When there is a massive breach in security protecting personal data often times we hear about it for a week but then it's promptly forgotten. It's as if our brains can only retain the data for so long and then it's formatted.

Unless you are one of the thousands of people who's data was stolen, hacked, lost, etc.

A recent article in the Columbus Dispatch covered a loss of data at Chase when four laptops "disappeared" from a "secure" room. I don't understand why companies feel the need to store confidential personal information on mobile devices. With the state of computer networks, the data should reside on a server and the laptops configured to access the data but never store it. When it was discovered the laptops were missing, all Chase would have been out was the cost of the laptops.

In addition there is the problem of companies saving information on clients, customers, and employees that is not relevant and shouldn't be saved. TJX, the parent company of T.J. Maxx recently had data stolen. TJX believes their credit and debit ca rd transactions from January 2003 to June 2004 were compromised.

To make matters worse, this data was used recently to create dummy credit cards and then they purchased Wal-Mart and Sam's Club gift cards.

According to a report by the University of Washington, when analyzing the past 25 years, three out of five reported incidents of data breaches point to organizational malfeasance of some variety, including missing or stolen hardware, insider abuse or theft, administrative error, or accidentally exposing data online.

Businesses and Corporations need to get a handle on how they handle information. If they don't they may find that customers won't use them for fear of where all their data is going.

Here Endeth the Lesson

According to Ollie Whitehouse, a security researcher for Symantec, a feature that is supposed to protect a normal user from running harmful software may act as a Trojan for malware and viruses.

Now from this and previous posts you'd probably think I'm anti-Vista. I'm not against the new OS, I'm against bad software. All operating systems go through a period where all the bugs and kinks are worked out, Vista is no different.

What concerns me most though is that this is the second security vulnerability reported within the past few weeks. In addition I looked at an advert in the newspaper for BestBuy and CompUSA. All the systems they are advertising come with Vista pre-loaded. Now it may be possible to get a non Vista system at these stores, I haven't checked into that yet. However the general population doesn't know that the brand new computer they just bought may not be able to run the software that they want it to, as well as put their sensitive data at risk.

I guess if you need a new computer & you don't want the security risks of Vista, you'll have to pony up some more money and buy a full version of XP. Hopefully you'd be able to find someone to wipe the hard drive and install XP.

As technical savvy as I am, I wouldn't want to tackle that job.

Read more about the newest Vista bug


Here Endeth the Lesson

Now I may have missed something but I was under the impression one of the selling points of Windows Vista, Microsoft's newest incarnation of its operating system, was it's security suite.

A privilege escalation bug was discovered by eEye Digital Security. The bug, similar to a buffer overflow problem allows users to elevate their privileges from normal user to whatever virus wrecking havoc level of user that they want.

The security flaw was found on January 9th, and reported to Microsoft on the 19th. Vista was released for retail at the end of January. Of course even if Microsoft admitted their was a security flaw, it was probably too late to change it in the copies that were shipped out.

A spokesman for Microsoft said that they are investigating the vulnerability.

Here Endeth the Lesson

The phenomenon that is MySpace is nothing new.
Humans are extremely social creatures. I'm certain that back when my ancestors were Cro-Magnons there were social groups devoted to cave paintings. Course there was probably a social network that hated cave paintings as well. As we progressed we developed more complex social groups, from Catholicism to the Freemasons.

So is it any surprise that we would transplant our social natures into the virtual world? As we go about our lives we want to be a part of something more. As a community we have more power than we would as individuals.

I've been looking into Second Life recently because the concept of creating a virtual world has always been intriguing to me. I love the books by William Gibson and Neal Stephenson; and if you think the Wachowski Brothers came up with all the stuff in the Matrix on their own, you need schooling in a subject I like to call Neuromancer 101.

I'm getting off topic though..

What I'd like to create in Second Life would take a team of developers, so it looks like I need to work on creating some social networks of my own.

Here Endeth the Lesson

I had to laugh at the new Mac commercial.

If you haven't seen it yet, check it out.
You need QuickTime installed to watch this ad.


Here Endeth the Lesson

According to a recent article from EETimes.com the cost of flash memory is set to plummet this year due to manufacturers flooding the market in 2006.

Joseph Unsworth, an analyst with Gartner Inc. (Stamford, Conn.) stated "Technically, you still have to buy it from vendors. It's certainly more affordable." In one scenario, the analyst said he heard of a 256-Mbit, USB-based flash drive that sells for $35 each--with a $35 rebate from the manufacturer. "In Asia, entry-level MP3 players with 1 Gbyte of storage can go as low as $25"

I'll believe it when I see it.

