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The Telecom Digest for July 9, 2014
Volume 33 : Issue 119 : "text" Format
Messages in this Issue:
Crypto weakness in smart LED lightbulbs exposes Wi-Fi passwords (Monty Solomon)
Court-approved wiretaps defeating encryption, feds say (Monty Solomon)
Private crypto key stashed in Cisco VoIP manager allows network hijacking (Monty Solomon)
Report: Rare leaked NSA source code reveals Tor servers targeted (Monty Solomon)
Anonymous call blocking (whether you want it or not) (Fred Goldstein)
Goldman Sachs demands Google unsend one of its e-mails (Monty Solomon)

====== 32 years of TELECOM Digest -- Founded August 21, 1981 ======

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Date: Tue, 8 Jul 2014 01:38:32 -0400 From: Monty Solomon <monty@roscom.com> To: telecomdigestmoderator.remove-this@and-this-too.telecom-digest.org. Subject: Crypto weakness in smart LED lightbulbs exposes Wi-Fi passwords Message-ID: <p0624080dcfe13410a4dc@[172.16.42.2]> Crypto weakness in smart LED lightbulbs exposes Wi-Fi passwords More evidence the Internet of things treats security as an afterthought. by Dan Goodin Ars Technica In the latest cautionary tale involving the so-called Internet of things, white-hat hackers have devised an attack against network-connected lightbulbs that exposes Wi-Fi passwords to anyone in proximity to one of the LED devices. The attack works against LIFX smart lightbulbs, which can be turned on and off and adjusted using iOS- and Android-based devices. Ars Senior Reviews Editor Lee Hutchinson gave a good overview here of the Philips Hue lights, which are programmable, controllable LED-powered bulbs that compete with LIFX. The bulbs are part of a growing trend in which manufacturers add computing and networking capabilities to appliances so people can manipulate them remotely using smartphones, computers, and other network-connected devices. A 2012 Kickstarter campaign raised more than $1.3 million for LIFX, more than 13 times the original goal of $100,000. ... http://arstechnica.com/security/2014/07/crypto-weakness-in-smart-led-lightbulbs-exposes-wi-fi-passwords/
Date: Tue, 8 Jul 2014 01:46:28 -0400 From: Monty Solomon <monty@roscom.com> To: telecomdigestmoderator.remove-this@and-this-too.telecom-digest.org. Subject: Court-approved wiretaps defeating encryption, feds say Message-ID: <p06240813cfe136161e4e@[172.16.42.2]> Court-approved wiretaps defeating encryption, feds say Authorities are likely to confront growing number of encrypted devices. by David Kravets July 2 2014 Ars Technica The use of court-approved wiretaps in domestic criminal cases in 2013 increased five percent from the year before, and authorities largely defeated encryption methods on the mobile, landline, and other devices they tapped, according to a report Wednesday from the US agency that oversees the country's court system. The Administrative Office of the United States Courts, using the latest available figures, said there were 3,576 wiretaps reported. That represented a nine-percent bump in federal court orders and a three percent increase from state judges. The report said that only one wiretap application was denied for all of 2013. When it comes to cracking encryption, the authorities said they encountered encryption 41 times, up from 15 the year before. ... http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2014/07/court-approved-wiretaps-defeating-encryption-feds-say/
Date: Tue, 8 Jul 2014 01:45:14 -0400 From: Monty Solomon <monty@roscom.com> To: telecomdigestmoderator.remove-this@and-this-too.telecom-digest.org. Subject: Private crypto key stashed in Cisco VoIP manager allows network hijacking Message-ID: <p06240812cfe135c20aac@[172.16.42.2]> Private crypto key stashed in Cisco VoIP manager allows network hijacking Update closes backdoor allowing unauthorized control of sensitive messaging gear. by Dan Goodin July 2 2014 Ars Technica Cisco Systems has released a security update that closes a backdoor allowing attackers to control software that large organizations use to manage voice over IP (VoIP) calls and messaging over their networks. The default secure shell (SSH) key made it possible for hackers to gain highly privileged administrative access to the Cisco Unified Communications Domain Manager, the networking company warned in an advisory published Wednesday. From there, intruders could execute