Monthly Archives: January 2008

Monkey Brains In U.S. Make Robot Walk In Japan

Researchers at Duke University Medical Center have successfully used a monkey to control a robot. By putting the monkey on a treadmill and implanting electrodes into its brain, the movement of the robot in Japan matched the movements of the … Continue reading

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Security Review: Apple’s Time Capsule

Given the iPhone’s myriad vulnerabilities and the unrest spawned by their high-profile discovery and exploitation, perhaps the security aspects of new Apple products, such as the Time Capsule, merit our consideration. The Time Capsule is a sleek wireless hard drive … Continue reading

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Define “Safe”…

An article in InformationWeek yesterday exposes the details of what McAfee’s ScanAlert product actually means by “Hacker Safe”. The ScanAlert product issues certifications that websites are safe from attack. However XSSed.com, a website dedicated to exposing Cross-Site Scripting attacks, gave … Continue reading

Posted in Current Events, Ethics | 3 Comments

AT&T Investigating Copyrighted Material Network Filter

In one of the more interesting stories to come out of the telecom industry in recent weeks, the New York Times is reporting that AT&T is currently in the testing phases of developing a network filter that will monitor their … Continue reading

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Microsoft announces Excel security flaw

According to vnunet.com, Microsoft recently announced they are actively investigating a potetially serious security flaw that targets Microsoft Excel 2003 users. Apparently, attackers can place malicious code in the Excel document header that executes upon opening the document. Upon excecution, the attacker gains … Continue reading

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GOA says “The IRS security still sucks”

According to a report Tuesday from the Government Accountability Office, sensitive taxpayer data housed at the IRS is critically vulnerable to security threats. The report is a follow up from March 2006 where the security problems were initially discovered. The … Continue reading

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Mac ‘scareware’ in the wild

Security software vendor F-Secure has recently reported the first known “scareware” scam targeting Mac users. The software known as MacSweeper (www.macsweeper.com) poses as legitimate security software that “discovers” numerous fake problems and threats, which can only be solved by purchasing … Continue reading

Posted in Current Events, Ethics, Policy, Privacy | 3 Comments

Home Security Systems

Summary: The physical system I am reviewing is the prototypical home security system. These systems are used to provide an increased sense of security (compared to only door and window locks), and provide a guarantee against more professional break-in attempts. … Continue reading

Posted in Physical Security, Security Reviews | 3 Comments

Digital Photo Frames Infected With a Trojan Horse

Reports of three photo frames that came infected with a Trojan Horse were received by the Internet Storm Center this Christmas.  The photo frames made by Advanced Design Systems were bought from different Sam’s Club stores.”It propagates to any connected … Continue reading

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TSA Website’s Security Failings

A website created for the Transportation Security Administration for the purpose of allowing travelers to resolve watch-list or screening problems was found to be inadequately secured, causing travelers to inadvertently transmit sensitive personal information in the clear. Most of the … Continue reading

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