Infosecurity.US

Information Security & Occasional Forays Into Adjacent Realms

  • Web Log

Governed By Imbeciles

April 28, 2020 by Marc Handelman in Governed By Imbeciles, Crypto Not Crypto, Information Security

via Dan Goodin - Security Editor at the beloved Ars Technica, comes one of the more amusing posts on the deeply flawed tellers-of tales at Zoom and that stinker-of-an-act: EARN IT (Eliminating Abusive and Rampant Neglect of Interactive Technologies) Act otherwise known as S.3398 - EARN IT Act of 2020. Read it and weep for our Senatorial brainiacs and their (apparently) equally challenged staff. Paenitet me paenitet, non.

April 28, 2020 /Marc Handelman
Governed By Imbeciles, Crypto Not Crypto, Information Security

Federally Funded Android Phones Contain Non-Removable Malware: The Government Cheese Of Mobile Devices

January 10, 2020 by Marc Handelman in Governed By Imbeciles, Government Incompetence, Governmental Corruption

Simply Astonishing...

January 10, 2020 /Marc Handelman
Governed By Imbeciles, Government Incompetence, Governmental Corruption

Pants On Fire - Mobile Telecom Edition

December 06, 2019 by Marc Handelman in Governmental Corruption, Governed By Imbeciles

via Jon Brodkin, writing at Ars Technica, comes his superlative truth-telling in the knobby wake of astounding deceipt by Chariman Pai and other members of the FCC. Sit down, hold on, and buckle up, we're in for a bumpy ride! Read it and weep my friends. Oh, and then there's this.

"Only 62.3 percent of staff drive tests achieved at least the minimum download speed predicted by the coverage maps—with US Cellular achieving that speed in only 45.0 percent of such tests, T-Mobile in 63.2 percent of tests, and Verizon in 64.3 percent of tests. Similarly, staff stationary tests showed that each provider achieved sufficient download speeds meeting the minimum cell edge probability in fewer than half of all test locations (20 of 42 locations). In addition, staff was unable to obtain any 4G LTE signal for 38 percent of drive tests on US Cellular's network, 21.3 percent of drive tests on T-Mobile's network, and 16.2 percent of drive tests on Verizon's network, despite each provider reporting coverage in the relevant area." - Excerpt from a FCC staffer report - via Jon Brodkin, writing at Ars Technica, comes this tremendous short-form tell-all

December 06, 2019 /Marc Handelman
Governmental Corruption, Governed By Imbeciles

No-Tel Mo-Tel? Motel 6 Settles State of Washington Lawsuit With $12,000,000 Payment

April 06, 2019 by Marc Handelman in Death of Privacy, Information Insecurity, Governed By Imbeciles, Must Read

via Chris Morris' well-crafted reportage at Fortune, comes the story of illegal data sharing engaged in by Motel 6, and the $12,000,000 price tag the company coughed up in settlement fines to the State of Washington. I guess they might not be 'leaving the light on for you' - for a while... Today's Must Read.

"Motel 6 will take a $12 million hit for allegedly sharing the personal information of about 80,000 guests with immigration officials without the knowledge or permission of those customers. The chain has settled a lawsuit brought by the state of Washington over the controversial policy of seven of its hotels in that state between 2015 and 2017. The company has also said it will stop the practice of handing over guest information without a subpoena or warrant, unless it believes someone is in imminent danger." - via Chris Morris', at Fortune

April 06, 2019 /Marc Handelman
Death of Privacy, Information Insecurity, Governed By Imbeciles, Must Read

Apparently, There Is No Longer Clear And Present Danger

April 03, 2019 by Marc Handelman in Government Incompetence, Government, Governed By Imbeciles, Anti-Terrorism, Information Security

Meanwhile, in Governance By Imbeciles news, a troubling a story, via Betsy Woodruff, writing at The Daily Beast, targeting the shuttering of an intelligence analysis group (ostensibly focused on domestic terrorism) at the United States Department of Homeland Security, monikered the 'Office of Intelligence and Analysis (I&A)'. Also, claims by David Glawe (the new Trump Administration appointee that the grpup's closing makes for enhanced output, yet simutaneously, California's Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department reports work product from DHS (regarding actionable domestic terrorism intelligence) is slowing to a trickle). Read it all in Ms. Woodruff's well crafted reportage, and try not to weep for our Law Enforcement Agegenies at both the Federal and Local levels. Today's Must Read.

