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Category: privacy – Page 24

A day in the life of an NSA Hacker.

In what Edward Snowden deems “not unprecedented,” hackers calling themselves the Shadow Brokers have collected NSA-created malware from a staging server run by the Equation Group, an internal hacking team. The Shadow Brokers published two chunks of data, one “open” chunk and another encrypted file containing the “best files” that they will sell for at least $1 million. Wikileaks has said they already own the “auction” files and will publish them in “due course.”

They’ve also released images of the file tree containing a script kiddie-like trove of exploits ostensibly created and used by the NSA as well as a page calling out cyber warriors and “Wealthy Elites.” The page also contains links to the two files, both encrypted. You can grab them using BitTorrent here.

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Like this article; there is 2 more pieces missing from the roadmap for 2010 & beyond and that is Biocomputing & Singularity. Biocomputing will provide the financial industry (banks, trading firms, accounting & audit firms, bond insurers, etc.) the ability to expand information/ data storage and transmission capacities like we have never see before just look at what Microsoft, Google, Amazon, etc. have done with DNA storage. And, the much loved Singularity enables boosting of knowledge and insights as well as more mobility and access to information as they need it. BTW — Biometrics is NOT the same as Biocomputing; biocomputing goes well beyond security/ identity management.

The influential non-profit rates these technologies alongside the PC, the internet, and smartphones in terms of their potential to transform financial…

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Why biometrics will need and form of id to properly perform security checks.

Impersonators in many cases apparently had used synthetic bandages bearing thumb impressions of actual candidates. “Traditionally, fingerprints were used as evidence in court cases and even in high-tech security systems. But revelations by those arrested for impersonation in Bihar are proving to the world of forensic sciences that creating forged, latent fingerprints is relatively easy,” claims Dr Anand Rai, whistle-blower in the MPPEB scam. In the past, Rai had requested STF officials to look into interrogation reports of 140 impersonators arrested by the Bihar police during a constable recruitment exam.

Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/bhopal/MP-scamsters-…311540.cms

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I do love biometrics for security; however, many know that we will not only leverage biometrics alone for certifying identification given how easy it is for folks to retrieve others DNA information, etc. from commercial DNA sites, etc.

In the world of security, there are many tools at the IT Staff’s disposal which can be used to fight Cybercrimes of all types and levels. Regarding Physical Access Entry, Smart Cards and FOB’s are available to help alleviate the probability of a Social Engineering attack. Regarding Logical Access Entry, Network Intrusion Devices, Firewalls, Routers, etc. are also all ready to be installed and used.

But, there is one problem with all of these tools above: To some degree or another, all of them can be hijacked, stolen, or even spoofed so that a real Cyber hacker can find their way into a corporation very quickly and easily. For instance, a Smart Card can be easily lost or stolen; or even malformed data packets can be sent to a router and tricking it that it is a legitimate employee trying to gain access.

But, there is one Security technology out there which, for the most part, cannot be spoofed or tricked. As a result, it can provide 100% proof positive of the identity of an end user. This technology is known as Biometrics.

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This will definitely make designer wear fashion very collectable and easier for investigators and consumer to detect fakes due to biometric readers. Unfortunately, Coco Chanel and Gianni Versace are not around to participate.

Designer Tina Gorjanc is using Alexander McQueen’s DNA to grow “skin” complete with freckles and tattoos that will be tanned to create jackets and bags.

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Glad Google is doing this because next month could be a real test when China launches its Quantum Satellite.

Today’s encryption is an arms race as digital security experts try to hold off hackers’ attempts to break open user data. But there’s a new tech on the horizon that even the NSA recognizes as crucial to protect against: quantum computing, which is expected to dramatically speed up attempts to crack some commonly-used cryptographic schemes. To get ahead of the game, Google is testing new digital security setups on single-digit populations of Chrome users.

Quantum computing is such a potential threat because it can do many more simultaneous calculations than current computers. Modern binary bits can only be in two states when electric current is run through them: 0 or 1. But the ambiguous nature of the quantum state means its elemental units (known as “qubits”) could be in either state at a time, so two could potentially be in four orientations at one time: 00, 01, 10 or 11. That ambiguity is exponential, so three qubits could be in eight at a time, and so on.

Security experts aren’t just concerned that quantum computers’ higher speed means faster rates of cryptography-cracking: They’re worried that future hacking methods could come back to today’s encrypted data and pry it open. But that’s in the future: as Wired points out, crypto experts say you would need a quantum computer with hundreds of thousands of qubits, and IBM’s only has five.

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You got to luv this one.

The security agency must defend itself in a US appeals court for violating the rights of a convicted bomber by supposedly illegally spying on him.

A US appeals court will weigh a constitutional challenge on Wednesday to a warrantless government surveillance program, brought by an Oregon man found guilty of attempting to detonate a bomb in 2010 during a Christmas tree-lighting ceremony.

The case before a three-judge panel of the 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals is the first of its kind to consider whether a criminal defendant’s constitutional privacy rights are violated under a National Security Agency (NSA) program that allows spying on Americans’ international phone calls and internet communications.

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Glad they are doing something on this because my biggest concern on biometrics and systems storing other people’s DNA/ bio information is criminals hacking in and collecting bio information on people and reselling it on the Dark Web. With this type of information; criminals can do many interesting things especially if they have access to a gene editing kit, or 3D printers, etc. We have seen how easy it is to create gene editing kits and selling them on the net for $129 each. And, how 3D printers can replicate synthetic skin, contacts mimicking eye structures, etc. So, criminals can do some amazing things once they have access to anyone’s biometrics information.

A biometric system to verify travelers exiting the country could be in effect as soon as 2018.

By Kayla Nick-Kearney.

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