F.T.C. Crackdown Aims At Tech Support Scams
by edward wyatt

Consumer frauds often make claims that are too good to be true. But a recent one, cited by regulators around the world Wednesday, depended on a pitch that many people found completely believable — that Microsoft or another computer company knows what is on your personal computer.

The Federal Trade Commission announced a multinational crackdown on so-called tech support scams, in which a caller fools a consumer into believing Microsoft or a computer security company has discovered that a PC is infected with harmful software. The caller then offers to fix the computer on the spot for a price. The target would sometimes let the ostensible tech support company gain remote access to his computer, allowing the company to download software to it.

In six cases filed in federal district court in Manhattan, the commission named 17 individuals and 14 companies, most in India, as participants in the operations, including many with legitimate-sounding names like Virtual PC Solutions and Zeal IT Solutions. continued…

first published week of:   04/29/2013

FAA GPS data formatted for your use
by mike szczys

[Michael] posted up-to-date GPS data sets in the GPX format. These data sets are an alternative to paid updates. Since GPX is a published standard which uses an XML style formatting for location data [Michael's] time was spent getting the original sets and finding a way to translate them for his Garmin EXTREX GPS.

The original data comes from — hang on, this is a mouthful — the US Federal Aviation Administration’s Facility Aeronautical Data Distribution System (FADDS). He had to apply for permission to download it and to use it in producing a custom GPS build. He grabbed the Airport waypoints and navaid sets, then studied accompanying files detailing the data structure before writing his own Visual Basic 2010 program to spit out the GPX files. He says he wanted to make them available in the spirit of the Open Hardware/Software movement. This may be most interesting for pilots (the kind that put Nooks on the dashboard, not the kind who watch the aircraft from the ground), but we’re sure there’s a myriad of uses for non-pilots alike.

Details Here

first published week of:   02/18/2013

FCC Broadband Stimulus Hearing Turns Contentious
by rachelle chong

Wednesday’s hearing on the Broadband Stimulus grants before Chairman Greg Waldon (R-Ore.) and the House Subcommittee on Communications and Technology in Washington was marked with specific allegations of overbuilding in areas that already had broadband and improper purchasing practices by one project.  Most of the allegations were brought to light in the first panel, where Lawrence Strickling, Asst. Secretary for Communications and Information and Administrator, National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) of the Department of Commerce, and John Padalino, Acting Administrator, Rural Utilities Service (RUS), of the US Department of Agriculture appeared.

In its briefing memorandum, the House Majority Staff posed the overarching question of whether taxpayers are “getting their money’s worth” four years after the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) as to the $7 billion for broadband grants and loans administered by NTIA and RUS.  NTIA is administering $4.7 billion in the Broadband Technology Opportunities Program (BTOP) and the State Broadband Initiative (SBI).   The BTOP programs cover broadband mapping projects, broadband adoption projects and broadband infrastructure projects, particularly middle mile projects.  (The “middle mile” is the segment of the telecommunications network connecting a network operator’s core network to the local network plant, enabling fast, large-capacity connections between the network backbone and last mile connection.)  The RUS is administering a $2.5 billion Broadband Initiatives Program (BIP), which are mostly focused on projects to bring broadband to end users in rural areas without fast Internet service.

Strickling’s testimony stated that as of the end of 2012:

• 86,000 miles of broadband infrastructure was deployed or upgraded;
• almost 12,000 community anchor institutions (schools, hospitals, libraries, community centers, public safety providers, etc.) were connected to high speed broadband Internet service;
• 600 interconnection agreements were entered to leverage or interconnect these networks;
• 40,000 workstations in public computer centers were installed in 20% of the nation’s libraries;
• 9.9 million hours of technology training was provided to 2.8 million users;
• 520,000 new broadband subscribers were generated; and
• 4,000 new jobs were funded each quarter for the past five quarters and enabled those who took digital literacy training to secure “thousands more.”

first published week of:   03/04/2013

FCC Small Biz Cyber Planner 2.0

Information technology and high-speed Internet are great enablers of small business success, but with the benefits comes the need to guard against growing cyber threats. As larger companies take steps to secure their systems, less secure small businesses are easier targets for cyber criminals. In October 2012, the FCC re-launched Small Biz Cyber Planner 2.0, an online resource to help small businesses create customized cybersecurity plans. Use this tool to create and save a custom cyber security plan for your company, choosing from a menu of expert advice to address your specific business needs and concerns. The FCC also released an updated Cybersecurity Tip Sheet.

