Will Big Brother Track You by Cell Phone?
In an emergency, enhanced 911 could be a lifesaver, today at least. But what does the future hold, who will be in charge of this cell phone tracking techology?
Saturday, August 11, 2001
Off-the-Shelf Hack Breaks Wireless Encryption
Just a reminder that anything sent over the airwaves is fundamentally insecure. There are levels of encryption, of course, and the higher the better, but you can never be too careful. In the day-to-day world, for examlpe, you should never use your home cordless phone to place orders using your credit card number, or reveal your Social Security Number, as these calls are being broadcast. This particular article is about wireless networks, and the same applies.
Just a reminder that anything sent over the airwaves is fundamentally insecure. There are levels of encryption, of course, and the higher the better, but you can never be too careful. In the day-to-day world, for examlpe, you should never use your home cordless phone to place orders using your credit card number, or reveal your Social Security Number, as these calls are being broadcast. This particular article is about wireless networks, and the same applies.
Friday, August 10, 2001
W.W.II Resistance Movements
I've been getting into stories and histories of the resistance movement that developed in European countries under Nazi occupation during World War II. If you want to read about bravery and heroism, that is one era to study. So, let's say a country was defeated by Germany, France for example, and the Nazi's took over, installed a puppet government and life went on. What did average people do? How did they learn to resist? Did the resistance movement spring up on it's own? How would your average civilian population know the strategies and tactics best suited to a resistance movement? As it turns out, the resistance movement in most conquered European countries had plenty of help from the British and American intelligence agencies. The resistance was organized into small cells that generally had no contact with each other and were assigned very specific missions to carry out. According to one source, most resistance cells were focused on three primary missions: (1) the production of propaganda or, rather, counter- propaganda (leaflets, pamphlets, newspapers, defacing `official' propaganda etc.); (2) intelligence/information gathering for the Special Operations Executive (SOE) in London and the American OSS; (3) and building escape networks, facilitating the escape of Allied servicemen, resisters and, later in the war, Jews. If you are interested in learning more about the resistance movement in occupied Europe, check out this reading list.
I've been getting into stories and histories of the resistance movement that developed in European countries under Nazi occupation during World War II. If you want to read about bravery and heroism, that is one era to study. So, let's say a country was defeated by Germany, France for example, and the Nazi's took over, installed a puppet government and life went on. What did average people do? How did they learn to resist? Did the resistance movement spring up on it's own? How would your average civilian population know the strategies and tactics best suited to a resistance movement? As it turns out, the resistance movement in most conquered European countries had plenty of help from the British and American intelligence agencies. The resistance was organized into small cells that generally had no contact with each other and were assigned very specific missions to carry out. According to one source, most resistance cells were focused on three primary missions: (1) the production of propaganda or, rather, counter- propaganda (leaflets, pamphlets, newspapers, defacing `official' propaganda etc.); (2) intelligence/information gathering for the Special Operations Executive (SOE) in London and the American OSS; (3) and building escape networks, facilitating the escape of Allied servicemen, resisters and, later in the war, Jews. If you are interested in learning more about the resistance movement in occupied Europe, check out this reading list.
Feedback
I'm getting some feedback, which is good, keep it coming. What is a Hassid? A few entries back I'd mentioned something about Hassid, a reference to David Hassid, a character in the later Left Behind novels. If you are just starting the series you will not have met him yet, but you will. David is the ultimate information technology (IT) guy, knows everything about computers, networks, communications, etc. I'm adopting references to the characters in the books as a sort of general convention, a short hand for the different talents and skills that would go into a well rounded TF group. I'm not sure the writers had that in mind when choosing the characters, but it seems clear that any group is going to have a leader (Rayford Steele), a field agent (Buck Williams), an administrator (Chloe Steele), an IT officer (David Hassid), webmaster/outreach (Tsion Ben-Judah and Buck), and other assorted agents (Mac McCullum, Annie Christopher, Leah Rose, etc.). Ok, so you get the idea. This is not to say that every TF group will have the same grouping of talents, but that is the general outline. The books imply that there are other TF groups other than the core group the books center on, and that they comprise a loose network, but that Steele's group is the HQ of the resistance. And, yes, I do have a firm grip on reality. This web page is an interesting fusion of fiction, present reality and potential futures. Take from it what you will, for what it's worth.
