Computers / software

U r pwned: text messaging as a hacking tool
Text messages appear on mobile phones without any interaction from the user, and sometimes with limited interference from the cellular network operators — giving criminals an opening to break into those devices
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IBM acquires Ounce Labs
Securing software code is a growing business, and IBM is buying code security specialist Ounce Labs
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Defcon, Black Hat to open this week
Leading cybersecurity events to open in Las Vegas this week; if you prefer security shows at which the speakers favor black T-shirts and dyed hair over suits and ties, and where goth-attired groupies and script kiddies hunkered over laptops line the hallways at all hours of the night, you should attend
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Vcom3D's iPod translator device is a valuable tool for U.S. soldiers
Florida-based Vcom3D developed software which was used in conjunction with Apple’s iPod to teach sign language to hearing-impaired students; now, the U.S. military and UN peacekeepers use the device as an instant translator in war-torn regions
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Predicting hurricanes
Researchers developed a new computer model that they hope will predict with unprecedented accuracy how many hurricanes will occur in a given season
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DARPA awards BBN $30 million in Machine Reading project
Machine reading technology would be used particularly by military intelligence staff seeking to boil down mountains of information about theaters or areas of operation into useful form
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Method discovered to process encrypted data without knowing its content
IBM researcher solves thorny mathematical problem that has confounded scientists since the invention of public-key encryption several decades ago; the breakthrough makes possible the analysis of encrypted information — data that has been intentionally scrambled — without sacrificing confidentiality
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U.K. government: Best cyber defense is cyber offense
New National Security Strategy document includes, for the first time, a public cyber security strategy; unnamed high government source: “We don’t want to engage in cyber war but we can’t remain a target for criminals to take a pop at”
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U.S. cybersecurity chief says there is a lucrative market in malware
Philip Reitinger: “There is an entire community of people who are involved, organized crime is involved” in cybercrime underground market economy
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Quantum computing nears with European QAP project
QAP co-coordinator Professor Ian Walmsley: “Quantum computing, when it arrives, could make all current cryptographic technology obsolete”
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EU to rely on advanced network technology to bolster resilience
EU security agency recommends greater use of advanced networking technologies such as IPv6, DNSSec, and MPLS to strengthen the resilience of communication networks
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U.S. military developing simple-to-use cyber attack devices
Most soldiers are not IT specialists, so DARPA is looking to develop simple-to-use cyber warfare gadgets which would allow nonspecialists to penetrate satellites, VoIP networks, and supervisory control and data acquisition systems (SCADA)
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Wanted: high school hackers, crackers, and other digital deviants
The Pentagon is looking for a few good high-school hackers; in an effort to counter sustained Chinese and Russian hacking of U.S. government and industry networks, the Pentagon is launching a new military-funded program aimed at leveraging an untapped resource: the U.S. population of geeky high school and college students
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Cyber security experts unveil spammer strategies
Computer security experts infiltrated a botnet called Storm and analyzed the way its complex internal communications worked; knowledge gained will help in writing anti-spam software
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Making quantum cryptography's promise a reality
New research details how quantum communication can be made possible without having to use cryogenic cooling or complicated optical setups, making it much more likely to become commercially viable soon
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