Category Archives: Security Reviews

US Passports now all have RFID tags

The security review on the EU passports reminded me of this one:  As of October 2006, all US passports will contain RFID chips in them, which, when read reveal all the information that is printed on the passport itself, as … Continue reading

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Security Review | SIDA Badges and Airport Access Control

The Technology SIDA (Secure Identification Display Area) badges are identification devices issued to airport personnel, which establish which areas of the airport an employee is authorised to access. Each airport has its own SIDA badge classification system and issuing authority. … Continue reading

Posted in Physical Security, Security Reviews | 2 Comments

Security Review: Facebook Applications

In mid-2007, Facebook launched a free development platform that allows independent designers to create applications that integrate with core features of Facebook. Since then, over 33,000 applications have been made, the most popular of the applications having over 16 million … Continue reading

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Security Review: Security and Privacy Code of Ethics

The Security and Privacy Code of Ethics is a contract that every CSE484 student is required to sign, on penalty of a zero grade in the course. It places restrictions on the manner in which students may use knowledge gained … Continue reading

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iGorenje Wi-Fi Application for Home Appliances

More and more household appliances are being designed with wireless internet capabilities. Being able to control home appliances via a web portal may improve convenience, but it comes at the cost of potential security vulnerabilities. The European home appliance manufacturer … Continue reading

Posted in Physical Security, Security Reviews | Tagged | 1 Comment

What to contribute (Winter 2009 CSE 484 / CSE M 584)

Welcome to 2009 and another rendition of CSE 484 / CSE M 584, the University of Washington undergraduate and 5-th year Masters computer security course.  Please familiarize yourself with this post from last year; it explains why we have this … Continue reading

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Security Review: Mobile Millennium

(originally written 11/07/2008) Early next week, the University of California, Berkeley, in a joint effort with Nokia Research Labs, intends to launch Mobile Millennium, a project that aims to capture traffic patterns accurately and in real-time by harnessing cell phones … Continue reading

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Security Review – iGoogle

iGoogle is a personal web portal service of Google, which serves as a customizable start page to the Internet.  It was Google’s star product in 2007, whose traffic had increased by 267.64%.  In iGoogle, users can have several pages under … Continue reading

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Security Review – Charge It to My Cell

When in a rush and craving a quick soda or snack, people just don’t want to deal with the hassle of lines and other people. That is why the vending machine is such a great invention; it’s a fast, easy … Continue reading

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Security Review: One-Time Credit Cards

Bank of America (after its acquisition of MBNA in 2005) started offering “One-Time Credit Card” (OTCC) numbers to all of its credit card holders; the trade name of this service is “ShopSafe.” MBNA had offered this service back in the … Continue reading

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