I'm getting some feedback, which is good, keep it coming. What is a Hassid? A few entries back I'd mentioned something about Hassid, a reference to David Hassid, a character in the later Left Behind novels. If you are just starting the series you will not have met him yet, but you will. David is the ultimate information technology (IT) guy, knows everything about computers, networks, communications, etc. I'm adopting references to the characters in the books as a sort of general convention, a short hand for the different talents and skills that would go into a well rounded TF group. I'm not sure the writers had that in mind when choosing the characters, but it seems clear that any group is going to have a leader (Rayford Steele), a field agent (Buck Williams), an administrator (Chloe Steele), an IT officer (David Hassid), webmaster/outreach (Tsion Ben-Judah and Buck), and other assorted agents (Mac McCullum, Annie Christopher, Leah Rose, etc.). Ok, so you get the idea. This is not to say that every TF group will have the same grouping of talents, but that is the general outline. The books imply that there are other TF groups other than the core group the books center on, and that they comprise a loose network, but that Steele's group is the HQ of the resistance. And, yes, I do have a firm grip on reality. This web page is an interesting fusion of fiction, present reality and potential futures. Take from it what you will, for what it's worth.
The Timex Internet Messenger
Suppose you are sending your people into the field on an especially dangerous mission, one in which they will be traveling light, extremely light, with only the clothes on their backs, no baggage at all. How can you stay in touch? A connected watch might be the answer. According to Yahoo Internet Life's Cool Tools review, this new and improved version of the Timex Internet Messenger is 28% smaller and $60 cheaper than its predecessor, it can deliver news, stocks, weather, e-mail and serves as a one-way pager. Receives up to 16 Internet e-mail, numeric or word messages of up to 100 characters each. Comes with FlexTime, a feature that automatically sets and maintains time, date and time zone changes. Service is provided by SkyTel for $10 and up. Of course, it has standard features you would also expect a watch to have, like a stopwatch, 5 alarms, countdown timer, and Indigo backlight, all in the standard Timex Ironman Triathlon style.
Suppose you are sending your people into the field on an especially dangerous mission, one in which they will be traveling light, extremely light, with only the clothes on their backs, no baggage at all. How can you stay in touch? A connected watch might be the answer. According to Yahoo Internet Life's Cool Tools review, this new and improved version of the Timex Internet Messenger is 28% smaller and $60 cheaper than its predecessor, it can deliver news, stocks, weather, e-mail and serves as a one-way pager. Receives up to 16 Internet e-mail, numeric or word messages of up to 100 characters each. Comes with FlexTime, a feature that automatically sets and maintains time, date and time zone changes. Service is provided by SkyTel for $10 and up. Of course, it has standard features you would also expect a watch to have, like a stopwatch, 5 alarms, countdown timer, and Indigo backlight, all in the standard Timex Ironman Triathlon style.
Texas Town Opens Cybercafe on Bush Visit
Cybercafes are an excellent resource for your field agents. Equipped with web mail accounts, your operatives can check in from almost any major metropolitan area, and even from remote Crawford, Texas, site of the Western White House.
Cybercafes are an excellent resource for your field agents. Equipped with web mail accounts, your operatives can check in from almost any major metropolitan area, and even from remote Crawford, Texas, site of the Western White House.
Terrorism Possible Motive in Creation of Computer Worm Virus
Don't discount the possibility that GC forces may use computer viruses to target the underground church. Can viruses be focused on one or a few targets? They can certainly be crafted to scan networks, which provide easy access, and thus can infect many linked computers at the same time. If one computer in a network is vulnerable, the entire network is vulnerable. Your Hassid should make sure all your TF computers have antivirus software and the latest definitions and patches.
Don't discount the possibility that GC forces may use computer viruses to target the underground church. Can viruses be focused on one or a few targets? They can certainly be crafted to scan networks, which provide easy access, and thus can infect many linked computers at the same time. If one computer in a network is vulnerable, the entire network is vulnerable. Your Hassid should make sure all your TF computers have antivirus software and the latest definitions and patches.
Thursday, August 09, 2001
Security Firms Call for Video Surveillance Law
It looks as if a backlash is well underway against the use of video surveillance and the face-scanning system called FaceIt.
It looks as if a backlash is well underway against the use of video surveillance and the face-scanning system called FaceIt.
Wednesday, August 08, 2001
Taliban Say Evidence Mounts Against Aid Workers
Asked why Christians today would be worried about security of any kind. Reply, just look at what is happening to those international aid workers in Afghanistan, where anyone found trying to convert Afghan Muslims to Christianity -- or anyone who converts -- faces the death penalty under the Taliban's strict interpretation of Islamic Sharia law.
Asked why Christians today would be worried about security of any kind. Reply, just look at what is happening to those international aid workers in Afghanistan, where anyone found trying to convert Afghan Muslims to Christianity -- or anyone who converts -- faces the death penalty under the Taliban's strict interpretation of Islamic Sharia law.
FBI Must Reveal Computer Snooping Technique - Judge
An interesting development in the DOJ vs. Scarfo case. A judge has ruled that the government must reveal exactly how it bugged the mobsters computer. As you may know, the first entry in the TFT blog had to do with e-mail encryption, and the fact that the mobster was using PGP, a free program you can download over the net. The program works so well that no matter who accesses the e-mail or intercepts it any stage of the journey from sender to receiver, they can't read it without the secret scrambled "key." The FBI didn't have that and there was no way to get it, so they had to bug the computer, specifically the keyboard, with a recorder that monitored each keystroke. Whether the bug was software or hardware is not known, and that is one of the things the court said the government had to reveal. Very interesting, stay tuned.