arbitrary commands or gain persistent access to the systems. The advisory didn't explicitly say that attackers could monitor discussions or track the times that calls or messages were made and who sent and received them, but it wouldn't be surprising if those capabilities were also possible in an e-mail, a Cisco representative said these capabilities were not possible. In addition to VoiP management, the Cisco Unified Communications Domain Manager also allows users to manage Cisco Jabber, a cloud-based service for instant messaging, voice and video communications, desktop sharing, and conferencing. ... http://arstechnica.com/security/2014/07/private-crypto-key-stashed-in-cisco-voip-manager-allows-network-hijacking/
Date: Tue, 8 Jul 2014 01:44:08 -0400 From: Monty Solomon <monty@roscom.com> To: telecomdigestmoderator.remove-this@and-this-too.telecom-digest.org. Subject: Report: Rare leaked NSA source code reveals Tor servers targeted Message-ID: <p06240811cfe1357bf9f0@[172.16.42.2]> Report: Rare leaked NSA source code reveals Tor servers targeted NSA says it only gathers such data for "valid foreign intelligence purposes." by Cyrus Farivar July 3 2014 Ars Technica Two Germany-based Tor Directory Authority servers, among others, have been specifically targeted by the National Security Agency's XKeyscore program, according to a new report from German public broadcaster ARD. Tor is a well-known open source project designed to keep users anonymous and untraceable-users' traffic is encrypted and bounced across various computers worldwide to keep it hidden. This marks the first time that actual source code from XKeyscore has been published. ARD did not say how or where it obtained the code. Unlike many other NSA-related stories, the broadcaster did not specifically mention the information being part of the trove leaked by whistleblower Edward Snowden. ... http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2014/07/report-rare-leaked-nsa-source-code-reveals-tor-servers-targeted/
Date: Tue, 08 Jul 2014 15:04:45 -0400 From: Fred Goldstein <invalid@see.sig.telecom-digest.org> To: telecomdigestmoderator.remove-this@and-this-too.telecom-digest.org. Subject: Anonymous call blocking (whether you want it or not) Message-ID: <53BC40CD.80801@interisle.net> I was expecting a call yesterday and it didn't arrive... and when I called the other party today, they said that the call was blocked, because my line has anonymous call blocking turned on. Now anonymous call blocking is a nice feature if you want to avoid telemarketers who block their caller ID, which is approximately none of them, since they can simply insert fake caller ID instead and get around such blocking! But if you ever need to call the "doctor on call" for an off-hours medical emergency, for instance, the doctor on call will usually have call blocking (because they're calling you back from home). And some government agencies, as in my recent case, also block caller ID. So you don't always want this "feature" on. And I never ordered it or turned it on. But somehow my Comcast Digital Voice line was set to block anonymous calls. So if you subscriber to CDV, you may want to log in to your account and check your settings -- you can turn it on and off yourself from their web site. They're getting sloppier and sloppier as they get bigger and bigger. -- Fred R. Goldstein k1io fred "at" interisle.net Interisle Consulting Group +1 617 795 2701
Date: Tue, 8 Jul 2014 01:43:04 -0400 From: Monty Solomon <monty@roscom.com> To: telecomdigestmoderator.remove-this@and-this-too.telecom-digest.org. Subject: Goldman Sachs demands Google unsend one of its e-mails Message-ID: <p06240810cfe1353febf6@[172.16.42.2]> Goldman Sachs demands Google unsend one of its e-mails A court order is on the table for Google to undo Goldman Sachs' mistake. by Casey Johnston - July 2 2014 Ars Technica Google won't delete Gmail message without a court order, but it will block. Goldman Sachs has demanded a court order to get Google to unsend an e-mail that the bank sent in error, according to Reuters' report Wednesday. The e-mail contained "highly confidential" information addressed to the wrong account, a mistake on Goldman Sachs' part that Google hasn't yet been tempted to rectify. ... http://arstechnica.com/business/2014/07/goldman-sachs-demands-google-unsend-one-of-its-e-mails/
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