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Message Digest
Volume 28 : Issue 103 : "text" Format
Messages in this Issue:
Re: Sabotage attacks knock out phone service
Re: Sabotage attacks knock out phone service
Re: Sabotage attacks knock out phone service
Re: Sabotage attacks knock out phone service
Re: Sabotage attacks knock out phone service
Re: Sabotage attacks knock out phone service
Re: Sabotage attacks knock out phone service
Re: Cell phone recycling: delete, then dispose
Re: Cell phone recycling: delete, then dispose
Re: Cell phone recycling: delete, then dispose
Electronic health records raise doubt / Google service's inaccuracies may hold wide lesson
Re: Sabotage attacks knock out phone service
Re: Cell phone recycling: delete, then dispose
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Date: Mon, 13 Apr 2009 21:13:52 -0500
From: Michael Grigoni <michael.grigoni@cybertheque.org>
To: redacted@invalid.telecom.csail.mit.edu
Subject: Re: Sabotage attacks knock out phone service
Message-ID: <49E3F160.3050107@cybertheque.org>
ranck@vt.edu wrote:
> Monty Solomon <monty@roscom.com> wrote:
>
>
>>Whatever the final toll, one thing is certain: Whoever did this is in
>>a world of trouble if he, she or they get caught.
>
>
>>"I pity the individuals who have done this," said San Jose Police
>>Chief Rob Davis.
>
>
>>Ten fiber-optic cables carrying were cut at four locations in the
>
>
> Yeah, and I bet the perps were really annoyed when they saw
> there wasn't any copper in those cables . . .
>
> How much does anyone want to bet it was something stupid
> like that more than intentional DOS?
Some days ago I received an email from a resident of Santa Cruz with
considerable experience in the business who suggests the work was
an inside job, likely the result of CWA union contract expiration.
He also mentions that Verizon likely turned off its cell sites even
though cell to cell was working because they couldn't do SS7 billing
off network. Other cell carriers remained up for cell to cell calls.
Perhaps readers have additional inside information to share?
Michael
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 14 Apr 2009 07:17:22 -0700
From: Steven Lichter <diespammers@ikillspammers.com>
To: redacted@invalid.telecom.csail.mit.edu
Subject: Re: Sabotage attacks knock out phone service
Message-ID: <W%0Fl.14753$pr6.3019@flpi149.ffdc.sbc.com>
Michael Grigoni wrote:
> ranck@vt.edu wrote:
>
>> Monty Solomon <monty@roscom.com> wrote:
>>
>>
>>> Whatever the final toll, one thing is certain: Whoever did this is in
>>> a world of trouble if he, she or they get caught.
>>
>>
>>> "I pity the individuals who have done this," said San Jose Police
>>> Chief Rob Davis.
>>
>>
>>> Ten fiber-optic cables carrying were cut at four locations in the
>>
>>
>> Yeah, and I bet the perps were really annoyed when they saw
>> there wasn't any copper in those cables . . .
>>
>> How much does anyone want to bet it was something stupid
>> like that more than intentional DOS?
>
> Some days ago I received an email from a resident of Santa Cruz with
> considerable experience in the business who suggests the work was
> an inside job, likely the result of CWA union contract expiration.
> He also mentions that Verizon likely turned off its cell sites even
> though cell to cell was working because they couldn't do SS7 billing
> off network. Other cell carriers remained up for cell to cell calls.
>
> Perhaps readers have additional inside information to share?
>
> Michael
>
I think your friend out to reconsider his statement. at&t California is
not involved in the contract talks, it is the South Eastern Companies
that have expired contracts. From what I can see the cables were cont
in a random way and these are the type that are not Fiber Rings so no
real backup. By the way I don't work for at&t.
--
The Only Good Spammer is a Dead one!! Have you hunted one down today?
(c) 2009 I Kill Spammers, Inc. A Rot In Hell Co.
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 14 Apr 2009 04:06:36 +0000 (UTC)
From: danny burstein <dannyb@panix.com>
To: redacted@invalid.telecom.csail.mit.edu
Subject: Re: Sabotage attacks knock out phone service
Message-ID: <gs124c$5di$1@reader1.panix.com>
In <MPG.244dafded13016609899c8@reader.motzarella.org> T <kd1s.nospam@cox.nospam.net> writes:
[snippage]
>>
>> How much does anyone want to bet it was something stupid
>> like that more than intentional DOS?
