FCC Fails To Mandate Signaling System 7 Remediation Effort: Nothing To See Here, Move Along
Andrea Peterson, writing for Ars Technica and the Project on Government Oversight, tells the tale of FCC malfeasance coming to the fore - in not mandating requisite technical remediation of SS7 shortcomings. Today's Must Read.
'A panel advising President Bill Clinton raised the alarm back in 1997, saying that SS7 was among America’s networking “crown jewels” and warning that if those crown jewels were “attacked or exploited, [it] could result in a situation that threatened the security and reliability of the telecommunications infrastructure.” By 2001, security researchers argued that risks associated with SS7 were multiplying thanks to “deregulation” and “the Internet and wireless networks.” They were proved right in 2008 when other researchers demonstrated ways that hackers could use flaws in SS7 to pinpoint the location of unsuspecting cell phone users.' - via Andrea Peterson, writing for both Ars Technica and Project on Government Oversight, tells the sorry tale of SS7
NATO CCDCoE, Locked Shields 2019
The (now yearly) NATO CCDCOE International Live-Fire Cyber Defence Exercise monikered 'Locked Shields' began on April 10th, 2019, and is currently live. If you can attend, do not hesitate to do so (by invitation only). Read all about it.
"The annual real-time network defence exercise is a unique opportunity for national cyber defenders to practise protection of national IT systems and critical infrastructure under the pressure of a severe cyberattack. It is a Red team vs. Blue Team exercise, where the latter are formed by member nations of CCDCOE. The participating Blue Teams play the role of national cyber rapid reaction teams that are deployed to assist a fictional country in handling large-scale cyber incidents and all their multiple implications. In addition to maintaining nearly 4000 virtualised systems while experiencing more than 2500 attacks, the teams must be effective in reporting incidents, executing strategic decisions and solving forensic, legal and media challenges." via the NATO Cooperative Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence (CCDCOE)
Nope, No Snakes On The Plane, But There Are Cameras...
via Christine Negroni writing for The New York Times, comes a fascinating report of cameras discovered in airline passenger seatbacks. Today's Must Read.
'Now, two senators have asked eight airlines based in the United States to respond in the next few weeks to questions about the cameras, including whether the airlines have used them “to monitor passengers” and whether passengers have been “informed of this practice.”' - via Christine Negroni, writing for The New York Times
Airbnb's Webcam Problems: Violations of Guest Privacy, State Law
News, via Jon Brodkin, writing at Ars Technica, that Airbnb initially took no steps to stop a property owner recording an Airbnb guest. What was Airbnb thinking? Apparently, they were not thinking at all...
'Airbnb's response was troubling, Nealie Barker said. Customer service reps "didn't seem to grasp the seriousness of the issue. They were treating it like a canceled booking," she told CNN. Airbnb temporarily suspended the listing and promised to investigate, CNN wrote. But when Barker contacted Airbnb again two weeks later, "the company told her that the host had been 'exonerated,' and the listing reinstated."' - news, via, Jon Brodkin, writing at Ars Technica