Archive for the 'Technology' Category
Android Uses Crap SSL Cipher by Default
October 15th, 2013Via: op-co.de: Android is using the combination of horribly broken RC4 and MD5 as the first default cipher on all SSL connections. … The cipher order on the vast majority of Android devices was defined by Sun in 2002 and taken over into the Android project in 2010 as an attempt to improve compatibility. RC4 […]
Louisiana Walmart Shelves Cleared Out After EBT System Malfunctions
October 14th, 2013Via: KSLA: Shelves in Walmart stores in Springhill and Mansfield, LA were reportedly cleared Saturday night, when the stores allowed purchases on EBT cards even though they were not showing limits. The chaos that followed ultimately required intervention from local police, and left behind numerous carts filled to overflowing, apparently abandoned when the glitch-spurred shopping […]
NSA Collects Millions of E-mail Address Books Globally
October 14th, 2013Via: Washington Post: The National Security Agency is harvesting hundreds of millions of contact lists from personal e-mail and instant messaging accounts around the world, many of them belonging to Americans, according to senior intelligence officials and top secret documents provided by former NSA contractor Edward Snowden. The collection program, which has not been disclosed […]
‘Google Is Going to Include Your Face in Its New Ads’
October 11th, 2013Via: Business Week: Google (GOOG) is tinkering with the ever-delicate balance between selling advertisements and creeping its users out. On Friday the company said it would begin including recommendations that Google+ users make in advertisements. The new policy kicks in on Nov. 11. Here’s how it works: You use Google+ to rate some product or […]
The Big Data Magic 8 Ball Now Hiring
October 11th, 2013Via: Bloomberg: They can drive cars, win Jeopardy and find your soon-to-be favorite song. Machines are also learning to decipher the most human qualities about you — and help businesses predict your potential to be their next star employee. A handful of technology companies from Knack.it Corp. to Evolv Inc. are doing just that, developing […]
GE and AT&T Partner to Make Engines, Trains and Turbines Cellular-Capable
October 9th, 2013What could possibly go wrong? Via: All Things D: General Electric is announcing a partnership with AT&T on Wednesday to add wireless capabilities to a wide range of the company’s industrial machines. The deal — an expansion of the existing partnership between the two companies — is designed to equip millions of jet engines, locomotives, […]
$2 Billion NSA Spy Center is Going Up in Flames
October 9th, 2013Via: The Fiscal Times: The National Security Agency’s $2 billion mega spy center is going up in flames. Technical glitches have sparked fiery explosions within the NSA’s newest and largest data storage facility in Utah, destroying hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of equipment, and delaying the facility’s opening by one year. And no one […]
Microsoft and Lockheed Martin Team Up for Government Cloud Platform
October 8th, 2013Via: Information Week: Microsoft will soon launch a dedicated multi-tenant cloud environment that meets the distinct requirements of U.S. government agencies. The Windows Azure U.S. Government Cloud will be an exclusive community cloud available for U.S. state, local and federal government agencies. It will be hosted in Microsoft data centers located in the U.S. and […]
“Soon, Drones May Be Able to Make Lethal Decisions on Their Own”
October 8th, 2013Acronym of the day: LAR – Lethal Autonomous Robot Via: National Journal: Scientists, engineers and policymakers are all figuring out ways drones can be used better and more smartly, more precise and less damaging to civilians, with longer range and better staying power. One method under development is by increasing autonomy on the drone itself. […]
NSA Director Alexander Admits He Lied about Phone Surveillance Stopping 54 Terror Plots
October 8th, 2013Via: AllGov: The head of the National Security Agency (NSA) admitted before a congressional committee this week that he lied back in June when he claimed the agency’s phone surveillance program had thwarted 54 terrorist “plots or events.” NSA Director Keith Alexander gave out the erroneous number while the Obama administration was defending its domestic […]
