InSecurity Complex

E-ballot device for presidential vote has bugs, report confirms

An e-voting machine that is to be used for the presidential election this year has been found to have "anomalies" such as failing to record votes or logging the wrong vote and freezing, according to a government report.

The Formal Investigative Report issued late last month by the Electronic Assistance Commission (EAC), which certifies electronic voting equipment, issued a notice of noncompliance for the DS200 optical scanning device manufactured by Electronic Systems & Software (ES&S), but did not decertify the machine.

The report found three anomalies:

Intermittent screen freezes, system lockups, and shutdowns that prevent the … Read more

Iran squeezes Web surfers, prepares censored national intranet

Iranians have lost the right to surf the Web anonymously at Internet cafes as the government reportedly moves closer to its ultimate goal of replacing the global network with a censored national intranet.

The Iranian Cyber Police published new rules on Wednesday designed to allow officials to know exactly who is visiting what Web sites. Before they can log on, Iranians are required to provide their name, father's name, address, telephone number and national ID, according to an Iranian media report cited by Radio Free Europe. Cafe owners will be required to install security cameras and to keep all … Read more

Kevin Mitnick's secret weapon for avoiding jail

Famed hacker Kevin Mitnick has seen enough of the inside of a jail to know he never wants to go back. Now there's a backup plan in case he ever finds himself arrested again--a bracelet that has a lock-pick tool for handcuffs.

The bracelet looks like a geeky version of a thick woven hippie bracelet. But hidden inside the clasp is the secret tool that slips inside the lock of handcuffs and opens them. They are $17 on Sally's Cop Shop.

Of course, Mitnick isn't wearing the accessory with any expectation that he will ever be arrested--he'… Read more

Americans more susceptible to online scams than believed, study finds

Last May, long before the iPhone 4S was released, a bunch of Facebook users got tricked into spreading spam by clicking on a link attached to this headline: "First Exposure: Apple iPhone 5."

People who normally ignore all the other scams involving purported free software or naked celebrity photos clicked that fake news link and even completed a captcha on a second site, which reposted the scam to their own Facebook stream. That probably says more about how fanatical people are about Apple products than anything else. But it did raise the question--what does it take to lure … Read more

Time stamp bug exposes photos on locked iPhone

A Canadian tech consultant has discovered a bug in iOS 5 that makes the photos on a locked iPhone viewable, if the phone's clock is set to the past.

It's easy to test. On an iPhone running iOS 5, you can access the camera, even if the phone is locked, by double-clicking the home button. But if you try to view the photo gallery, you are blocked with a message that says, "Unlock your iPhone to see all of your photos and videos."

Now go into your phone settings, and change the date to some point … Read more

Facebook hands out White Hat debit cards to hackers

A few companies pay money to bug hunters. But Facebook is giving out something more unique than just a check. Some security researchers are getting a customized "White Hat Bug Bounty Program" Visa debit card.

The researchers, who can make thousands of dollars for reporting just one security hole on the social-networking site, can use the card to make purchases, just like a credit card, or create a PIN and take money out of an ATM. As the researchers find more bugs, Facebook can add more money to their accounts.

Facebook wanted to do something special for the … Read more

Hackers release credit card, other data from Stratfor breach

Hackers released more data obtained from a breach of Stratfor, including e-mail addresses and credit card numbers, the geopolitical intelligence firm confirmed to CNET today.

In a post on Pastebin by someone using the "AntiSec" moniker, there are links to downloads of data on different sites, some of which were removed by midday today. The data dump follows the release of a list of Stratfor (Strategic Forecasting) clients on December 25 and a warning from hackers that they had more sensitive data to release, including unencrypted credit card data.

"It's time to dump the full 75,… Read more

Five predictions for security in 2012

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.

Scary things that go bump in the night are actually happening to computer systems that matter and it's only going to get worse. Here's what I think will happen in 2012.

Malicious Android apps will increase 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 … Read more

Pranksters have fun with 'newtgingrich.com'

Someone is having a little fun at Newt Gingrich's expense.

Visitors to newtgingrich.com, who probably are looking for information on Gingrich's campaign to become the Republican nominee for president, are instead being automatically redirected to other sites.

For instance, I just tried to reach newtgingrich.com and was sent to an article on The Atlantic Wire with the headline "Gingrich's Campaign Still Looks an Awful Lot Like a Book Tour."

Earlier, the .com address sent me to the site for Freddie Mac. And Mashable reports that other destinations for the redirects have included Tiffany &… Read more