31 Years of the Digest ... founded August 21, 1981
Add this Digest to your personal
or 
The Telecom Digest for December 12, 2012
Volume 31 : Issue 290 : "text" Format
====== 31 years of TELECOM Digest -- Founded August 21, 1981 ======
|
Telecom and VOIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) Digest for the
Internet. All contents here are copyrighted by Bill Horne and
the individual writers/correspondents. Articles may be used in other
journals or newsgroups, provided the writer's name and the Digest are
included in the fair use quote. By using any name or email address
included herein for any reason other than responding to an article
herein, you agree to pay a hundred dollars to that person, or email address
owner.
Addresses herein are not to be added to any mailing list, nor to be
sold or given away without the explicit written consent of the owner of
that address. Chain letters, viruses, porn, spam, and miscellaneous junk
are definitely unwelcome.
We must fight spam for the same reason we fight crime: not because we
are naive enough to believe that we will ever stamp it out, but because
we do not want the kind of world that results when no one stands
against crime. - Geoffrey Welsh
See the bottom of this issue for subscription and archive details
and the name of our lawyer, and other stuff of interest.
|
Date: Tue, 11 Dec 2012 00:47:08 -0800
From: Thad Floryan <thad@thadlabs.com>
To: telecomdigestmoderator.remove-this@and-this-too.telecom-digest.org.
Subject: Re: Disruptions: How Smartphones Are Making Wallets Obsolete
Message-ID: <50C6F30C.30307@thadlabs.com>
On 12/9/2012 9:48 PM, Monty Solomon wrote:
> Disruptions: How My Smartphone Emptied My Pockets
>
> By NICK BILTON
> DECEMBER 9, 2012
> [...]
>
> http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/12/09/disruptions-how-my-smartphone-emptied-my-pockets/
>
With the way people are oblivious to their surroundings when
using so-called "smartphones" and flaunt them publicly every
time they use them [thus attracting the attention of robbers
who will steal them as 1000s of stories attest daily], more
than just their pockets will be emptied, to wit checking and
credit card accounts for starters followed by identity theft.
The argument that a wallet is also "putting all one's eggs in
one basket" is specious because a wallet is typically hidden
from any public view in a man's trouser's pocket or a woman's
purse.
Thad
Date: Tue, 11 Dec 2012 00:53:22 -0500
From: Monty Solomon <monty@roscom.com>
To: telecomdigestmoderator.remove-this@and-this-too.telecom-digest.org.
Subject: LAPD Email Fail Hints at Arresting More People for Better Media Coverage
Message-ID: <p0624083accec7a8486cc@[10.0.1.5]>
LAPD Email Fail Hints at Arresting More People for Better Media Coverage
DASHIELL BENNETT
DEC 6, 2012
We've seen what can happen when people abuse the "Reply All" email
button, but it's not too often that it catches police officers
suggesting alternative reasons to fight crime.
While working on a story about illegal animal trafficking in LA's
fashion district, local NBC4 producer Robbi Peale emailed the LAPD
asking for arrest numbers for people buying or selling illegal
animals on the street. (Apparently, baby rabbits, too young to be
away from their mothers, have become are a popular item.) A month
earlier, the police held a press conference to announce they were
cracking down on the practice, and Peale wanted to see if they
actually had anything to show for it.
That's when Commander Andrew Smith, the head of the LAPD's media
relations department, fell victim to the dreaded "reply all" blunder.
...
http://www.theatlanticwire.com/national/2012/12/lapd-email-fail-hints-arresting-more-people-better-media-coverage/59704/
Date: Tue, 11 Dec 2012 09:39:23 -0500
From: Monty Solomon <monty@roscom.com>
To: telecomdigestmoderator.remove-this@and-this-too.telecom-digest.org.
