This week's overblown privacy scare, courtesy of RFID tires

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Alright, everybody panic: they can track us through our tires! Just like how all those nefarious nasties have been stalking our women and children via Nike+iPod, it turns out the new RFID-based pressure gauges in our tires can be turned against us for tracking purposes by the evil hax0rs.

Of course, with the kind of range available to RFID, if you're close enough to a car to track it via RFID, you can probably see it with your eyeballs, and data collected by stationary RFID sensors to track the comings and goings of such compromised vehicles seems to be of minimal use, but that doesn't mean we can't get our panties all in a wad and start screaming bloody murder about privacy and stuff. But in all seriousness, would it really hurt to put a bit more encryption on these things?

Real ID ACT Is Lame

The invention of robots introduced a new field of applied science, robotics.

 
This has tremendously improved the technologies used in medical sciences, space/deep-sea explorations, military artifacts, commercial products etc.

 THE BIONIC RESEARCH

The term "bionic" refers to the application of electronics/robotics in the biological environment i.e. smart structures (electronic/mechanical components) replace or enhance anatomical structures or human physiological processes (artificial human parts - prosthetic limbs; hearing devices implanted in the cochlea etc).

Smart structures contain sensors, actuators and artificial intelligence that respond in a human-like way. The application of smart structures to the field of prosthetics is providing new opportunities in the replacement of physiological requirements. E.g.: Prosthetic implants, Cochlear implants, Mechanical heart-assist pumps etc.

The Bionic Eye:

A computer chip is placed at the back of the eye of the blind person and is linked to a mini video camera built into the glasses worn by them. This acts as the receptor and the images captured by the camera reach the chip and are transmitted as nerve impulses for the brain to interpret. Although, the image produced by the artificial eye may not be precise as the natural eye, it still enables the person to recognise shapes, features, colours, faces etc.

The receptor (the retinal implant) consists of tiny electrodes. When a single electrode is stimulated, it enables the person to see a single dot of light. This technology is still under research and future developments are expected to enhance the clarity of the image obtained.

Cochlear Implant:

The ear functions when sound waves vibrate air particles near the ear drum and the fluid in cochlea moves, stimulating thousands of hair cells lining the cochlea. When these hair cells move, neural impulses are created that travel through auditory nerves to a part of brain called auditory cortex. If these hair cells are damaged, signals do not reach the brain properly. Instead, if tiny stimulating electrodes are inserted in the cochlea, they can perform the function of the hair cell (producing electrical signals that travel through the auditory nerve to the brain).

This implant only helps people with damaged hair cells. If the auditory nerve is missing, another implant called the "auditory brainstem implant" is done. Instead of a string of electrodes placed in the cochlea, there's a patch of electrodes placed on part of the brainstem called the cochlear nucleus. But the quality and clarity of sound is much lesser than the cochlear implant, although it provides some degree of sound perception to people who would otherwise be completely deaf.

The Bionic Arm:

The bionic arm is an electrical prosthetic arm that can be controlled by the human mind. The main components include 12 V rechargeable battery, motors, carbon fiber tubes, gearboxes etc. Electrodes and microprocessors are wired to the nerves reaching the brain. So, a single thought of brain can move the arm instantaneously, depending on the response time.

Signals from the nerve endings of the former arm are difficult to be read by the brain. So the ends of these nerves are moved to the chest (as the chest muscles provide larger surface areas for the nerves to grow and send signals easily). If a thought such as "close the hand" occurs, signals are sent to these nerves that produce muscle contraction. Electrodes pick up these contractions and send these signals as electromyography to the microprocessor in the bionic arm, and as a result the arm moves (in this case, it closes).

The bionic arms have been fitted to amputees successfully and they function efficiently. But improvements are still being made on:

·                                 neural sensing

·                                 control systems

·                                 power storage & distribution

·                                 neural control

·                                 sensory feedback

·                                 transmission design

·                                 signal processing

·                                 information science

Other Achievements:

·                                 Artificial lungs and artificial liver life systems are currently being tested on sheeps as an effort to treat chronic lung disease and chronic liver failures

·                                 Bio-artificial kidneys built with living cells are being researched on to remove toxic waste products (that a normal healthy kidney would have filtered out)

·                                 An artificial knee can restore joint function in people with osteoarthritis or other types of joint damage

·                                 Gene Activated Matrix Technology can deliver DNA for site-specific gene therapy to heal damaged bones, heart muscle and skin

·                                 Heart-lung bypass machines pump blood out of the body, through a filtering device, to remove carbon dioxide and add oxygen. Then the blood is returned back to the patient. This is just used temporarily for hearts or lungs damaged by trauma or infection.

FTC Sues Spyware Suspects

Federal authorities have asked a federal judge to shut down an operation that they said installed intrusive "spyware" on people's computers and then sold anti-spyware software to those same victims, a top consumer protection official said today.

