Hiding Crib Notes on a Bottle Label
How to cheat on a test by replacing a soft-drink-bottle label with a replica that includes your crib notes. Certainly more clever than hiding a small piece of paper inside your pen.
Entries Tagged "videos"
Page 14 of 18
More Chasers on Terrorism
This is a couple of years old, but I hadn’t seen it before. Funny.
"Tiger Team" Reality TV Show
On Court TV:
This vérité action series follows Tiger Team a group of elite professionals hired to infiltrate major business and corporate interests with the objective of exposing weaknesses in the world’s most sophisticated security systems, defeating criminals at their own game. Tiger Team is comprised of Security Audit Specialists Chris Nickerson, Luke McOmie and Ryan Jones who employ a variety of covert techniques electronic, psychological and tactical—as they take on a new assignment in each episode.
Watch the trailer. Look at the photo. Okay, so it’ll be unrealistically sensationalist. But it might be fun.
First episode is tonight.
EDITED TO ADD (12/26): My apologies. The episodes aired last night, on Christmas Day. If there are any recordings out there, please post URLs.
Refuse to be Terrorized
I know nothing about the politics of this organization, but their “I am not afraid” campaign is something I can certainly get behind. I think we should all send a letter like this to our elected officials, whatever country we’re in:
I am not afraid of terrorism, and I want you to stop being afraid on my behalf. Please start scaling back the official government war on terror. Please replace it with a smaller, more focused anti-terrorist police effort in keeping with the rule of law. Please stop overreacting. I understand that it will not be possible to stop all terrorist acts. I accept that. I am not afraid.
Refuse to be terrorized, and you deny the terrorists their most potent weapon—your fear.
EDITED TO ADD (12/21): There’s also this video.
And Chicago opens a new front on the war on the unexpected, trying to scare everybody:
Each year, the Winter Holiday Season tends to spur larger crowds and increased traffic throughout the City. As it pertains to shopping districts, public transportation routes, and all other places of public assembly, the increased crowds become a matter of Homeland Security concern. During this holiday period, as a matter of public safety, we ask that all members of the general public heighten their awareness regarding any and all suspicious activity that may be an indicator of a threat to public safety. It is important to immediately report any or all of the below suspect activities.
- Physical Surveillance (note taking, binocular use, cameras, video, maps)
- Attempts to gain sensitive information regarding key facilities
- Attempts to penetrate or test physical security / response procedures
- Attempts to improperly acquire explosives, weapons, ammunition, dangerous chemicals, etc.
- Suspicious or improper attempts to acquire official vehicles, uniforms, badges or access devices
- Presence of individuals who do not appear to belong in workplaces, business establishments, or near key facilities
- Mapping out routes, playing out scenarios, monitoring key facilities, timing traffic lights
- Stockpiling suspicious materials or abandoning potential containers for explosives (e.g., vehicles, suitcases, etc)
- Suspicious reporting of lost or stolen identification
This may be real or it may be a hoax; I don’t know.
And this is probably my last post on the war on the unexpected. There are simply too many examples.
College Cryptography Course Online
“Practical Aspects of Modern Cryptography,” taught by Josh Benaloh, Brian LaMacchia, and John Manferdelli at the University of Washington. The page includes links to lecture notes and video of the classes.
Hacking a Soda Machine
The idea is simple: prevent the machine from completing an action and place it in an error state, and then exploit that state. In this instance, the hacker prevents the machine from dispensing the drink bottle. The machine refunds the money, but the bottle stays on the conveyor belt. Then the hacker purchases a second bottle, and receives them both.
Educause Podcasts and Video
I spoke at the Educause conference this year in Seattle. There’s a podcast and video of my talk available (“Ten Trends of Information Security”; I’ve given the talk before) as well as a podcast of an interview with me.
Hiding Data Behind Attorney-Client Privilege
Interesting advice:
He cites a key advantage to bringing in lawyers up front: “If you hire a law firm to supervise the process, even if there are technical engineers involved, then the process will be covered by attorney-client privilege,” Cunningham said.
He noted that in a lawsuit following a data theft, plaintiffs usually seek a company’s records of “all the [data-security] recommendations that were made [before the breach] and whether or not you followed them. And if you go and hire technical consultants only, all that information gets turned over in discovery. [But] if you have it through a law firm, it’s generally not.”
Gregory Engel has some good comments about this:
This isn’t a “prevention initiative” for data security, it’s a preemptive initiative for corporate irresponsibility.
I’m not sure it will work, though. I don’t think you can run all of your data past your attorney and then magically have it imbued with the un-subpoena-able power of “attorney-client privilege.”
EDITED TO ADD (10/22): This talk from Defcon this year is related.
My Talk at Defcon 15
Here’s a video of my talk at Defcon 15.
Cheap Cell Phone Jammer
Only $166. It’s the size of a cell phone, has a 5-10 meter range, and blocks GSM 850, 900, 1800, and 1900 MHz.
I want one.
Pity they’re illegal to use in the U.S.:
In the United States, United Kingdom, Australia and many other countries, blocking cell-phone services (as well as any other electronic transmissions) is against the law. In the United States, cell-phone jamming is covered under the Communications Act of 1934, which prohibits people from “willfully or maliciously interfering with the radio communications of any station licensed or authorized” to operate. In fact, the “manufacture, importation, sale or offer for sale, including advertising, of devices designed to block or jam wireless transmissions is prohibited” as well.
EDITED TO ADD (10/12): Here’s an even cheaper model. I’ve been told that Deal Extreme ships the unit with a label that says it’s a LED flashlight—with a value of HKD 45—so it will just slip through customs.
EDITED TO ADD (11/6): A video demo.
Sidebar photo of Bruce Schneier by Joe MacInnis.