortress

[Cipher Text] I love reviews like that :) When I read the Da Vinci Code I was amazed how Brown managed to get so many things wrong in such a modestly sized book. From what I can glean about his earlier works they have an even higher concentration of errors.

Posted at 09:02 PM

Shoot-out: Google's new VPN beta kicks the living Hell out of the EFF's Tor

[Computer Internet Security eLamb :: Main Page] Speed test: Tor, sponsored by the EFF, and Google's new beta VPN are both aimed at those of us who want to protect our privacy and rights online. While Google claims that its VPN program is to boost security on wireless networks, it can also be used with wired internet connections to add some more security for the rest of us.

Posted at 09:00 PM

October 06, 2005

Mozilla to Drop Support for SSL 2.0

[Warping it up!] mozillaZine: “Plans are afoot to remove support for SSL version 2.0 in Mozilla Firefox. SSL provides encrypted connections to servers, making it safe...

Posted at 10:50 AM

Security Issues May Be a High Priority for Internet 2

[Computer Internet Security eLamb :: Main Page] Frankly, a "CryptoNet" would only be good for all the important transactions such as banks, hospitals and time sheets. I would not want something like that for 95% of what I do on the Internet.

Posted at 10:47 AM