Details Here

first published week of:   01/14/2013

Federal Courts Increasingly Receptive to IP Geolocation Data; Copyright, Other Lawsuits Affected
by kevin king

A series of recent decisions suggests that federal courts increasingly are accepting evidence derived from Internet Protocol (IP) geolocation databases, which make it possible to look up the geographic location of a computer or other similarly-equipped electronic device.  This development may be particularly significant in the area of copyright litigation, where alleged online infringers can resist enforcement suits on the ground that their activities are outside the court’s territorial jurisdiction.

Although geolocation databases have existed for more than a decade, federal courts have not always been willing to recognize them.  In American Libraries Ass’n v. Pataki, a case decided in 1997, one prominent federal judge wrote that “[t]he Internet is wholly insensitive to geographic distinctions” and that “Internet protocols were designed to ignore rather than document geographic location.”

Courts gradually have become more open to geolocation evidence since the late 1990s, as the technology has developed.  Today, the accuracy of geolocation databases varies, but users generally can enter a device’s IP address and convert it into an approximate geographic location.  To try out one popular database on your computer or handheld device, click here.

Details Here

first published week of:   02/25/2013

Federal Government Wrestles With Big Data and Sequestration
by thor olavsrud

The federal government may be able to save as much as $500 billion via big data initiatives, if those projects can weather the effects of the budget sequestration.

Despite the challenges of the budget sequestration that went into effect on March 1, federal agencies are pressing forward with big data initiatives, hoping to squeeze big savings out of more efficient use of their data.

In fact, based on the federal government's FY12 budget actual expenditures of $3.538 trillion, federal IT managers could potentially recognize nearly $500 billion in savings across the federal government via big data initiatives, according to a new study by MeriTalk. MeriTalk is a community network for government IT developed as a partnership by the Federal Business Council, Federal Employee Defense Services, Federal Managers Association, GovLoop, National Treasury Employees Union, USO and WTOP/WFED radio.  continued…

first published week of:   06/24/2013

Feds Identify the Young Russians Behind the Top U.S. Cyber Thefts in Last 7 Years
by kim zetter

Four Russians and one Ukrainian have been charged with masterminding a massive hacking spree that was responsible for stealing more than 160 million bank card numbers from companies in the U.S. over a seven-year period.

The alleged hackers were behind some of the most notorious breaches for which hacker Albert Gonzalez was convicted in 2010 and is currently serving multiple 20-year sentences simultaneously. The indictments clear up a years-long mystery about two hackers involved in those attacks who were known previously only as Grig and Annex and were listed in indictments against Gonzalez as working with him to breach several large U.S. businesses, but who have not been identified until now.

The hackers continued their activities long after Gonzalez was convicted, however. According to the indictment, filed in New Jersey, their spree ran from 2005 to July 2012, penetrating the networks of several of the largest payment processing companies in the world, as well as national retail outlets and financial institutions in the U.S. and elsewhere, resulting in losses exceeding $300 million to the companies. continued…

first published week of:   07/29/2013

Feds Identify the Young Russians Behind the Top U.S. Cyber Thefts in Last 7 Years
by kim zetter

Four Russians and one Ukrainian have been charged with masterminding a massive hacking spree that was responsible for stealing more than 160 million bank card numbers from companies in the U.S. over a seven-year period.

The alleged hackers were behind some of the most notorious breaches for which hacker Albert Gonzalez was convicted in 2010 and is currently serving multiple 20-year sentences simultaneously. The indictments clear up a years-long mystery about two hackers involved in those attacks who were known previously only as Grig and Annex and were listed in indictments against Gonzalez as working with him to breach several large U.S. businesses, but who have not been identified until now.