The complaint, filed by the Federal Trade Commission last week with the U.S. District Court in New Hampshire, accuses the defendants of fraud and asks a judge to shutter the organization and force the people behind it to pay back to their victims. It is the first federal lawsuit filed against the purveyors of spyware, a rapidly growing nuisance on the Internet.

 "The defendants were selling software to fix the problem they just caused. I've decided this is my definition of online chutzpah," Lydia Parnes, acting director of the FTC's Bureau of Consumer Protection, said at a press conference Tuesday.

Parnes said the case was filed against two companies, Seismic Entertainment Productions and Smartbot.net, as well as Sanford Wallace, who in the late 1990's was known as the infamous "spam king."

 Spyware stealthily installs itself on people's computers, often when they download other free software online. The more benign types of spyware, sometimes called "adware," generate flurries of pop-up ads on people's computer monitors. More malicious types record everything users type into their computers, including passwords and other sensitive data.

Lawmakers and regulators have stepped up their anti-spyware efforts during the past year. The FTC held a meeting in April on the problem and the House of Representatives earlier this month passed two bills that would expose distributors of spyware to multimillion dollar civil penalties and send them to jail for up to five years.

Parnes said the FTC is already has complaints against other spyware scammers in the works. "Note to the purveyors of spyware: this may be our first case, but it won't be our last," she said.

 The companies used several tricks to direct victims to their Web sites, which were designed to automatically install spyware on visitors' computers, the FTC complaint said. The sites exploited a feature of Microsoft's Internet Explorer to install the software so that victims never knew that it was being downloaded.

Once installed, the spyware often would open the computer's CD-ROM tray and display a message on the monitor that read: "FINAL WARNING if your cd-rom drive is open you desperately need to rid your system of spyware pop-ups IMMEDIATELY." Consumers who responded to the message were prompted to buy programs called Spy Wiper or Spy Deleter for about $30 each.

FTC spokeswoman Claudia Bourne Farrell said that the FTC does not know how many copies were sold. The commission plans to ask that the eventual dollar amount be handed back to victims or to the U.S. government.

Philadelphia-based attorney Ralph Jacobs, who is representing the defendants in the case, said that many of the practices targeted by the FTC are legal. "Automatic uploading of software and altering default home pages are in widespread use by many companies on the Internet," Jacobs said. "SmartBot's goal is to find lawful ways to use these techniques for advertising and marketing."

Parnes said the scheme violates federal fraud laws. The measures pending in Congress, meanwhile, target common spyware practices such as resetting people's homepages and installing software without their consent.

Wallace, who pioneered the use of spam as a moneymaking tool under the name Cyber-Promotions Inc., before publicly apologizing for it in April 2006, was not immediately available for comment.

Sen. Conrad Burns (R-Mont.), sponsor of one anti-spyware bill, applauded the FTC for filing the case. "Today's action from the FTC regarding spyware is music to my ears," said Burns. "Each time we knock one player down it sends a signal to others out there and makes them think twice."

Ari Schwartz, associate director of the Center for Democracy and Technology in Washington, D.C., said the FTC and other law enforcers could play a big role in slowing the growth of spyware.

"Spyware is still a young industry and it takes a lot of investment to build these really awful programs. People who are just getting into the industry may be deterred by the fact that the FTC is taking action," Schwartz said.

Liar

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 MICROSOFT WINDOWS SECRETS EXPOSED!

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Users are the weakest link when it comes to protecting information systems, because of social engineering, which relies on the manipulation of people rather than machines.

The same trickery is being used against mobile-phone users, despite attempts by companies to create relatively secure operating systems, such as the market leader, Symbian.

F-Secure security expert, Patrik Runald, said in an interview with ZDNet Australia last week that the Symbian operating system is "fairly secure".

"All the malware we've seen so far relies on the user installing it themselves, bypassing three to four security warnings, so there hasn't really been a flaw in the operating system," he said.

Runald admits some problems may be caused by unclear instructions on the user-interface but, by and large, it is caused by users ignoring warning signs.

Runald said that there have been a few cases where cybercriminals have disguised files to make them look like an interesting shareware or freeware, but mostly he blames user ignorance.

"They think it's about ringtones, games, wallpapers, videos; all good and fun things but there are actually malicious things out there as well," said Runald.

Threat from Bluetooth
Bluetooth users may find themselves asked: "Would you like to install this program now?" When they click "no", the question persists. Often immediately until they choose the other option out of frustration.

"That's the reason why people get infected: because they repeatedly click no and obviously 'no' doesn't work and so they click 'yes' and they get infected," said Runald. When faced with this type of scenario, he advises users to "Just walk away".