April 03, 2019 /Marc Handelman
Government Incompetence, Government, Governed By Imbeciles, Anti-Terrorism, Information Security

FCC Coughs Up $43,000 For Hiding Net Neutrality Records

March 25, 2019 by Marc Handelman in Corruption, Corporate Evil, Corporate Corruption, Governmental Corruption, Government Incompetence, Government Censorship, Governed By Imbeciles

You Can Successfully Bet The Chairman Will Be Implicated In This...

via Jon Brodkin, writing at Condé Nast media property Ars Technica, in which, Mr. Brodkin reports on bad news for Chairman Ajit Pai, as the FCC was forced to settle a suit (to the tune of 43K) brought by independent writer Jason Prechtel where the FCC refused to comply with a FOIA request for data related to the Commissions'repeal of net neutrality. Folks, that's $43,000 of US taxpayer money paid out (legitimately) to a suit plaintiff (and rightly so, to cover his attorney's fees and court costs), that would not have occurred if we had an honest FCC Chairman in place.

"The FCC didn't comply with the request and allegedly didn't even approve or deny the FoIA request within the legally allotted timeframe, so Prechtel sued the commission in September 2017. One year later, a US District Court judge presiding over the case ordered the FCC to stop withholding certain records sought by Prechtel, although the ruling didn't give Prechtel everything he asked for." via Jon Brodkin, writing at Ars Technica, in a report detailing a settlement forced on the FCC by Judge Christopher Cooper of US District Court for the District of Columbia (Ars Technica's PDF link).

March 25, 2019 /Marc Handelman
Corruption, Corporate Evil, Corporate Corruption, Governmental Corruption, Government Incompetence, Government Censorship, Governed By Imbeciles

Pai, Four Ways…

Another Appalling Privacy Failure From The FCC

March 18, 2019 by Marc Handelman in Government Incompetence, Governmental Corruption, Governed By Imbeciles

This time, it's the apparent lack of planning for location privacy protections in the new 911 Emergency Data Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking from our apparently on-the-take Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, Ajit Pai. Via Jon Brodkin, writing at ArsTechnica, comes a significantly enhanced detailed analysis of the Chairman's latest playing-it-fast-and-loose with our data. Just Shameful.

March 18, 2019 /Marc Handelman
Government Incompetence, Governmental Corruption, Governed By Imbeciles

FCC To Auction Wireless Spectrum That Will Interfere With Weather Data Collection

March 15, 2019 by Marc Handelman in Government Incompetence, Governmental Corruption, Governed By Imbeciles, Meteorology, Physical Security, Physical Sciences

What kind of idiot would do this damage to the data collection of meteorological data, just to make a buck? Ajit Varadaraj Pai, that's who... The first (that I can recall) Federal Communications Commission Chairman that's for sale to the highest bidder.

March 15, 2019 /Marc Handelman
Government Incompetence, Governmental Corruption, Governed By Imbeciles, Meteorology, Physical Security, Physical Sciences

Image Credit: Vilniaus Universitetas ( http://www.tspmi.vu.lt )

Wyden's Warning: Winter Is Coming

September 26, 2018 by Marc Handelman in Governed By Imbeciles

What next? Technical Support from Москва? Today's Must Read.

September 26, 2018 /Marc Handelman
Governed By Imbeciles

Image created by François Grimonprez from Quidos, Courtesy of Save Your Internet

Remember GDPR? Wait Till You Experience Article 13 →

June 24, 2018 by Marc Handelman in Government, Governed By Imbeciles

Steven J. Vaughan-Nichols, writing at ZDNet, regales us with the niceties of the EU's Article 13. Rejoice! Let the Copyright Wars Commence! Today's Must Read...

June 24, 2018 /Marc Handelman
Government, Governed By Imbeciles