>One of the prime reasons I believe it was someone inside is that they
>knew just what to cut and where. The everyday idiot doesn't know where
>most UG fiber is.
It's not hard to figure out. Just look and see what name
is on the maintenance hatch cover.
That being said, how sure are "we", as in the general public,
in our belief that only the four super duper important
cables were cut? How's about the scenario that a couple
of dozen were sliced, but the other 20 or so weren't
even noticed and aren't being reported?
--
_____________________________________________________
Knowledge may be power, but communications is the key
dannyb@panix.com
[to foil spammers, my address has been double rot-13 encoded]
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 14 Apr 2009 07:43:39 -0700
From: AES <siegman@stanford.edu>
To: redacted@invalid.telecom.csail.mit.edu
Subject: Re: Sabotage attacks knock out phone service
Message-ID: <siegman-127428.07430914042009@news.stanford.edu>
In article <gs124c$5di$1@reader1.panix.com>,
danny burstein <dannyb@panix.com> wrote:
>
> That being said, how sure are "we", as in the general public,
> in our belief that only the four super duper important
> cables were cut? How's about the scenario that a couple
> of dozen were sliced, but the other 20 or so weren't
> even noticed and aren't being reported?
>
Wouldn't elementary TDR pretty readily locate at last some of these?
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 14 Apr 2009 14:19:05 +1000
From: David Clayton <dcstar@myrealbox.com>
To: redacted@invalid.telecom.csail.mit.edu
Subject: Re: Sabotage attacks knock out phone service
Message-ID: <pan.2009.04.14.04.19.04.484859@myrealbox.com>
On Mon, 13 Apr 2009 22:49:04 -0400, T wrote:
> In article <grvq4b$ba9$1@solaris.cc.vt.edu>, ranck@vt.edu says...
>>
>> Monty Solomon <monty@roscom.com> wrote:
>>
>> > Whatever the final toll, one thing is certain: Whoever did this is in
>> > a world of trouble if he, she or they get caught.
>>
>> > "I pity the individuals who have done this," said San Jose Police
>> > Chief Rob Davis.
>>
>> > Ten fiber-optic cables carrying were cut at four locations in the
>>
>> Yeah, and I bet the perps were really annoyed when they saw there
>> wasn't any copper in those cables . . .
>>
>> How much does anyone want to bet it was something stupid like that more
>> than intentional DOS?
>>
>> Bill Ranck
>> Blacksburg, Va.
>
> One of the prime reasons I believe it was someone inside is that they
> knew just what to cut and where. The everyday idiot doesn't know where
> most UG fiber is.
I used to work for the major telco in Australia and I had access to all
sorts of info like this, junction plans, local area cable distribution
stuff etc, all available by request but *only* to people with the
appropriate level of security *inside* the organisation.
These days with so much external plant maintenance outsourced to
contractors so much of this sensitive info would be easily available to
anyone with malicious intent and a few dollars to throw in the right
direction.
A few years ago major trunk cables in a city were cut in Australia by
someone (in a pit) grinding off both sides of the cables at the points
where they left the conduits, so it was the worse possible situation for
those who had to repair the damage. It was suspected this was done by a
disgruntled former telco employee with detailed knowledge of the
infrastructure who knew how to do maximum damage, but I don't think that
anything was ever proved.
All it would take is a simultaneous attack at 5 or 6 major nodes (out of
the hundreds to choose from) and the damage could last for weeks.
--
Regards, David.
David Clayton
Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
Knowledge is a measure of how many answers you have, intelligence is a
measure of how many questions you have.
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 13 Apr 2009 20:37:39 -0700
From: Steven Lichter <diespammers@ikillspammers.com>
To: redacted@invalid.telecom.csail.mit.edu
Subject: Re: Sabotage attacks knock out phone service
Message-ID: <8yTEl.26994$yr3.25375@nlpi068.nbdc.sbc.com>
Steve Stone wrote:
>> How many "geeks" these days know what a SWR is let alone what to do about
>> it? So many who are called "technicians" these days seem to be the modern
>> equivalent of "Valve jockeys" (or probably "Tube jockeys" to most of you
>> in Nth. America), who know little except to replace modules until things
>> start to work again.
