Archive
Category: Weblog
Random assortments, selected for semantic content.
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Cyberspace Battleground in Gaza
The Israeli Defence Force (IDF) has reportedly hacked into a Hamas television station as part of an ongoing war of information in Gaza. According to local media reports, the IDF took over the Al-Aqsa television station last weekend, and is using it to broadcast pro-Israeli content in Arabic: ‘AFP reports, a “broadcast on Al-Aqsa television… Read more →
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2008 Cybersecurity Year in Review — Part I: Data Security
It should come as no surprise that 2008 was an eventful year for online security pundits. Record instances of data breaches, identity theft, vulnerability disclosures and hotfixes were seen throughout the year. Both state and non-state actors were involved — on the public side, cyberwar in Georgia and alleged Chinese cyber-espionage; in the private sector,… Read more →
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Corporate cyber-espionage alleged by petroleum software developer
The president of Platte River Associates, a United States software development company, has pleaded guilty to charges of hacking into a competitor’s website and copying commercially sensitive files. The company develops specialist petroleum exploration software, and the target of the cyber-espionage was Zetaware, one of its chief competitors. The facts are rather curious: the executive,… Read more →
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Latest novelty trade mark in Russia: 😉
In a move as bold as it is legally questionable, Superfone, a Russian mobile advertising company, has applied for a trade mark in respect of the characters ‘;-)’ (a winking emoticon). According to the certificate of grant, the registration applies to classes 35, 38 and 41. It’s unclear whether it extends to any territories beyond… Read more →
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Illegal logging in an age of computer crime: lessons from Brazil
To combat deforestation of the Amazon rainforest, the Brazilian province of Pará has been using computer technology to administer a system of forestry permits. Unfortunately, the system has led to widespread abuse by logging companies that have allegedly hired hackers to issue fake permits: Companies logging the rainforest for timber or charcoal production are only… Read more →
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Australian spammer fined $92 715
If you received an email marketing Indian herbal pharmaceuticals last year, chances are it came from Mr Lance Atkinson of Pelican Waters, Queensland. This New Zealand man, living in Australia, has agreed to pay fines of $92 715 to the New Zealand Internal Affairs Anti-Spam Compliance Unit. According to media reports, Mr Atkinson admitted participating in… Read more →
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Cisco sued for GPL copyright infringement
The Software Freedom Law Centre (SFLC) has commenced proceedings against Cisco Systems Inc, alleging copyright infringement. The plaintiff argues that Cisco distributed software subject to the General Public License (GPL) without meeting the terms of the popular open source licence. Specifically, FSF alleges that Cisco’s subsidiary Linksys sold networking products containing GPL software without making… Read more →
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Facebook accidentally exposes members’ dates of birth
During a public beta test of its new user interface, social networking website Facebook has accidentally exposed personal information — at this stage limited to the date of birth and age — of all its members. According to Sophos, which created a YouTube video illustrating the flaw, as many as 80 million dates of birth… Read more →
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Italian mozzarella crime syndicate foiled
According to this report, four Italian police officers have been arrested for allegedly accepting cheese as bribes from motorists they pulled over. The officers, from the Campagna region (near Naples), apparently targeted cheese delivery vans, then demanded portions of the region’s prized mozzarella in return for being exempted from a large fine (cash, presumably). According… Read more →
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New Site Design: Jaani.net v 1.08
This post commemorates the launch of jaani.net/ v 1.08. The website back-end has been completely revamped. It now runs a state-of-the-art Drupal-powered content management system loaded to the hilt customised modules and extensions. Read more →