WINDING DOWN
An idiosyncratic look at, and comment on, the week's net and technology news
by Alan Lenton
A belated prosperous new year to all my readers. Actually, it's not as belated as you might think. Today is New Years Day if you are still using the Julian calendar (and the Russian Orthodox Church, for one, is still using it).
Mostly the news was doom and gloom during the last week or so, but it was enlivened by a few flashes of cool stuff from the Consumer Electronic Show in Las Vegas. The doom and gloom was, predictably, security, with the last year's total running at 37 million UK citizens data compromised, and 200 million credit card records stolen from TJX.
But you have to chuckle at some of the security bloopers - for instance:
Pity the German Federal Bank in Berlin, it spent US$200 million on security for its new vault. A month later the full plans of the vault, including motion sensors and security measures were found in a dumpster by a barber emptying his trash. Oooops! [Source: This Is True Newsletter]
On a lesser scale, but very funny, British TV presenter Jeremy Clarkson sneered at people who were worried about the loss of their data by the government. To prove it was all nonsense, he published the details of his own bank account and hints on address info. Days later, someone hacked his account and set up a £500 direct debit in favour of a charity! An unhappy Clarkson ranted, "Contrary to what I said at the time, we must go after the idiots who lost the discs and stick cocktail sticks in their eyes until they beg for mercy." There are no prizes for stupidity, Mr Clarkson!
And as for the FBI... Well you can read that story at the end of the shorts section.
Shorts:
Looking forward to flying on Boeing's new 787 Dreamliner? Perhaps you'd like to think again. Boeing may be brilliant at designing aircraft, but, unfortunately, their idea of network security leaves a lot to be desired. Incredibly enough they actually have network connections between the computer that flies the plane, and the network that you plug your laptop into as a passenger.
This was revealed in a Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) document that came out recently. Boeing's response was that the networks don't completely connect (whatever that means) and that they have software firewalls between the different bits of the network. In other words they do connect, otherwise you wouldn't have a firewall - and if they connect there must be a reason to allow something to get through. According to the FAA document the design 'allows new kinds of passenger connectivity...' I suspect the connectivity they will get is not exactly the sort they had in mind!
http://www.wired.com/politics/security/news/2008/01/dreamliner_security
But enough of theoretical hacking. Information Week reports that in just one week between 28th December and 5th January, 70,000 web pages were hacked in a database attack and infected with malicious code. Only the fact that it used an old, known technique and was targeted at Microsoft's SQL Server prevented the hack from spreading like wildfire. Although this is a grim start to the year, one couldn't help a small smirk on hearing that one of the sites infected was that of anti-virus vendor CA...
http://update.techweb.com/cgi-bin4/DM/y/eBGKS0HiOOq0G4S0Fkfn0En
And while we are indulging in a little schadenfreude, I note that there is considerable consternation in the online porn industry. A lot of the money in porn is processed by a company called 'Too Much Media', and last month it was hacked and the subscriber lists from Too Much's customer sites were stolen. I imagine some people would find it very embarrassing to have it known that they have subscriptions to online porn sites!
http://www.physorg.com/news119292499.html
The French president Nicolas Sarkozy has come up with a neat scheme to stop the growth of the Internet in France dead in its tracks. He wants to tax the Internet and give the proceeds to the public broadcasting channels, so that they don't compete with private broadcasting companies for advertising. As one economist put it, the proposal is using 'new technology to fund old technology'.
PS: Within minutes of the announcement the shares of private broadcasting company TF1 rose nearly 10%. Obviously someone is very clear who is going to ultimately get their hands on this money!
http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/01/08/business/france.php
In an interesting move, proposals to decriminalize file-sharing are gaining support in the Swedish Parliament. Originally the proposal came from just six members of parliament, but since then support in parliament has grown. The media companies are, to say the least, not happy, and will undoubtedly fight the move tooth and nail. More on this story as it emerges, but don't expect any resolution soon.
http://sigfrid.wordpress.com/2008/01/07/decriminalize-file-sharing/
What do you do during your lunch period? Surf the web? If so, you're not alone. Surfing while noshing your sandwich is so common that there is a midday spike in web traffic every lunch time. Needless to say, this has been spotted by those who are on the ball and a number of trendy media companies are starting to produce short videos solely designed to go out on the web at lunchtime.
Even local and national broadcasting companies are starting to get in on the act, preparing short three minute video roundups and highlights of longer programs ready for lunch time. And, of course, it now has a name - video-snacking. No wonder the average office keyboard has so many crumbs in it that it qualifies for a genuine bio-hazard sticker!
http://www.news.com/Noontime-Web-video-revitalizes-lunch-at-desk
/2100-1026_3-6224742.html?tag=nefd.top
And now, news from our department of loony ideas: California state bureaucrats propose to remotely take control of home air conditioning thermostats! There is a proposal to install radio control into the thermostats of all new houses. This would enable bureaucrats (not to mention hackers) to take control of the temperature if there was a shortage of power. Somehow, I suspect this is one proposal that won't fly, even in California.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/11/us/11control.html
Finally, in shorts, a story I had marked down as a spoof when I first read it. It appears to be true, though. It concerned the FBI, and it appears that the phone companies have been cutting off FBI wiretaps because of unpaid bills! The info appears in the report of a Justice Department audit carried out last year. The document is heavily censored, but what is there reveals the FBI's antiquated system of controlling money is breaking down, resulting in unpaid bills - one company alone was owed $66,000 for wiretaps.