Subject: "Dexter" malware steals credit card data from point-of-sale terminals
Message-ID: <p06240842ccecf5925e52@[10.0.1.5]>
"Dexter" malware steals credit card data from point-of-sale terminals
Hundreds of businesses around the world infected.
by Dan Goodin
Dec 11 2012
Ars Technica
A researcher has uncovered new malware that steals payment card data
from point-of-sale terminals used by stores, hotels, and other
businesses.
Dexter, as the malware is called, has infected hundreds of
point-of-sale computers at big-name retailers, hotels, restaurants,
and other businesses, according to a report issued by Aviv Raff,
chief technology officer of Israel-based security firm Seculert.
Businesses infected in the past three months are located in 40
different countries, with 30 percent of those compromised located in
the US, 19 percent in the UK, and nine percent in Canada. Malware
that infects point-of-sale terminals can be one of the most efficient
ways to carry out payment card fraud because it targets machines with
access to large amounts of the required data.
...
http://arstechnica.com/security/2012/12/dexter-malware-steals-credit-card-data-from-point-of-sale-terminals/
-or-
http://goo.gl/UQnUw
Date: Tue, 11 Dec 2012 09:45:01 -0500
From: Monty Solomon <monty@roscom.com>
To: telecomdigestmoderator.remove-this@and-this-too.telecom-digest.org.
Subject: Being entertained and going social: The Ultimate Smartphone Guide, part II
Message-ID: <p06240844ccecf6969b30@[10.0.1.5]>
Being entertained and going social: The Ultimate Smartphone Guide, part II
Hunting down the best apps for reading comics, finding a restaurant, and more.
by Florence Ion
Dec 10 2012
Ars Technica
In part one of our Ultimate Smartphone Guide series, we told you
which handsets were best for which users. Now in part two, we're
going to walk through the entertainment app landscape for each
ecosystem, discussing how best to connect with friends and watch
content on Android, iOS, Windows Phone 8.
Smartphones are just as commonplace as our wallet and keys these
days-we can't leave the house without them and we certainly freak out
if they go missing. Our phones are packed with powerful CPUs and
GPUs; the Snapdragon SOC with its Adreno GPU is the most powerful
combo the Android and Windows Phone 8 platforms have seen, and
Apple's extra-speedy A6 improves on the already-quick A5 it replaces.
Whichever platform we're on, we use that power to document our daily
happenings, to check in to see how our friends are family are doing,
to communicate verbally and textually, and even to read a book before
bed. We use our phones to order food or make reservations, tag
ourselves with others while out having a good time, and catch up on
our favorite television shows on the long train ride home.
So in our second installment of the Ultimate Smartphone Guide, we've
rounded up some of the best apps for doing all of these things. This
guide should save you from scrolling endlessly through all the
different app stores, looking for the right app to do that one thing.
One note going in: we're focusing on picking out apps-we're not
looking at the app stores themselves and what the app discovery and
purchase process is like.
...
http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2012/12/the-ultimate-smartphone-guide-part-ii-being-entertained-and-going-social/
Date: Tue, 11 Dec 2012 09:20:04 -0500
From: Monty Solomon <monty@roscom.com>
To: telecomdigestmoderator.remove-this@and-this-too.telecom-digest.org.
Subject: 25-GPU cluster cracks every standard Windows password in <6 hours
Message-ID: <p0624083dccecf14f5e77@[10.0.1.5]>
25-GPU cluster cracks every standard Windows password in <6 hours
All your passwords are belong to us.
by Dan Goodin
Dec 9 2012
A password-cracking expert has unveiled a computer cluster that can
cycle through as many as 350 billion guesses per second. It's an
almost unprecedented speed that can try every possible Windows
passcode in the typical enterprise in less than six hours.
The five-server system uses a relatively new package of virtualization
software that harnesses the power of 25 AMD Radeon graphics cards. It
achieves the 350 billion-guess-per-second speed when cracking password
hashes generated by the NTLM cryptographic algorithm that Microsoft
has included in every version of Windows since Server 2003. As a
result, it can try an astounding 95^8 combinations in just 5.5 hours,
enough to brute force every possible eight-character password
containing upper- and lower-case letters, digits, and symbols. Such
password policies are common in many enterprise settings. The same
passwords protected by Microsoft's LM algorithm - which many
organizations enable for compatibility with older Windows versions -
will fall in just six minutes.
