Category Archives: Technology

International, Technology, U.S.

U.S. military computers hacked by ?, weapons codes stolen

“Given the military targets, and that millions of compromised keys are in circulation, this is not over.”-Rick Moy, NSS Labs

Reuters reporting that several U.S. military contractors have been hacked.  The cyber attack might have snagged codes for high tech weapons being used in Afghanistan and Iraq.

ECM corporation admits that several of its RSA security keys were copied by hackers several months ago.  This played a role in allowing hackers to access dozens of contractor databases, possibly for weapons codes.  So far officials are not saying what the hackers actually did.

 

 

Business/Economics, International, Technology

Sony PlayStation continues to get hacked, losses big money

May 24, Sony announced that their online services continue to get hacked.  The latest involve countries like Greece and Thailand.

Japanese IT officials think hackers are just practicing, and that Sony’s security sucks: ‘‘Hackers are launching attacks apparently to hone their skills. Sony must review the security systems of its entire group to redress their vulnerability.’’-Information Technology Promotion Agency

Sony announced that they have lost, so far, $171 million because of the hacks.  This adds to Sony’s year after year losses.

Technology, U.S.

U.S. media lying about Osama bin Laden DNA, someone screwed up the test

“Given what I’ve seen so far, there have been some inconsistencies in what’s been presented, and the reason for that is unknown at this time.”-Bruce Budowle, University of North Texas

A Dallas/Fort Worth DNA expert says no DNA evidence, of Osama bin Laden, has been released by the U.S. government.  Bruce Budowle is a Professor at University of North Texas, Health Science Center’s Department of Forensic and Investigative Genetics (whew).

If Budowle’s University credentials aren’t enough, he spent 26 years doing forensics work for the FBI (Federal Bureau of Investigation).

He believes someone screwed up the DNA test. The DNA might not be bin Laden’s, but a close relative: “We’ve heard that it’s from his sister in Boston, that’s one explanation, and someone else said he only has a half sister and not a full sister, yet they had a 99.99 percent certainty. That alone says there was something done to the calculations.”

Budowles speculates that the government does not have a direct DNA sample of bin Laden, and is using DNA from relatives to try an identify the body they dumped in the Arabian Sea: “That’s where the problem comes in. Right now, anything is just speculation or at best misunderstood.”

International, Technology, U.S.

Pakistan to give China downed U.S. stealth Blackhawk, U.S. Congress threatens end to financial aid for Pakistan

One of the helicopters used in the May 2 assassination of Osama bin Laden could be a modified Blackhawk.

According to an Air Force Times article, the helicopters are modified MH-60 Blackhawks, similar to the Direct Action Penetrator.  However, analysts with Janes Defense point out that the tail section of the copter that crashed does not match that of the Blackhawk.  Officials will not tell what kind of helicopter it was.

Pentagon officials are demanding that Pakistan give the copter back, but Pakistan has another plan.  They may use the high tech helicopter in a deal with China.  Some reports say all that’s left of the helicopter is the tail section.

U.S. Congressman Dana Rohrabacher, from California, has introduced a bill that would end financial aid to Pakistan if they don’t return the damaged helicopter remains.  U.S. Senator John Kerry, from Massachusetts, is set to visit Pakistan to discuss issues surrounding the May 2 operation.

Business/Economics, International, Technology

Argentina bans Smokeless cigarettes, U.S. FDA will treat them as real cigarettes

Argentina has banned smokeless cigarettes (aka electronic cigarettes), because there is no proof they help people stop smoking real cigarettes.

Electronic cigarette makers say their product is not dangerous, but Argentina says some of the aerosols used in the cigarette actually contain nicotine.

In the United States, the Food and Drug Administration lost a court battle to regulate the e-cigarettes as “drug delivery devices”.  Now the FDA says it will regulate the e-cigarettes as if they were real cigarettes.

Some U.S. states have banned smoking the e-cigarettes indoors, because they can contain nicotine.

It seems the makers of the electric cigarette don’t understand the problem with real cigarettes; they contain nicotine and are addictive.  So how can they claim you can quite smoking if their product contains nicotine?

Technology

Symantec finds big hole in Facebook, free access to thousands of accounts

Computer security firm Symantec, discovered a hole in Facebook’s security system, allowing third parties to access at least 100,000 accounts.

“We estimate that over the years, hundreds of thousands of applications may have inadvertently leaked millions of access tokens to third parties.”-Nishant Doshi, Symantec

Symantec says they contacted Facebook officials about the problem, and Facebook says they will fix it.