The hackers continued their activities long after Gonzalez was convicted, however. According to the indictment, filed in New Jersey, their spree ran from 2005 to July 2012, penetrating the networks of several of the largest payment processing companies in the world, as well as national retail outlets and financial institutions in the U.S. and elsewhere, resulting in losses exceeding $300 million to the companies. continued…

first published week of:   07/29/2013

Feds spending over $5.1M on facial recognition surveillance program
by cyrus farivar

If you thought that license plate readers were fun, just wait until facial recognition gets better. Recall, facial recognition technology famously failed to catch the two Boston bombing suspects earlier this year, and it remains difficult to actually pull off quickly, accurately, and at a distance.

But according to new documents published by The New York Times on Wednesday, the tech is likely to improve in the near future. The documents show that the United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has a contract worth more than $5.155 million to create what’s been dubbed the “Biometric Optical Surveillance System (BOSS) at Stand-off Distance.” Included in the 67-pages worth of documents is a “statement of work”:

The DHS is responsible for the biometric identification of persons to determine if persons entering areas are currently on federal watch lists. To accomplish this task, DHS components require the ability to positively identify/screen individuals in a secure, efficient, accurate, and timely manner. This ability encompasses the collection, storage, transmission, and receipt of biometric and biographic data to support the component missions. The resulting capability will be portable and operable in a wide variety of areas and conditions (i.e. day/night, arid/humid climates, hot/cold temperature extremes.)

The output from these acquisition databases must be usable for searches of large-scale biometric databases (1 to many) and/or verification against a previously taken biometric sample (1 to 1). continued…

first published week of:   08/26/2013

FEMA Receives Prestigious Making a Difference Award
Honor Bestowed at Esri Federal GIS Conference for Superstorm Sandy Response

The Federal Emergency Management Agency's (FEMA's) efforts to assist after the destruction of Superstorm Sandy—including its first-of-its-kind mapping platform, the GeoPlatform—were recognized by Esri at its annual Federal GIS Conference held in Washington, DC, February 25–27. The company honored FEMA with its prestigious Making a Difference Award, which recognizes organizations doing exemplary work using geospatial technology. The award was presented Wednesday, February 27, at a special ceremony that included FEMA management and Esri president Jack Dangermond.

"FEMA supports our nation during crises, and its leadership and staff at all levels work extremely hard to carry out that mission every day," said Dangermond. "We want to recognize their tremendous work during Sandy. The agency supplied intuitive mapping applications that allowed people to understand the emergency as it unfolded and to begin the process of rebuilding."

FEMA's GIS efforts immediately provided much-needed information during and after Superstorm Sandy. Taking advantage of Esri's cloud capabilities, FEMA's GeoPlatform supplied the perfect mechanism to build and make available a series of applications that help people impacted by the storm. The GeoPlatform was built using Esri ArcGIS Online. This meant FEMA didn't have to spend time and resources on maintenance and hardware. It could focus on end-user wants and needs in designing applications.

FEMA had personnel in different impacted regions publishing map and tabular data using the GeoPlatform. This included aerial imagery, surge models, damage assessments, open and closed gas stations, power outages, and school closures. For immediate response, people could go online and understand what was happening on the ground using dynamically updated information. For long-term recovery, the GeoPlatform helped people and FEMA staff to more quickly process requests for assistance using up-to-date, accessible online information.

A few of the powerful applications included the following:

• Check Your Home—People could click on the online map to see how many homes, neighborhoods, and communities were impacted. The application provided easy access to imagery FEMA collected immediately after the storm.
• Modeling Task Force Map—This map predicted flood areas that would incur damage. Desktop experts ran sophisticated models and published them to the web with updates happening almost daily.
• Advisory Base Flood Elevation (ABFE)—FEMA issued ABFE maps post-Sandy for the recovery work. As rebuilding efforts take place, the maps and related information help people stay current with new floodplain and insurance guidelines.

first published week of:   03/18/2013