...
http://arstechnica.com/security/2012/12/25-gpu-cluster-cracks-every-standard-windows-password-in-6-hours/
-or-
http://goo.gl/vrKWt
Date: Tue, 11 Dec 2012 16:27:31 -0500
From: Pete Cresswell <PeteCress@invalid.telecom-digest.org>
To: telecomdigestmoderator.remove-this@and-this-too.telecom-digest.org.
Subject: Re: 25-GPU cluster cracks every standard Windows password in <6 hours
Message-ID: <059fc8tpf4ruu083tv3g6417duo3d40hsb@4ax.com>
>by Dan Goodin
>Dec 9 2012
>
>A password-cracking expert has unveiled a computer cluster that can
>cycle through as many as 350 billion guesses per second.
>...The same
>passwords protected by Microsoft's LM algorithm - which many
>organizations enable for compatibility with older Windows versions -
>will fall in just six minutes.
>
>
>http://goo.gl/vrKWt
>
To me, in the context of the "Three Strikes And You're Out" rule
that every commercial LAN I've used enforces, that sounds
moot.... meaningless.
Am I missing something?
Maybe something about getting ahold of whatever hash total DB is
used?
---
Pete Cresswell
***** Moderator's Note *****
/Exactly/ something about getting ahold of the hash.
The writer said that this attack depends on getting access to the
stored password hashes: it is only useful as an offline attack.
Bill Horne
Moderator
Date: Tue, 11 Dec 2012 09:25:33 -0500
From: Monty Solomon <monty@roscom.com>
To: telecomdigestmoderator.remove-this@and-this-too.telecom-digest.org.
Subject: Inaccurate Apple Maps directions causes 'life threatening issue' for travelers, says Australian police
Message-ID: <p0624083fccecf2b0b122@[10.0.1.5]>
Inaccurate Apple Maps directions causes 'life threatening issue' for
travelers, says Australian police
http://macnn.com/rd/275064
==
http://appleinsider.com/articles/12/12/10/inaccurate-apple-maps-directions-causing-life-threatening-issue-for-travelers-says-australian-police
-or-
http://goo.gl/6qvdf
Apple redraws maps after Australian drivers led astray in the bush
http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2012/dec/10/apple-maps-life-threatening-australian-police
TELECOM Digest is an electronic journal devoted mostly to telecom-
munications topics. It is circulated anywhere there is email, in
addition to Usenet, where it appears as the moderated newsgroup
'comp.dcom.telecom'.
TELECOM Digest is a not-for-profit, mostly non-commercial educational
service offered to the Internet by Bill Horne. All the contents
of the Digest are compilation-copyrighted. You may reprint articles in
some other media on an occasional basis, but please attribute my work
and that of the original author.
The Telecom Digest is moderated by Bill Horne.
This Digest is the oldest continuing e-journal about telecomm-
unications on the Internet, having been founded in August, 1981 and
published continuously since then. Our archives are available for
your review/research. We believe we are the oldest e-zine/mailing list
on the internet in any category!
URL information: http://telecom-digest.org
Copyright (C) 2012 TELECOM Digest. All rights reserved.
Our attorney is Bill Levant, of Blue Bell, PA.
Finally, the Digest is funded by gifts from generous readers such as
yourself who provide funding in amounts deemed appropriate. Your help
is important and appreciated. A suggested donation of fifty dollars
per year per reader is considered appropriate. See our address above.
Please make at least a single donation to cover the cost of processing
your name to the mailing list.
All opinions expressed herein are deemed to be those of the
author. Any organizations listed are for identification purposes only
and messages should not be considered any official expression by the
organization.
End of The Telecom Digest (7 messages)
Return to Archives ** Older Issues