An interesting development in the DOJ vs. Scarfo case. A judge has ruled that the government must reveal exactly how it bugged the mobsters computer. As you may know, the first entry in the TFT blog had to do with e-mail encryption, and the fact that the mobster was using PGP, a free program you can download over the net. The program works so well that no matter who accesses the e-mail or intercepts it any stage of the journey from sender to receiver, they can't read it without the secret scrambled "key." The FBI didn't have that and there was no way to get it, so they had to bug the computer, specifically the keyboard, with a recorder that monitored each keystroke. Whether the bug was software or hardware is not known, and that is one of the things the court said the government had to reveal. Very interesting, stay tuned.
Tuesday, August 07, 2001
Interception Capabilities 2000
Has your local Trib Force been compromised? Are you being spied on? Are you even familiar with the many ways GC forces can spy on you? This report details potential surveillance methods used to spy via high frequency radio and microwave relays, subsea cables, and communications satellites; also has a section that addresses the Echelon system. From IPTV.
Has your local Trib Force been compromised? Are you being spied on? Are you even familiar with the many ways GC forces can spy on you? This report details potential surveillance methods used to spy via high frequency radio and microwave relays, subsea cables, and communications satellites; also has a section that addresses the Echelon system. From IPTV.
Monday, August 06, 2001
Hackers Developing Anti-Censorship Software
Imagine this, hackers as the good guys...really. On one side, you have countries (the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Myanmar, China and North Korea) that block access to web sites they deem to be politically, socially or spiritually subversive, on the other side, you have hackers, stepping in to save the day. How? By working on software, called ``Peekabooty,'' designed to circumvent the filters that block access to Web sites by going around them, using a distributed privacy network, according to this Reuters news article. Volunteers from all over the world are working on the project, which they hope will be of use to human rights workers in countries that are not known for valuing human rights, countries that are also hostile to Christians and missionary efforts. So, have your Hassid keep an eye out for this software, according to this article, it can save lives (and just maybe help win souls).
Imagine this, hackers as the good guys...really. On one side, you have countries (the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Myanmar, China and North Korea) that block access to web sites they deem to be politically, socially or spiritually subversive, on the other side, you have hackers, stepping in to save the day. How? By working on software, called ``Peekabooty,'' designed to circumvent the filters that block access to Web sites by going around them, using a distributed privacy network, according to this Reuters news article. Volunteers from all over the world are working on the project, which they hope will be of use to human rights workers in countries that are not known for valuing human rights, countries that are also hostile to Christians and missionary efforts. So, have your Hassid keep an eye out for this software, according to this article, it can save lives (and just maybe help win souls).
Sunday, August 05, 2001
Rugged Notebooks
So, you have taken the time to secure your e-mail and computer files, but now your safehouse is compromised and you need to hit the road fast. Is your laptop up to the task? RuggedNotebooks.com is a company specializing in providing durable computers and equipment for those who need to operate in the field under diverse and perhaps adverse conditions. The computers are expensive, but they can take a beating. No Trib Force cell should be without one.
So, you have taken the time to secure your e-mail and computer files, but now your safehouse is compromised and you need to hit the road fast. Is your laptop up to the task? RuggedNotebooks.com is a company specializing in providing durable computers and equipment for those who need to operate in the field under diverse and perhaps adverse conditions. The computers are expensive, but they can take a beating. No Trib Force cell should be without one.
E-Mail Cloaking
After doing a bit more research since posting the last entry, I've found that although PGP is extremely popular, it's not very user friendly. Thankfully, there are alternatives that may allow those who are not familiar with the tech stuff to make their e-mail secure. According to Yahoo Internet Life's Lou Dolinar, "Hushmail.com, a free Web-based service, provides a powerful yet simple encryption solution for Net neophytes. The site scrambles all outgoing messages and claims it can guard against everything from office snoops to the FBI's information-gathering Carnivore software. If you'd like to lock up old e-mails or any other file on your computer, try using Cryptext. This free PC-only program can password-protect your data with a simple right-click of the mouse."
After doing a bit more research since posting the last entry, I've found that although PGP is extremely popular, it's not very user friendly. Thankfully, there are alternatives that may allow those who are not familiar with the tech stuff to make their e-mail secure. According to Yahoo Internet Life's Lou Dolinar, "Hushmail.com, a free Web-based service, provides a powerful yet simple encryption solution for Net neophytes. The site scrambles all outgoing messages and claims it can guard against everything from office snoops to the FBI's information-gathering Carnivore software. If you'd like to lock up old e-mails or any other file on your computer, try using Cryptext. This free PC-only program can password-protect your data with a simple right-click of the mouse."
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