>>
>> Are the fundamentals of electronics and communications systems being
>> taught any more, or is it just CCNA/MSIE qualifications being churned
>> out to those who learn how to pass the exams?
>>
>
> Ham radio in the USA is still mostly an "old gray haired guys" realm.
> If you find younger people in the hobby they have usually been nudged
> into it by ham family members. Sometimes you can spark a flame of
> interest with a group of Boy Scouts.
>
> The electronics aspects for fun went out for most people once
> components got so small they require special handling, tweezers, lots
> of magnification, special solder stations, etc.
>
> A lot of guys leave that level to the pros but love to tweak and play
> with antenna design and aspects that can be seen and handled with
> normal hands.
>
>
> Steve
> N2UBP
>
I got the kick from a neighbor who worked for the railroad, he helped me
learn the code and the basics, then I went from there. Over the years I
have gotten a few people interested, a few are still into it. One thing
I don't understand are the rule changes.
--
The Only Good Spammer is a Dead one!! Have you hunted one down today?
(c) 2009 I Kill Spammers, Inc. A Rot In Hell Co.
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 13 Apr 2009 20:43:36 -0700
From: Steven Lichter <diespammers@ikillspammers.com>
To: redacted@invalid.telecom.csail.mit.edu
Subject: Re: Sabotage attacks knock out phone service
Message-ID: <KDTEl.26995$yr3.18987@nlpi068.nbdc.sbc.com>
T wrote:
> In article <UKrEl.4609$im1.232@nlpi061.nbdc.sbc.com>,
> diespammers@ikillspammers.com says...
>> Steven Lichter wrote:
>>> T wrote:
>>>> As a ham, I have to ask where was the amateur radio communty in this.
>>>> It's been proven time and again that amateur radio is the only thing
>>>> standing when landline and cell services go down.
>>>>
>>>> ***** Moderator's Note *****
>>>>
>>>> Ham radio may be still standing when cell and landlines are down, but
>>>> it's not operational. Short of having hams drive around with
>>>> loudspeakers advertising their presence, there's no way to make the
>>>> citizenry aware of their capabilities.
>>>>
>>>> Bill Horne
>>>> Temporary Moderator
>>> I don't know about that, but in 1971 after the Sylmar, Calif earthquake
>>> almost everyone in my neighborhood showed up at my door to get in
>>> contact with people in other parts of the country; but working for GTE
>>> at that time I was working 24/7. trying to clear out the CO so we could
>>> rebuild.
>>>
>> ***** Moderator's Note *****
>>
>> >I envy you: I grew up during the "TVI" era, and the only people who
>> >showed up at my door were angry about not being able to see their
>> >favorite TV show. I did everything I could to hide the fact that I'm a
>> >ham operator, and now, since I operate AM, I still keep a low profile.
>>
>> >Frankly, I doubt more than one out of one-hundred citizens even know
>> >ham radio still exists. It's just not a valid option for emergency
>> >communication, since too few know that it's availalble.
>>
>> >Bill Horne, W1AC
>> >Temporary Moderator
>>
>>
>> I used to give out High Pass Filters until one neighbor came to me a
>> demanded I pay for a new picture tube that a TV repairman told him the
>> filter caused to blow. I refused telling him that is not possible and
>> the tech is either a moron or a crook. He called the police which
>> laughed at him and then filled a complaint with the FCC which told him
>> the same thing. From that point on I told anyone that asked that the
>> manufacturer was responsible since I was within the rules. I did
>> continue to come through a neighbors electric organ which I cold never fix.
>>
>> I used to work with the Sheriffs emergency communications unit and
>> later became a reserve sheriff. So back then Ham radio was known,
>> [although] many thought it was the same as CB. I handled a lot of
>> M.A.R.S. traffic, but in the last few years have not even bothered to
>> set my rig up and have long since had the plates removed from my car.
>
> Believe it or not the RI Emergency Management Agency just put an ad out
> for someone with both an amateur and commercial FCC license. I just
> happen to have both so I sent my resume.
