Monthly Archives: December 2015

Europe’s highest court strikes down Safe Harbor data sharing between EU, US

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“The case was originally sent to the CJEU by the High Court of Ireland, after the Irish data protection authority rejected a complaint from Maximillian Schrems, an Austrian citizen. He had argued that in light of Snowden’s revelations about the NSA, the data he provided to Facebook that was transferred from the company’s Irish subsidiary to the US under the Safe Harbour scheme was not, in fact, safely harboured. Advocate General Yves Bot of the CJEU agreed with Schrems that the EU-US Safe Harbour system did not meet the requirements of the Data Protection Directive, because of NSA access to EU personal data.”

http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2015/10/europes-highest-court-strikes-down-safe-harbour-data-sharing-between-eu-and-us/

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Congress approves surveillance legislation tucked into budget package

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“Congress on Friday adopted a $1.15 trillion spending package that included a controversial cybersecurity measure that only passed because it was slipped into the US government’s budget legislation.  House Speaker Paul Ryan, a Republican of Wisconsin, inserted the Cybersecurity Information Sharing Act (CISA) into the bill. The CISA part of the spending package gives corporate America legal immunity when sharing consumers’ private data about hacks and digital breaches with the Department of Homeland Security. The DHS can then funnel that information to other agencies, including the NSA and FBI, which can use that information for surveillance purposes.”

http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2015/12/congress-approves-surveillance-legislation-tucked-into-budget-package/

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When a single e-mail gives hackers full access to your network

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“The vulnerability, which is on by default in the NX, EX, AX, FX series of FireEye products, was [disclosed by] FireEye last week, after researchers from Google’s Project Zero privately reported it. It made it possible for attackers to penetrate a network by sending one of its members a single malicious e-mail, even if it’s never opened. It’s not uncommon for outsiders to find such critical flaws in a security product. Still, the proof-of-concept exploit underscores that such game-over threats often extend to some of a network’s most critical equipment.”

http://arstechnica.com/security/2015/12/when-a-single-e-mail-gives-hackers-full-access-to-your-network/

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Western Digital self-encrypting hard drives riddled with security flaws

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“Several versions of self-encrypting hard drives from Western Digital are riddled with so many security flaws that attackers with physical access can retrieve the data with little effort, and in some cases, without even knowing the decryption password, a team of academics said.  The paper, titled got HW crypto? On the (in)security of a Self-Encrypting Drive series, recited a litany of weaknesses in the multiple versions of the My Passport and My Book brands of external hard drives. The flaws make it possible for people who steal a vulnerable drive to decrypt its contents, even when they’re locked down with a long, randomly generated password.”

http://arstechnica.com/security/2015/10/western-digital-self-encrypting-hard-drives-riddled-with-security-flaws/

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Microsoft Admits Windows 10 Automatic Spying Cannot Be Stopped

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“Speaking to PC World, Microsoft Corporate Vice President Joe Belfiore explained that Windows 10 is constantly tracking how it operates and how you are using it and sending that information back to Microsoft by default. More importantly he also confirmed that, despite offering some options to turn elements of tracking off, core data collection simply cannot be stopped.  This backs up detailed data that some had chosen to dismiss as conspiracy theories.  Instead it gave the impression that turning off all user accessible spying options in Windows 10 settings would provide owners with full privacy – that’s tantamount to spying.”

http://www.forbes.com/sites/gordonkelly/2015/11/02/microsoft-confirms-unstoppable-windows-10-tracking/

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Juniper warns of backdoor spying code in firewalls

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“Juniper, a major manufacturer of networking equipment, said on Thursday it found spying code planted in certain models of its firewalls, an alarming discovery that echoes of state-sponsored tampering.   The internal review uncovered two problems. One could allow remote administrative access to a ScreenOS device over telnet or SSH. The second vulnerability can allow an attacker who can monitor VPN traffic to decrypt it. VPNs are encrypted connections between a user and another computer and are often used by companies to allow secure remote access to their systems.  Disturbingly, Juniper wrote that ‘there is no way to detect that this vulnerability was exploited.'”

http://www.pcworld.com/article/3016915/security/juniper-warns-of-spying-code-in-firewalls.html

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Boston commuter train travels 5 miles without operator

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“A Boston area-commuter train carrying about 50 passengers — but no operator — coasted through several stations after power to a third rail was cut off once officials realized no one was at the controls, authorities said Thursday.  The incident, which saw the train go 5 miles, began at 6:08 a.m. at the Braintree station on the MBTA’s Red Line, south of Boston, when the operator apparently stepped off the train to inspect a signal that was experiencing a problem, said Gov. Charlie Baker.  The governor said while he understood ‘the fear, the shock and surprise that … passengers must have experienced,’ commuters should not be afraid to ride the rails.”

http://www.cnn.com/2015/12/10/us/boston-driverless-commuter-train/

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Mandatory Meningitis Vaccine Bill Author Caught Taking $420k From Big Pharma

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“State Senator Kemp Hannon, Chair of the New York Senate Health Committee, and author of the recently passed law that will require all seventh and twelfth graders in the state to get meningitis shots, has been caught with his hand in the pot, according to the New York Daily News: specifically, the pharma pot. And to no small sum, mind you. His investments in pharmaceutical and health companies is at $100,000 while it is also being alleged that he has received more than $400,000 from the same interest groups.”

http://countercurrentnews.com/2015/12/author-of-mandatory-meningitis-vaccine-bill-caught-taking-420k-from-big-pharma/

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State of Emergency Declared in Michigan City After Lead Found in Children’s Blood

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“Flint River is one of the filthiest rivers in Michigan. Over the years, it has housed raw sewage, tires, old refrigerators — which residents have attempted to sift out — and lead. In spite of this, officials declared it safe to drink in April 2014, when they switched the supply to the tainted river.  The change was widely attributed to the city’s switch from Detroit’s water system to the Flint River under the leadership of the city’s previous mayor, Dayne Walling.  Shortly after the April switch, residents complained the water emitted a foul odor and was cloudy in appearance, but local and state officials insisted the water was safe.”

http://theantimedia.org/state-of-emergency-declared-in-michigan-city-after-lead-found-in-childrens-blood/

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China saw record capital outflows in November: economist

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“The constant stream of capital outflows from China that have bedeviled global financial markets likely reached a record in November, according to estimates from Capital Economics.  Julian Evans-Pritchard, China economist at the Singapore office of Capital Economics, has estimated that net capital outflows totaled $113 billion last month, accelerating from $37 billion in October. But getting an accurate picture of how much money is actually fleeing China is somewhat tricky.  Despite the differences, observers note that the outflows reflect expectations for the yuan to weaken further as China’s economy slows.”

http://www.cnbc.com/2015/12/07/china-saw-record-capital-outflows-in-november-capital-economics-says.html

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