I did a little research on Newegg, Circuit City and Best Buy and found that while 256-Mbit flash memory was a downright steal, the higher cards were still somewhat expensive.

A SanDisk 1Gb Ultra® II CompactFlash® Card was retailing for $19.99. This is a pretty cool deal. However the SanDisk 2Gb Ultra® II CompactFlash® Card was retailing for $79.99.

Huh?

Now there may be some hidden perks of the 2Gb card that I'm not aware of (maybe read and write speed), but wouldn't it make more sense to use 2-1Gb cards instead of 1-2Gb card?

The SanDisk 4Gb Ultra® II CompactFlash® Card is retailing for $139.99. The SanDisk 8Gb Ultra® II CompactFlash® Card is retailing for $279.99.

All of these prices are after rebates, etc.

I really don't understand the pricing of these cards.

Hopefully Mr. Unsworth is correct and the prices of these cards drop significantly. My thoughts are that the 8Gb card should be retailing around $160.00.

For more on the EETimes article:


Here Endeth the Lesson

Several states have distracted driving laws that make it illegal to drive a vehicle and talk on the phone (unless handsfree), eat, etc. However a new law being proposed in NY would make it illegal to walk across a street while using electronic devices.

State Sen. Carl Kruger's bill would actually ban the use of any electronic device in a crosswalk. So besides iPod users, the proposal also would target people talking on mobile phones, using BlackBerries, or playing a portable console like a PSP.

So I guess if you step into a crosswalk and get killed because you were so distracted you didn't realize it wasn't clear to walk you'll also get a ticket.

Kruger was spurred into action by the deaths of three pedestrians who started crossing the street while distracted by an electronic device, according to the Reuters news agency. "Government has an obligation to protect its citizenry," Kruger told Reuters. "This electronic gadgetry is reaching the point where it's becoming not only endemic, but it's creating an atmosphere where we have a major public safety crisis at hand."

Doesn't Kruger have something better to do than introduce stupid legislation? Kruger if you are that bored why don't you try running against Hillary Clinton?

Read More


Here Endeth the Lesson

The RIAA has tried numerous times to get legislation passed concerning digital rights management software as well as spearheading the campaign that if they don't do something to protect their revenue people will be trading their intellectual property all over the internet.

Steve Jobs made a bold statement on Tuesday concerning DRM and the future of iTunes.

"Imagine a world where every online store sells DRM-free music encoded in open licensable formats. In such a world, any player can play music purchased from any store, and any store can sell music which is playable on all players. This is clearly the best alternative for consumers, and Apple would embrace it in a heartbeat. If the big four music companies would license Apple their music without the requirement that it be protected with a DRM, we would switch to selling only DRM-free music on our iTunes store. Every iPod ever made will play this DRM-free music.

Why would the big four music companies agree to let Apple and others distribute their music without using DRM systems to protect it? The simplest answer is because DRMs haven’t worked, and may never work, to halt music piracy. Though the big four music companies require that all their music sold online be protected with DRMs, these same music companies continue to sell billions of CDs a year which contain completely unprotected music. That’s right! No DRM system was ever developed for the CD, so all the music distributed on CDs can be easily uploaded to the Internet, then (illegally) downloaded and played on any computer or player.

In 2006, under 2 billion DRM-protected songs were sold worldwide by online stores, while over 20 billion songs were sold completely DRM-free and unprotected on CDs by the music companies themselves. The music companies sell the vast majority of their music DRM-free, and show no signs of changing this behavior, since the overwhelming majority of their revenues depend on selling CDs which must play in CD players that support no DRM system.

So if the music companies are selling over 90 percent of their music DRM-free, what benefits do they get from selling the remaining small percentage of their music encumbered with a DRM system? There appear to be none. If anything, the technical expertise and overhead required to create, operate and update a DRM system has limited the number of participants selling DRM protected music. If such requirements were removed, the music industry might experience an influx of new companies willing to invest in innovative new stores and players. This can only be seen as a positive by the music companies."

The "big four" music companies that Jobs is referring to are Universal, Sony BMG, Warner and EMI. These four companies control the distribution of over 70% of the world’s music. If Jobs could convince these companies to allow Apple to distribute DRM-free music it would go a long way towards convincing the RIAA to approve the same.