>
> Never heard back. Friend and I theorize that they created the job for
> someone thinking who would have BOTH licenses.
>
Believe or not there are a lot of people have both. I had my Ham ticket
when I went to work for the telephone company and a few years later I
took classes for a First Class License and when I went in for the test I
also upgraded my Amateur license, many parts of the test were the same,
I understand there is a lot more to it now.
--
The Only Good Spammer is a Dead one!! Have you hunted one down today?
(c) 2009 I Kill Spammers, Inc. A Rot In Hell Co.
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 13 Apr 2009 20:22:47 -0700 (PDT)
From: hancock4@bbs.cpcn.com
To: redacted@invalid.telecom.csail.mit.edu
Subject: Re: Cell phone recycling: delete, then dispose
Message-ID: <abdcba19-456d-4991-9bbf-5d41bc9ea10b@o6g2000yql.googlegroups.com>
On Apr 13, 10:52 pm, Will Roberts <oldb...@arctos.com> wrote:
> MSNBC - April 13, 2009
>
> Cell phone recycling: delete, then dispose
I took my obsolete analog sets back to the carrier's store but they
were refused.
Apparently the carriers run campaigns to collect old sets but only at
certain periods; otherwise they're not interested. It didn't appear
they were interested in an analog phone in any case.
Ironically, I know a senior citizen who wants a 'dead' cellphone just
for 911 emergency use but can't find one from agencies that supposedly
claim to provide them as part of recycling.
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 14 Apr 2009 14:23:10 +1000
From: David Clayton <dcstar@myrealbox.com>
To: redacted@invalid.telecom.csail.mit.edu
Subject: Re: Cell phone recycling: delete, then dispose
Message-ID: <pan.2009.04.14.04.23.09.202279@myrealbox.com>
On Mon, 13 Apr 2009 22:52:31 -0400, Will Roberts wrote:
> MSNBC - April 13, 2009
>
> Cell phone recycling: delete, then dispose
......
> Many recyclers use what is known as "flashing software" to rid phones of
> previous information, particularly if they're going to be sent to a
> country outside the United States, said Michele Triana of GRC Wireless
> Recycling, based in Florida.
......
As well, there have been numerous cases in Australia of people been sold
"new" phones only to discover they already have pictures/video stored in
them - some of a pornographic nature.
Most of these seem to be cases of reselling phones that store staff have
used themselves or have been returned by a previous customer and these
units have just been put back on sale without anyone cleaning them out.
Recycling should be encouraged, but not in this way........
--
Regards, David.
David Clayton
Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
Knowledge is a measure of how many answers you have, intelligence is a
measure of how many questions you have.
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 14 Apr 2009 00:42:52 -0500
From: gordonb.zkktj@burditt.org (Gordon Burditt)
To: redacted@invalid.telecom.csail.mit.edu
Subject: Re: Cell phone recycling: delete, then dispose
Message-ID: <l6ednQrbB8TBv3nUnZ2dnUVZ_oWdnZ2d@posted.internetamerica>
>Before choosing how or where to dispose of your old phone, make sure
>you clear the information from it. It will linger, even if the phone
>doesn't.
So, besides using C4 *and* a small nuclear weapon to generate an
EMP, what's the sure way to erase info from a phone?
>Michigan-based ReCellular, which collected 5.5 million phones in 2008
>for reuse and recycling, said it "deleted an average of 5 megabytes of
>information per handset removing a total of 10 terabytes of personal
>contacts, e-mail, photos and financial information from donated
>phones."
So what's the official NSA-approved procedure from erasing Top Secret
data from a cellphone before shipping it to China for recycling?
***** Moderator's Note *****
They ship them to China because the Chinese have already intercepted
and stored everything that's on them.
Bill Horne
Temporary Moderator
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 14 Apr 2009 01:14:15 -0400
From: Monty Solomon <monty@roscom.com>
To: redacted@invalid.telecom.csail.mit.edu
Subject: Electronic health records raise doubt / Google service's inaccuracies may hold wide lesson
Message-ID: <p06240876c609cbe0eb62@[10.0.1.6]>
Electronic health records raise doubt
Google service's inaccuracies may hold wide lesson
By Lisa Wangsness, Globe Staff | April 13, 2009
WASHINGTON - When Dave deBronkart, a tech-savvy kidney cancer
survivor, tried to transfer his medical records from Beth Israel
Deaconess Medical Center to Google Health, a new free service that
lets patients keep all their health records in one place and easily
share them with new doctors, he was stunned at what he found.
