A logical alternative theory of who targeted Iran:
In 2008, China decided to assist the IAEA inspectors after it learned that Iran was in possession of blueprints to shape uranium metal into warheads, according to this article in The Telegraph. That same article discloses that Chinese designs for centerfuges were discovered in Iran, supplied via Pakistan’s AQ Khan.
On April 13, 2010, Beijing reiterated its opposition to Iran’s goal to develop nuclear weapons capabilities while stating that sanctions against Iran would be counter-productive. In other words, the PRC wanted to support its third largest supplier of oil (after Saudi Arabia and Angola) while at the same time seeking ways to get Iran to stop its uranium fuel enrichment program. What better way to accomplish that goal than by covertly creating a virus that will sabotage Natanz’ centerfuges in a way that simulates mechanical failure while overtly supporting the Iranian government by opposing sanctions pushed by the U.S. It’s both simple and elegant.
Bottom line: we’ll never know unless someone comes forward.
Popularity: 46% [?]
Interesting stats…. (Please do not post political propaganda on my site: it’s about information security not Middle East politics):
An increase of 2000% in attacks on pro-Israel and Israeli government websites was recorded in the first few days after the IDF takeover of the Turkish ship ‘Marmara’ headed for Gaza. Most of the attacks originated from Turkish and Palestinian sources.
Tests conducted by Internet security experts from IBM also found that the attackers managed to breakthrough to 500 Israeli websites and make changes or to plant propaganda on them.
IBM also found that Israeli government sites held up well to the attacks and most of the break-ins were into sites of companies and organizations in the private sector.
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Rolling Stone chronicles the lifestyle exploits of Albert Gonzalez, which you can find here in the USA Today article here. Unfortunately I cannot provide a link to the actual RS article because it is paid only. You can find it at your local newsstand.
Popularity: 100% [?]
I’m not sure if this is innovative or just stupid:
University of Reading researcher Mark Gasson has become the first human known to be infected by a computer virus.
The virus, infecting a chip implanted in Gasson’s hand, passed into a laboratory computer. From there, the infection could have spread into other computer chips found in building access cards.
All this was intentional, in an experiment to see how simple radio-frequency identification (RFID) chips like those used for tracking animals can host and spread technological diseases.
Popularity: 33% [?]
From the AP wires:
Latvia’s police confirmed on Thursday they had unmasked the man who became a folk hero for hacking tax office data to reveal fat salaries still being paid to state officials despite an official austerity drive.
“Neo” became famous earlier this year for publishing the tax office data of highly paid state officials, some of whom continued to receive salaries that went into thousands of lats or who got bonuses even as the government was cutting old age pensions, raising taxes and reducing spending.
I guess he swallowed the Red Pill.
Popularity: 37% [?]
NYC rocks!!! If you care about protecting your identity attend NYC Shred Fest 2010, May 23rd from 10AM-4PM… Massive paper shredding for sensitive documents as a free NYC service! My tax dollars at work folks to help protect you… In addition, the first three people to each location receive a free shredder!
Popularity: 65% [?]
Time magazine recently quoted two Senators claiming that a biometric ID card will help stop illegal employment because employers can check and determine if the person they seek to hire is eligible for work. Here’s the trust of the legislation:
“If you say they can’t get a job when they come here, you’ll stop it,” Schumer told the Wall Street Journal.
Unfortunately as long as cash is used to transact business, illegal immigrants will be able to find employment. The question is simply: what percentage?
[I should also note there are a host of security issues that surround the ID card and the biometric data stored on it. Card cloning is one issue.]
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There is a security weakness in just about everything. One just needs to look deep enough to find it.
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The French Twitter hacker claimed it was an ethical hack. This defense has rarely been credible in the US since 9/11 due to the uptick in professional services and change in cultural mindset.
… he wanted to reveal just how vulnerable online data systems are to break-ins — and he says he didn’t mean any harm.”I’m a nice hacker,” suspect Francois Cousteix told France 3 television Thursday, a day after he was released from police questioning, adding that his goal was to warn Internet users about data security.
Here is why I no longer report security vulnerabilities I find.
Popularity: 58% [?]
Categories: News, Pop Culture, Vulnerbilities Tags: 9/11, ethical hacking, france, Francois Cousteix, french, hack, hacker, hacking, Twitter