It almost makes HP's surveillance techniques on their employees, their board members and professional journalists look professional!
http://apnews.myway.com//article/20080110/D8U35C500.html
Homework:
With the 'One Laptop Per Child' (OLPC) systems actually shipping (albeit at rather more than $100 each), I thought readers might like to read this interview with Mary Lou Jepsen, the former CTO of OLPC. Ms Jepson recently left OLPC to commercialise the technology breakthroughs made - mostly by her in - the OLPC computers. Well worth a read, especially if you, like me, tend to be a little on the cynical side over the venture.
http://www.linuxtoday.com/news_story.php3?ltsn=2008-01-08-026-26-IN-CY
The New York Times has an in depth report on electronic voting machines in its January 6 issue. With allegations already surfacing about incorrect totals in the New Hampshire primaries, the article is a timely and dispassionate look at the issue. This is something that all US citizens should be taking an interest in - trust in elections is the bedrock on which democracy is founded.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/06/magazine/06Vote-t.html?_r=1&scp
=1&sq=Can+You+Count+on+Voting+Machines&oref=slogin
Geek Toys: Hardware roundup
More than the usual toys this week - probably because there has been all sorts of new stuff being shown at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas.
Starting with the very small, linuxdevices.com reported on a set of spectacles that feature a display offering 800x600 resolution. The vendors claim that it gives an experience equivalent to sitting seven feet away (that's about two metres for those who have been metricified) from a 54-inch screen. I think I'd rather have the 54-inch screen!
Moving up a notch in size, I spotted a piece about a product called NapkinPC. These are e-paper 'napkins' you can scribble on with a special pen. The napkins communicate with a base station, allowing the doodles to be shared. I'm not sure I would want my doodles shared at some meetings, quite honestly! I wonder if the napkins transmit the greasy marks, etc caused as a result of the users chomping brought in pizza and guzzling coke?
Now here's a real must have. Alienware have just shown their new curved screen, gamers special, video. It's over three feet long, curved, 2880x900 resolution and with an awesome 0.02ms response time. It occurs to me that if you put a bunch of these end to end you could make a personal IMAX system!
And for those who like to, how shall I put it, 'crush' the opposition, we have just the thing for you. A chair mounted on tank tracks! I think this item definitely has possibilities...
On the other hand, if you are the sort who dismisses the above as kids' toys, and you have a spare 747 hangar, then the latest issue of Popular Mechanics is what you need. It features an interesting article on four new airship designs, which look like they could be very cool. Just the job for commuting to work, and I don't think traffic wardens are going to shin up the mooring mast to give it a parking ticket!
And finally, for those who want to see more gadgets, the last URL in this section points to a gallery of CES pictures in the EETimes.
http://www.physorg.com/news118766237.html
http://ct.enews.deviceforge.com/rd/cts?d=207-283-2-28-255-24649-0-0-0-1
http://gizmodo.com/341413/alienware-curved-monitor-looks-like-its-from-another-planet
http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2008/01/08/ces_tank_chair_baby/
http://www.eetimes.com/galleries/showGallery.jhtml?galleryID=1
Scanner: Other Stories
Clarkson's 'steal my ID' stunt backfires
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/01/07/clarkson_bank_prank_backfires/
Sony announces DRM-Free music at Amazon
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/11/technology/11sony.html?ex=1357707600&en
=bf46591c45dc20e1&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss
Sears Snooping
http://www.infoworld.com/article/07/12/31/Researcher-says-Sears-downloads-spyware_1.html
Hackers turn Cleveland into malware server
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/01/08/malicious_website_redirectors/
SoBig anniversary marks birth of the botnet
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/01/09/sobig_anniversary/
Cracking open the cybercrime economy
http://newsletters.zdnetuk.cneteu.net/t/273756/921984/421733/0/
Open Source code contains security holes
http://update.techweb.com/cgi-bin4/DM/y/eBGKS0HiOOq0G4S0Fkfl0El
2007 worst ever year for data protection
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/01/07/lib_dems_data_losses/
AT&T to crush copyrighted network packets
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/01/11/att_want_to_
block_copyrighted_material_at_network_level/
RIAA could disappear
http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20080111-under-
pressure-from-emi-riaa-could-disappear.html
Acknowledgements
Thanks to readers Barb and Fi for drawing my attention to material used in this issue. Please send suggestions for stories to alan@ibgames.com and include the words Winding Down in the subject line, unless you want your deathless prose gobbled up by my voratious Spamato spam filter...
Alan Lenton
alan@ibgames.com
13 January 2008
Alan Lenton is an on-line games designer, programmer and sociologist. His web site is at http://www.ibgames.net/alan.
Past issues of Winding Down can be found at http://www.ibgames.net/alan/winding/index.html
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