Daily Bits

Security

Russian ATM That Can Detect Lies

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Russian ATMThieves who make their living out of unauthorized ATM access are soon going to have to find a different source of income. I have, fortunately, never been a victim of ATM theft, but there are countless people who have been victimized via all sorts of modus operandi.

If Russian company Speed Technology Center succeeds in its latest project, however, ATM theft may become a thing of the past – and not soon enough, in my opinion! The company is currently in the testing stage of a cutting edge ATM that adds several layers of security. Currently, we rely heavily on the Personal Identification Number (PIN) for security. Banks and security experts give out all sorts of tips on how to keep the PIN safe, but inevitably, breaches occur – resulting in unauthorized access.

With Speed Technology Center’s new machines, the dependence on the PIN will be gone. Instead, the addition of voice recognition software plus the application of lie-detector technology will make security a tough nut to crack. More than that, however, the new machines are equipped with high tech measures such as the ability to scan passports, record fingerprints, and do a 3D facial scan. Impressive, really, but I am worried that thieves might resort to cutting of their victims’ fingers!

Seriously, though, this system seems to be working, as is being observed by Sberbank, the Russian bank doing the testing. The plan is to roll out these machines across Russia, in banks and malls. I think that it is a brilliant idea and that other countries/banks should follow suit. What do you think?

It Only Takes Lady Gaga to Get Past U.S. Military Security

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lady gaga
Everyone has heard about WikiLeaks by now. Truth be told, I have been avoiding writing about it as everyone and their mom has been jabbering non-stop about the site anyway. However, I simply cannot pass up on this piece of information: how you can get past the “strict” security measures that the U.S. military has in place.

Believe it or not, you simply have to get Lady Gaga on your side. It is that simple. In a report released by The Guardian early this week, it is said that the main culprit behind the information leak is soldier Bradley Manning, 22 years of age. The soldier is said to have taken the information out of secure premises by bringing in a CD-RW labeled Lady Gaga. Once inside, he would delete its contents and copy classified information. Walking out of the the complex with some of the government’s secrets was a simple matter.

Of course, just because it was that easy to steal the information did not mean that Manning would never have been caught. As a matter of fact, he has been in solitary confinement for the most part of this year, where he is awaiting court martial.

This does not change the facts – that more than 200,000 dispatches are now in the hands of the general public, so to speak. And, while I don’t feel like talking about what I think about the whole WikiLeaks issue, I think that Lady Gaga should be given kudos for assisting one of the biggest information heists ever. I wonder if a Michael Jackson CD would have worked as well?

via The Guardian

Beware of Scareware!

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I’ve heard of malware, but scareware?  Apparently, scammers are now playing on the fears of Windows users – fear of viruses and other malware.  In order to make money, they dupe people into thinking that their system is suffering from a relentless malware attack, hence the term scareware.  As the scammers prey upon those fears, they prompt users to download security updates that can “keep users safe.”

Obviously, they will charge for these updates.  The problem is that, one, the threat is almost always fake; and two, the security updates are just as fake.  The user who falls for this trick will end up being at least $50 poorer, without having anything to show for it!

This tactic was exposed earlier this week by Parveen Vashishtha from Symantec.  In a blog post, he outlined the modus operandi of this new breed of scammers. The trick is in knowing that browsers DO NOT ask you to download security updates via malware threat warnings.  If you do see something like the image below, chances are you are the target of a scareware scam.

If you’re thinking that people who are dumb enough to fall for this trick deserve it, think again.  The truth of the matter is that the trick seems to work so well – even some experienced users fall for it.  In fact, the scareware business has already made more than $100 million, according to the FBI.  Don’t laugh just yet.

Your safest bet is NOT to click the download button, obviously.  Of course, you also ought to make sure that your OS, security software, and browser/s are updated on a regular basis.

Internet Surveillance in America’s Future?

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Talk about Big Brother. As if the capability to run (legal) wiretaps weren’t enough, the United States government is now aiming to set in place systems that would allow them to (legally) wiretap electronic communication such as e-mail and Facebook messages! What the Congress wants is that if the government sends a provider a wiretap order, they should be able to provide the required information.

The implications are huge. Bottom line: anything you send online (whether you’re using a wired connection or a wireless one) can be retrieved and reviewed.

Of course, the average person should not have anything to hide (aside from potentially embarrassing private messages), but the idea that the government can take a look at private information/communication if it wishes is not something that people will welcome any time soon. From a technical point of view, this proposition also poses a lot of risks. According to James X. Dempsey, Vice President of the Center for Democracy and Technology, the government is “asking for the authority to redesign services that take advantage of the unique, and now pervasive, architecture of the Internet. They basically want to turn back the clock and make Internet services function the way that the telephone system used to function.”

The underlying reason for the government’s plan is that the Internet is being used as a venue for communication by terrorists and other individuals/groups that are threats to society. If they have the ability to monitor and scrutinize this venue, then the world might just be safer for it. While this is indeed a serious concern, I am not so sure that wiretapping is the best solution. The system might just open up a whole new can of worms.

What do you think?

Is Your Privacy Online Protected?

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Practically everyone is online these days, and you can’t really keep track of all the information on you out there.  While you may be careful with what you post and what you do on the Internet, threats to privacy are very much real.  We’ve heard of horror stories about these issues all too often, but for those who haven’t experienced any problems, the threat may not seem that urgent. If you think this way, it is about time that you take a look at how protected you are.

Judging by the number of articles and posts on online privacy you can find, one should really take this issue seriously.  Here are a few ways by which you can make sure that your online privacy is protected.

Be smart with passwords

This is such a basic thing, but the need for solid passwords cannot be emphasized enough. Remember the simple rules: don’t use one password for all your accounts. Don’t use your name, your birth date, etc. If necessary, keep a file of all your passwords so you won’t have to worry about forgetting them.

Do not “engage” spammers in anyway

That means you automatically click SPAM. Do not bother to reply. Do not even click on the link that says “Unsubscribe” or something similar. Just click SPAM.

Don’t forget to log out

We used to own an Internet cafe many years ago, and I cannot count the instances wherein I would use a computer only to see that the previous user did not log out of Yahoo. You may say that you don’t use public computers, but it still is a good habit to develop.

For more tips and details, visit my sources for this post: The Telegraph and EFF.

Photo credit: opensourceway

Private Browsing Not So Private After All?

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How often do you use the private browsing capabilities of your chosen Internet browser? For one reason or another, I am sure that the average person will find this capability useful. While I am not going to prod as to why you would need to go incognito while browsing, you ought to know that there is supposed to be a flaw in the whole private browsing model.

Researchers from Stanford University and Carnegie-Mellon University have recently studied the private browsing model being used by major Internet browsers, and they say that it is not that foolproof; at least not as foolproof as we would like to believe. They released their findings in a paper titled An Analysis of Private Browsing Modes in Modern Browsers.

Their conclusions?

We analyzed private browsing modes in modern browsers and discussed their success at achieving the desired security goals. Our manual review and automated testing tool pointed out several weaknesses in existing implementations. The most severe violations enable a local attacker to completely defeat the benefits of private mode. In addition, we performed the first measurement study of private browsing usage in different browsers and on different sites. Finally, we examined the difficult issues of keeping browser extensions and plug-ins from undoing the goals of private browsing.

The next time you face the need to go incognito while browsing, make sure you take these things into consideration. Your best bet is to use your private computer and regularly take steps to ensure your security.