"Bluetooth has a very limited range — it's about 15 to 20 meters. Then go into your Bluetooth settings and disable Bluetooth completely or make it hidden for all other devices," Runald added.bb

Business Travelers Beware: Free Wi-Fi Scam Strikes at Airports

In order to keep up in today’s world, a business needs to make sure its employees stay connected, even on the road.   Many airports and other public spaces offer free wireless, or Wi-Fi, connections for the public to log onto the Internet from their laptop computers. 

The Better Business Bureau (BBB) warns that hackers are now taking advantage of this convenience and setting up fake Wi-Fi connections designed to steal your personal information and files without you even knowing.

How it works

Although hackers can and have set up fake Wi-Fi connections in a number of venues, usually they will target consumers at airports. 

When searching for connections, consumers may see a network connection available that could be simply named “Free Wi-Fi.”

Thinking it’s the free connection offered by the establishment, they’ll log on. Unfortunately, the network may actually be an “ad-hoc” network, or a peer-to-peer connection. The user will be able to surf the Internet, but they’re doing it through the hacker’s computer.

And the whole time, the hacker is stealing information like passwords, credit card and bank account numbers, and social security numbers. 

Beyond simply stealing keystroke information as the user enters various types of data, if the PC is set to share files, the hacker could even steal whole documents from the computer.

Airports across the nation continue to report on Wi-Fi security issues.  Officials in Atlanta, New York LaGuardia and Los Angeles airports have all reported the existence of ad-hoc networks advertised as free Wi-Fi connections. 

An investigation revealed that Chicago O’Hare had 20 ad-hoc networks present that were potentially designed with the intent of hacking into unsuspecting user’s computers and networks.

The BBB offers the following advice on how to keep yourself safe when you go wireless:

·       Never connect to an unfamiliar ad-hoc network—even if the name sounds genuine.

A hacker can change the name of his network to anything he wants, including the name of the legitimate Internet connection offered by the airport.

Just because it has the same name as the Wi-Fi advertised in the airport, don’t believe it. For more information on how to distinguish between an ad-hoc network and a normal Wi-Fi network with Windows Vista or XP visit http://support.microsoft.com. 

·       Make sure that your computer is not set up to automatically connect to non-preferred networks. Otherwise your computer could automatically connect to the hacker’s network without your knowledge.

·       Turn off file sharing when you’re on the road to prevent hackers from stealing entire documents, files and unencrypted e-mail from your computer.

·       Create a Virtual Private Network (VPN) for your business. A VPN establishes a private network across the public network by creating a tunnel between the two endpoints so that nobody in between can intercept the data.

Many companies allow remote users to connect to corporate networks as long as they use VPN.

 This keeps the users' communications just as secure as if they were sitting at a desk in the building.

The BBB is here to help with advice you can trust.  For more information on identity theft, fraud prevention, and keeping your company secure online, visit www.bbb.org.

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Protecting your wireless network from hackers

Many households are now opting for the convenience of a wireless network and the Better Business Bureau has tips on how to keep your network safe from hackers.

War Drivers—as they are so ominously called—literally get in their car and drive around town searching for wireless networks they can connect to.

When they find a poorly protected wireless network, they can potentially sneak onto your computer and steal personal information such as credit card and bank account numbers, social security numbers and many other forms of personal information.

Now, there are even War Spammers who employ the same method as War Drivers but, once they get onto your wireless network, install viruses and potentially turn your computer into a zombie—distributing spam without your knowledge.

The BBB offers a number of steps you can take to protect your home or home-based business wireless network:

·       Setup password protections for your computer.  Make sure your network, computer, and potentially even your files are password protected.  You’ll also want to change your password monthly at a minimum.

·       Check their name at the door.  Every wireless-enabled device has a unique MAC, or Machine Access Code.  Many wireless routers can be set-up to identify and allow only computers you want on your network based on their MAC address.

·       Install additional firewall software on your computer and keep it updated.  Not only should your wireless network be setup to keep strangers out, but you’ll also want to install firewall software on your computer to make sure that only authorized users can log on.

·       Disable file sharing.  In addition to what you’re transmitting over the Internet, hackers are also interested in what is saved on your computer.  Files, documents, and unencrypted e-mails are all up for grabs if you don’t disable or restrict file sharing.

·       Turn off your wireless connection when you’re not using it.  The longer you’re using a wireless connection, the more time a hacker will have to figure out how to break into you computer, so always disconnect your computer from a wireless network when you’re not actively using the system. 

·       Keep your network a secret.   Wireless routers broadcast a “Service Set Identifier,” or SSID, to let computers or other devices know of the network’s presence. Turning off the broadcast means that War Drivers won’t even know your network exists.

For trustworthy advice on the steps you can take to stay safe online and protect yourself from identity theft, contact the BBB or visit www.bbb.org.

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