However, an unnamedhacker claimed to have remotely breached a system at a Texas water plant, as well as systems in Europe. That investigation was pending. Its clear hackers are targeting these sensitive and critical systems, for whatever reason. Given how easy it is tofind SCADA equipment with just a Google search, all theholes the SCADA systems seem to have, and that researchers say it isrelatively easy to exploitthe weaknesses, you can expect more attacks on critical infrastructure systems in the coming year. Whether they will make it to the news or be kept a secret, is another thing.
This next prediction is a no-brainer, but it touches so many of our lives that to ignore it would be silly. We have become a society of sharing to the detriment of our personal privacy.
E-waste recycled to make geeky decorA Chilean artist finds a creative way to breathe new life into old tech while a statement about e-waste. Find out more about the one-of-a-kind N+ew chairs here.
Elinor MillsElinor Mills covers Internet security and privacy. She joined CNET News in 2005 after working as a foreign correspondent for Reuters in Portugal and writing for The Industry Standard, the IDG News Service, and the Associated Press.
Panasonic Lumix TS4 perfect for outdoorsy types with t walletsThe TS4 is as tough as its predecessor, but some new shooting options make things a little more interesting.
Twitter CEO Dick Costolo talks shipIn a live interview, Twitter CEO Dick Costolo talked about why Twitter announced it would withhold tweets when they violate a countrys local laws.
A(nother) utility will get hacked
People will continue over-sharing despite the privacy ramifications
This was an exciting/anxious year in the Internet security community, with big tech firms like Sony and RSA getting hacked, putting consumer data and corporate networks at risk, and with reports of attacks on utilities.
Theres no doubt that 2011 can be called the Year of the Hackers. The Anonymous movement and its offshoots, notably LulzSec, gained me and notoriety for their denial-of-service attacks and data breaches on a host of targets. From Sony and the CIA to bankers, police officers, and Fox News, theattacks were a daily occurrence for months. With the emergence of the Occupy Wall Street protests, Anonymous actions became more organized and focused on a cause--political protest of financial inequality and corporate influence--and inclusive, online and offline.
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Smart paint could make bridges, mines saferScottish researchers are working on a low-cost, easily applied material that can detect microscopic ults in structures--and transmit that information remotely.
Social media provides a way for me to share every aspect of my life with people, from where I went to school to what restaurant Im dining at tonight to who my friends are and what my pet looks like. The ego prompts us to accept all the friend requests and seek more followers, and to bombard them with more details of our lives than anyone needs to know. We also are unknowingly revealing sensitive information, such as when we post photos containing GPS coordinates without realizing that the shot of my home can easily lead strangers to my doorstep.
Five predictions for security in 2012 passaic county technical school,Scary things that go bump in the night are actually happening to computer systems that matter and its only going to get worse. Heres what I think will happen in 2012.
Google moves quickly when problems are reported, but removing apps after-the-ct means there may be users who have downloaded them already. To be ir, the likelihood that the average Android user will encounter malware is very, very slim because most people avoid third-party sites where they are required to allow apps from unknown sources to be downloaded, and are thus assuming the risk. The hot apps market, in general, is problematic because mobile developers typically dont have experience creating secure software. So keep your eye on this space.
Crave
Companies like Facebook are offering increased integration so that my activities on the site and elsewhere are automatically shared with others. So now I can see what music my friends are listening to and what articles they are reading right now. But advertisers are privy to more information about us collectively, and me individually as well. Many people dont care if they see ads targeted to their tastes and lifestyle, but I doubt most of them really want to be blasting their commuting route, work hours, and up-to-the-minute whereabouts to the world.
As a target for malicious software, Android is the Microsoft of the mobile platform. Android has more than 50 percent of the smartphone market, eclipsing all others, so its themost attractive platform for scammersto target. WhileiPhoneapps get vetted by Apple, Googles open apps store model, which lacks code signing and a review process, makes it easy to distribute malware in apps.
The firstwake-up call for the industry was the Stuxnetmalware that emerged last year that appeared to have been designed to sabotage Irans nuclear program. Then a leaked report in November appeared to be the first acknowledgement of a cyberattack on a U.S. critical infrastructure system, but theDepartment of Homeland Security denied that there had been an attackand ultimately itturned out to have been a lse alarm.
The numbers bear this out. In the last six months, the number of malicious Android apps has doubled to 1,000, a report frommobile security firm Lookout says. Granted the vast majority of the malware--often disguised as legitimate apps--is found on third-party sites. But some malicious apps have made it to the Android Market. Google yanked abouttwo dozen apps containing malware in Mayand nearly60 malicious apps in March. (Thats not counting the nearly30 apps pulled in Decemberthat appeared to be designed for fraud.)
Nanotech - The Circuits Blog
Apple Talk
Geek Gestalt
E-voting machines will have security hiccups
Crave
Were heading into an election year so that means get ready for the quadrennial voting snafus. Previous national elections have seen their share of problems with e-voting machines--votes not being recorded accurately and not allowing for adequate auditing, among other problems.
Hacktivists will form a new 99 Percent Party
Technically Incorrect
Digital Media
Former Siri board member: Shes not a data hogSomeone from Siris past has come out in defense of the software voice assistants alleged data hogging ways, saying each query is about 63 kilobytes of data.
Crave
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Companies need to better explain the privacy implications of the new features they offer, but consumers need to be asking themselves questions before they push post, such as Do I care if people I dont know or enemies are able to see this?
Samsungs Super Bowl ad: Farrelly brother, Apple-baiting?In a series of tweets, Samsung teases a major Super Bowl spot, directed by Bobby Farrelly. Is this the launch of the Galaxy Note?
Even in the last election in 2008, asecurity flaw deleted votes from a computer databasein one county in California, and there were reports ofmachine malfunctions in Pennsylvania and Virginia and mis-recorded votes in Ohio. Despite the problems , the machines may not be all that much improved by this coming election. Researchers warned in September that it is stillpossible for fraudsters to sneak hardware into an e-voting systemthat could be used to remotely change votes after they have been cast. If that ils, theres always the Supreme Court.
Hacking of corporate and government networks happens all the time. Now that SCADA (supervisory control and data acquisition) systems used in utilities and other critical infrastructure environments are being connected to the Internet, without the built-in security that traditional information technology networks have, it should come as no surprise that hackers will make their way in to areas where they conceivably could cause real harm to the environment and people.
Apple iPad breaks HPs hold on top PC spotWith popularity of the iPad undiminished, Apple easily surges past Hewlett-Packard as the top PC marker in the world, according to Canalys.
The celess hacktivists in Anonymous joined scores of everyday people to demonstrate in squares throughout the world and put a ce, many ces, on the crisis of poverty and economic injustice. The Anons, as they call themselves, have ownership in the larger political movement and could provide the technical skills and online organization needed to create a new party that appeals not just to the tech-savvy Gen Y-ers, but to their parents and grandparents who are struggling to make ends meet.
Cosmo editor ponies up $30 million for the future of newsThe new David and Helen Gurley Brown Institute for Media Innovation will bring together students from the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism and Stanfords Engineering School in a bid to help inspire a new generation of news consumption tools and applications.
Elinor Mills passaic county technical schoolbecame scinated with hacker culture when she was sent to Las Vegas to cover DefCon in 1995. Since then, script kiddies have given way to cyber criminals targeting bank passwords, and privacy risks are everywhere, from Google to Facebook and the iPhone. InSecurity Complex keeps tabs on the flaws, the foibles, and the fixes.
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