- Read more of Steve Jobs Thoughts on Music

Here Endeth the Lesson

Silica is a portable hacking device created by Immunity Inc., that can search for and join 802.11 (Wi-Fi) access points, scan other connections for open ports, and automatically launch code execution exploits from CANVAS, the company's flagship point-and-click attack tool that features hundreds of exploits, an automated exploitation system, and an exploit development framework.

Silica is designed to be used by penetration testers looking for security holes in a network. Justine Aitel, CEO of Immunity, demonstrated the device at the 2007 RSA Security Conference with alarming success.

Aitel said Immunity is careful to do due diligence when selling its products, which can fall into the wrong hands and end up being used for illegal purposes. "We don't sell to anonymous users. We make a fair effort to vet buyers and know where the money is coming from and who we're shipping to," she explained.

She said Immunity is taking orders for the $3,600 device, mostly from law enforcement agencies looking to do covert hacking on sensitive networks.

Future upgrades will include support for Bluetooth wireless connections, and GPS technology to pinpoint precise geographic locations of access points.

Click Here for more on Silica
Click Here for more on Immunity, Inc.

Here Endeth the Lesson

According to a company statement provided by Apple spokesman Derick Mains, "Although iTunes 7.0.2 may work with Windows Vista on many typical PCs, Apple is aware of some known compatibility issues and recommends that iTunes customers wait to upgrade to Windows Vista until after the next release of iTunes, which will be available in the next few weeks." Apple declined further comment.

According to a notice posted on Apple's Web site, compatibility problems include the inability to play music or video purchased from the online iTunes store, difficulties synchronizing contacts and calendars and possible failures of iPods plugged into a Vista computer. Various iTunes customers are reporting that you cannot authorizeiTunes (for WIndows) on Vista to play things purchased from the iTunes Store.

I've heard of some the Vista issues such as QuickBooks being Vista "incapatable". So this is just another piece of software that Vista has problems with.

Adam Anderson, a spokesperson for Microsoft's Windows division, said the company did not believe iTunes users "should stop using Vista for these reasons."

I think the best option for everyone is to give Vista about six months to a year for software developers and Microsoft to get the current bugs worked out and start working on the bugs that will invariably have resulted from those fixes.

For more on the iTunes issue read here.
For more on the QuickBooks issue read here.

Here Endeth the Lesson

So you don't like the screen on your iPod? Want a more immersive environment when you play World of Warcraft?

Well the techs at Icuiti Corp. have come to your rescue. They have created twin high-resolution LCD displays built into a piece of eyewear that is reminicent of Geordi LaForge's goggles.

Unfortunately these babies are abit on the pricey side, retailing for aprox. $250. The main drawback as I understand it is that it doesn't cover your entire field of vision.

Even with the price and drawbacks, it still is a cool piece of hardware.

Learn more from Icuiti.

Here Endeth the Lesson

Well it's official... Technotropolis has recieved 1,000 hits.
The blog went live in January 2006, so its taken a year
to reach 1,000 hits. Which equals to 2.74 hits per day...

All you space monkeys need to be visiting my blog at least
once per day... even if I only post once a week ;)

Here Endeth the Humiliation

The Recording Industry Associate of America (RIAA) may becoming
more open to the idea of digital music rights.

"It's a model worth looking at," John Kennedy, head of the
International Federation for the Phonographic Industry, said at a
press briefing last weekend in Cannes at Midem, the annual global
music market. "If the ISPs want to come to us and look for a
blanket license for an amount per month, let's engage in that
discussion..."

But Mitch Bainwol, head of the Recording Industry Association of
America, who was the co-host of the briefing, quickly interjected:
"...on a voluntary, commercial basis."

So what has changed in the IFPI and RIAA minds?
Digital downloads doubled in 2006, while traditional CD sales fell.
Secondly, Microsoft structured a fee with Universal Music Group
for its Zune player. Third, discussions about interoperability are
coming out again.

"We shouldn't kid ourselves," Kennedy said. " Steve Jobs holds the
biggest key to interoperability. He faces advice from us and pressure
from various governments around the world." As far as Jobs giving
in, he added, "it's going to be at the stage where he thinks it is
commercially advantageous to him."

The IFPI and RIAA need to realize that times are changing and that
if they wish to remain financially viable they need to change with
the new economy.

READ MORE

Here Endeth the Lesson