Every hour in the US, around 110 cell phones are lost or stolen, often by force or violence. States are circulating a ‘kill switch’ law. It would lock stolen phones. But big company names are fighting the good fight against this evil.
Companies such as Apple, Google, Samsung, Nokia and Microsoft are committed to adding their own anti-theft technology on newly made phones starting in 2015. Effective July that year, phones made after then will have ability to wipe out data and declare the device inoperable in case of a lost or stolen incident. This would be done remotely. Devices would be shut off until the original user gave permission. Some phones like Apple’s iOS 7, already have Activation Lock. This feature shuts down reactivation until the original user says so. In addition, these companies generally support the ‘kill switch’ law.
Although I totally applaud these carriers and companies for stepping up their anti-theft protection policy, not everyone feels that way. I read one comment that claims we consumers will now have to pay more for other consumers irresponsibility. I respectfully disagree with this. Yes, there are some common sense things can do to protect ourselves, like never leave your phone out in a public place. Guard your phone like you would your wallet or pocketbook. We can all do that. But the thing is, criminals are getting smarter and more brazen. Criminal hackers are using more sophisticated codes to break into phones. Instead of just pickpocketing a phone, robbers are just beating you out of it or sticking weapons in your face demanding it. So this is why I support such laws and efforts. Do you think they will help keep us safe?
Two days ago, I warned about a mega bug called Heartbleed. Online security experts fear this could be the worst bug of all-time. Now, even more sinister allegations are coming up.
Some witnesses say the NSA knew about the Heartbleed virus, and it’s consequences, for over two years. The Director of National Intelligence sent out an email and vehemently denied this claim. If cyber criminals exploited this flaw, it give them access to countless bank accounts and emails and online shopping accounts worldwide. What would the NSA gain to use Heartbleed? They would collect data from even the most sophisticated hacking organizations. Bud despite that, millions of innocent people are at risk to criminal hackers, and even worse, governments that don’t like us very much. The NSA has been under scrutiny for ten months now, since former NSA employee Edward Snowden revealed the agency was spying on people’s cell phones and computers.
Let me just say: I hope this isn’t true. I know what’s been reported about this agency, and I hope and pray the allegations are just that. But it wouldn’t surprise me. When I look at what’s been reported over the last 10 months, nothing would surprise me about the NSA. I think I know the answer to this one: Is this the last we’ve heard of Heartbleed?
There is a new dangerous bug threatening systems everywhere called Heartbleed. This bug could be the most dangerous bug in Internet history.
I say that because Heartbleed is so technical and complicated. That’s because unlike other bugs, there’s not very much you can do to protect yourself. The burden of combating and preventing Heartbleed is on the web service, not the web service user. Then there’s encryption, a system used to keep online chatter private. Like if you’re paying for something online, encryption is what keeps other people from looking at the credit card numbers you’re using for payment. One of the most popular ways of keeping encryption secure is using free tools like Open SSL. SSL runs on 2/3 of the Web. But what if there’s a flaw in Open SSL, which is on the majority of the web? That’s what makes it so dangerous. What’s even worse is the flaw and bug is hardly detectable until it’s too late.
But there is some good news: there is something you can do. It’s suggested you change passwords for your following accounts: Facebook, Instagram, Tumblr, Pintrest, Google, Yahoo, Gmail, Yahoo Mail, Amazon Web Services, Go Daddy, Intuit (Turbo Tax), Dropbox, Minecraft, OK Cupid, Sound Cloud, Wunderlist. I’m not here to sensationalize anything. I’m not saying these organizations have been hit by Heartbleed. I have accounts with many of these great organizations, and I haven’t seen anything unusual or alarming yet. So don’t panic about it, but after learning about the potential severity of Heartbleed, I do think we need to heed these suggestions. I know I am. Are you?
Documents leaked by Edward Snowden reveals the NSA and Britain’s GCHQ spied on German Chancellor Angela Merkel. But they also spied on private German companies. Now I’m hearing that in 2009 alone, the NSA spied on over 120 world leaders.
The main German company they’re accused of spying on is called Stellar. Stellar isn’t your local grocer, beer garden or bakery in Berlin or Munich. It’s a mega, major company that deals in satellites and satellite technology. It’s customers include Internet companies, telecommunication companies, and to some extent, the German government. It’s reported they spied on Merkel’s personal cell phone as well as those as millions of ordinary German citizens. What does the NSA or GCHQ have to do with Stellar?
And Merkel isn’t the only one. In 2009 alone, the NSA put in alphabetical order the 122 leaders they wanted to target, according to Snowden’s latest document. The first name on the list was Malaysian prime minister Abdullah Badawi, followed by Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas. The last man on the list was Yulia Tymoshenko, then the prime minister of Ukraine. Note there are around 200 nations and governments in the world, and 122 were chosen. You do the math.
When will it ever end? Or will it ever end? Is this our new normalcy?
Over the last several years, I’ve noticed a troubling trend in the journalism community: they’re being attacked by hackers. And whose doing the most of the hacking?
Not criminals, but government organizations around the world! Many mainstream news media, like New York Times, have been targeted by the Syrian Electronic Army, an organization that supports Syrian president Bashar Assad. According to Google security engineer Shane Huntley, 21 of the top 25 world news companies have been hit. Chinese hackers have made it a somewhat sport to infiltrate the mass media by using emails laced with malware. And it’s by no means limited to major media companies. Alternative media and even bloggers are being targeted.
But now, journalist are taking action. First, it’s good that we educate ourselves (since I’m a blogger, I’m including myself) about these dangers. Now, more journalist are doing what they can to protect themselves. But what saddens and concerns me is that this trend will likely continue, even worsen. The world around us seems to get a little more volatile with each and every passing day. I’m concerned with the domino effect this could have worldwide. And with the information these hackers could get, there’s no telling how this information could be used. How concerned should we be about these attacks on our journalists and bloggers?
We know the headlines by heart by now. Edward Snowden. NSA surveillance. Target credit cards compromised. Sextortion. No wonder why some are calling for an online bill of rights.
World Wide Web inventor Sir Tim Berners-Lee calls for an online ‘Magna Carta’. Lee believes this pact would protect the Internet from tyrannical governments and out of control greedy corporations. In an initiative called ‘The Web We Want’, every nation is called to produce an online bill of rights in which institutions, corporations and governments are expected to respect. Mr. Lee argues that if we don’t have an open and free Internet, we won’t have open democracy, media, healthcare, community or culture either. He’s been an outspoken critic of American and British spy agencies and what we’ve learned about how they’re listening to our cell phones and watching our computers, whether the person knows or approves of it or not.
You know we’re onto something when the father of the modern Internet is calling for a revolution in online privacy. Some say Lee and other advocates have blown this thing way over proportion. There are some voices who say this kind of surveillance is what is needed to catch the bad guys. These voices will also tell you, “If you’re not doing anything wrong, you have nothing to worry about!” I’m not one of those voices. That’s because we live in age where even the most innocent things can easily be twisted and skewed into something far bigger than what it is. Plus, there’s that thing called the 4th amendment. So there’s legal protection right there. And ‘The Web We Want’ movement is growing. Will you join?
