IBNeko's Journal-Nyo~!

Now that US customs agents have unfettered access to laptops and other electronic devices at borders, a coalition of travel groups, civil liberties advocates and technologists is calling on Congress to rein in the Department of Homeland Security's search and seizure practices. They're also providing practical advice on how to prevent trade secrets and other sensitive data from being breached.
In a letter dated Thursday, the group, which includes the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), the American Civil Liberties Union and the Business Travel Coalition, called on the House Committee on Homeland Security to ensure searches aren't arbitrary or overly invasive. They also urged the passage of legislation outlawing abusive searches.

The letter comes 10 days after a US appeals court ruled Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents have the right to rummage through electronic devices even if they have no reason to suspect the hardware holds illegal contents. Not only are they free to view the files during passage; they are also permitted to copy the entire contents of a device. There are no stated policies about what can and can't be done with the data.

I will never, EVER understand how the following counts as "stealing wireless access":

1) I broadcast my SSID. (Here's a wireless connection world! LOOK OVER HERE FOR IT!!!)
2) User asks, "Can I connect?" (IP address requested.)
3) I say, "Sure you can connect." (IP address loaned.)
4) YOU STEAL MY WIRELESS!!!!!!!

Ok, I guess I should do it as a car analogy:

1) I put out a sign, "I will let you borrow my car."
2) You ask, "Can I borrow your car?"
3) I say, "Yes, and here are the keys."
4) YOU STOLE MY CAR!!!!!

If the rates are left unchanged, virtually all independent webcasters will be bankrupted and most larger parent companies would logically shut down their Internet radio divisions through the end of the 2005-10 period.

Forum participants continue to debate the implications of arnezami's handiwork. What's known for sure is that his hack unlocks the encryption used to protect content on every Blu-ray and HD DVD disc released to date. Several participants have downplayed the significance of the discovery, reasoning that it could be undermined in the future if the keys are changed or revoked.

Spammers launched a huge number of directory harvesting emails over recent days in an apparent attempt to update their email databases. The attack, which lasted several days, peaked on Sunday, 18 June when web security firm BlackSpider intercepted 109 times more of these malicious emails than it normally intercepts.
The flood of emails, used by spammers to collect valid email addresses, originated from a botnet of more than 90,000 compromised PCs, or 'spambots'. Directory harvesting emails are continuing to circulate but in far fewer numbers. Emails that formed part of the attack contained little or no text and were simply used to verify that email address were valid in cases where email servers didn't reject emails. Junk mail lowlifes then used the addresses in their own campaigns or sold verified lists on at a premium to other spammers.