Google said his cancer had spread to either his brain or spine - a
frightening diagnosis deBronkart had never gotten from his doctors -
and listed an array of other conditions that he never had, as far as
he knew, like chronic lung disease and aortic aneurysm. A warning
announced his blood pressure medication required "immediate
attention."
"I wondered, 'What are they talking about?' " said deBronkart, who is
59 and lives in Nashua.
DeBronkart eventually discovered the problem: Some of the information
in his Google Health record was drawn from billing records, which
sometimes reflect imprecise information plugged into codes required
by insurers. Google Health and others in the fast-growing personal
health record business say they are offering a revolutionary tool to
help patients navigate a fragmented healthcare system, but some
doctors fear that inaccurate information from billing data could lead
to improper treatment.
...
http://www.boston.com/news/nation/washington/articles/2009/04/13/electronic_health_records_raise_doubt/
***** Moderator's Note *****
Sigh. The thing you were scared of at lunchtime is now twice as scary; film at eleven.
Seriously, this sounds like the classic case of GIGO: Garbage In,
Gospel Out(tm). Google's IT crew, knowing everything there is to know
about information science and nothing about
how-to-get-paid-more-from-health-insurance science, assumed that the
billing codes represented the truth. Unfortunately, they're going to
find out the hard way that nurses no longer take blood-pressure
readings; they provide followup care for hypertension treatment, etc.,
ad nauseum.
Bill Horne
Temporary Moderator
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 14 Apr 2009 15:04:16 -0400
From: T <kd1s.nospam@cox.nospam.net>
To: redacted@invalid.telecom.csail.mit.edu
Subject: Re: Sabotage attacks knock out phone service
Message-ID: <MPG.244ea836acd4a0399899d0@reader.motzarella.org>
In article <gs0h49$s7f$1@news.motzarella.org>, spfleck@citlink.net
says...
>
> > How many "geeks" these days know what a SWR is let alone what to do about
> > it? So many who are called "technicians" these days seem to be the modern
> > equivalent of "Valve jockeys" (or probably "Tube jockeys" to most of you
> > in Nth. America), who know little except to replace modules until things
> > start to work again.
> >
> > Are the fundamentals of electronics and communications systems being
> > taught any more, or is it just CCNA/MSIE qualifications being churned
> > out to those who learn how to pass the exams?
> >
>
> Ham radio in the USA is still mostly an "old gray haired guys" realm.
> If you find younger people in the hobby they have usually been nudged
> into it by ham family members. Sometimes you can spark a flame of
> interest with a group of Boy Scouts.
>
> The electronics aspects for fun went out for most people once
> components got so small they require special handling, tweezers, lots
> of magnification, special solder stations, etc.
>
> A lot of guys leave that level to the pros but love to tweak and play
> with antenna design and aspects that can be seen and handled with
> normal hands.
>
>
> Steve
> N2UBP
I don't know. There's still a lot of interest in electronics in general.
But most of it is building upon microprocessor elements. I've done SMD
soldering, not that difficult with a fine tipped iron. And the trick is
to pre-tin the contact points.
A magnifier, solder paste and a cheapy electric skillet work fine for
re-flow work.
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 14 Apr 2009 07:50:24 -0700
From: AES <siegman@stanford.edu>
To: redacted@invalid.telecom.csail.mit.edu
Subject: Re: Cell phone recycling: delete, then dispose
Message-ID: <siegman-3AE6A1.07495414042009@news.stanford.edu>
In article <0MKpCa-1LtYZg0Ww5-000cuh@mrelay.perfora.net>,
Will Roberts <oldbear@arctos.com> wrote:
>
> Also, many association members including AT&T and T-Mobile recently
> vowed to standardize chargers by 2012 for most cell phones.
> Thrown-away chargers generate more than 51,000 tons of waste a year,
> according to the association.
>
Do any vendors sell simple adaptors that just convert from the plug on
the output end of an old charger to the jack on a newer phone?
------------------------------
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