Microsoft Builds In Security Bypasses
I am very suspicious of tools that allow you to bypass network security systems. Yes, they make life easier. But if security is important, than all security decisions should be made by a central...
View ArticleHow Banks Profit from ID Theft
Wells Fargo is profiting because its customers are afraid of identity theft: The San Francisco bank, in conjunction with marketing behemoth Trilegiant, is offering a new service called Wells Fargo...
View ArticleEncrypted VOIP Phone
Phil Zimmermann (of PGP fame) is about to debut his encrypted VOIP phone project. I presume it will be free and open source, and that the cryptography will be strong enough for any application. I don’t...
View ArticleUK Police and Encryption
From The Guardian: Police last night told Tony Blair that they need sweeping new powers to counter the terrorist threat, including the right to detain a suspect for up to three months without charge...
View ArticleMonopolies and DRM
Two years ago I (and others) wrote about the security dangers of Microsoft’s monopoly. In the paper, we wrote: Security has become a strategic concern at Microsoft but security must not be permitted to...
View ArticleRisks of Losing Portable Devices
As PDAs become more powerful, and memory becomes cheaper, more people are carrying around a lot of personal information in an easy-to-lose format. The Washington Post has a story about this: Personal...
View ArticleAutomatic Surveillance Via Cell Phone
Your cell phone company knows where you are all the time. (Well, it knows where your phone is whenever it’s on.) Turns out there’s a lot of information to be mined in that data. Eagle’s Realty Mining...
View ArticleCisco Harasses Security Researcher
I’ve written about full disclosure, and how disclosing security vulnerabilities is our best mechanism for improving security—especially in a free-market system. (That essay is also worth reading for a...
View ArticleMicrosoft Permits Pirated Software to Receive Security Patches
Microsoft wants to make pirated software less useful by preventing it from receiving patches and updates. At the same time, it is in everyone’s best interest for all software to be more secure:...
View ArticleDog Poop Girl
Here’s the basic story: A woman and her dog are riding the Seoul subways. The dog poops in the floor. The woman refuses to clean it up, despite being told to by other passangers. Someone takes a...
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