The RISKS Digest
Volume 32 Issue 10

Tuesday, 14th July 2020

Forum on Risks to the Public in Computers and Related Systems

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

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Contents

Judge denies Harris County TX request to allow email voting for those infected with COVID-19
Zach Despart, Houston Chronicle
Why Some Birds Are Likely To Hit Buildings
Scientific American
Microsoft Warns of a 17-Year-Old ‘Wormable’ Bug
WiReD
Risk Management
Rob Slade
Re: How Universities Can Keep Foreign Governments from Stealing Intellectual Capital
Amos Shapir
Re: Can an Algorithm Predict the Pandemic's Next Moves?
Jim Geissman
Info on RISKS (comp.risks)

Judge denies Harris County TX request to allow email voting for those infected with COVID-19 (Zach Despart, Houston Chronicle)

Rebecca Mercuri <notable@mindspring.com>
Tue, 14 Jul 2020 15:56:07 -0400

<https://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/houston-texas/houston/article/Harris-County-seeks-email-voting-COVID-patients-15399796.php>

It seems as if the only recourse is to have all of the people infected with COVID-19 get paper ballots on the basis of disability, make sure to sneeze and cough thoroughly all over the the ballots and the envelopes (which they should lick with their infected tongues), and then have their nurses mail them in. Those who can't get paper ballots should demand to be wheeled into the polling stations on their sickbeds (with ventilators in tow) where they can sneeze and cough all over everyone there. Then, after tens of thousands of people get sick and thousands of people die, they or their estates can sue the State for damages.

Why aren't there any cartoonists depicting this nonsense? Have even the cartoonists given up?


Why Some Birds Are Likely To Hit Buildings (Scientific American)

Richard Stein <rmstein@ieee.org>
Tue, 14 Jul 2020 10:12:41 +0800

https://www.scientificamerican.com/podcast/episode/why-some-birds-are-likely-to-hit-buildings/

“By understanding which birds are more likely to collide with buildings, researchers can perhaps determine the best way to modify buildings, or their lighting, to help prevent such accidents. And by knowing risks along with migration timing and behavior, building managers can better anticipate when birds are at their greatest danger—and modify lighting strategies accordingly.”

Birds unfortunately strike moving targets. “The number of wildlife strikes reported per year to the FAA increased steadily from about 1,800 in 1990 to 16,000 in 2018.” https://wildlife.faa.gov/home operates database to report wildlife strikes against air vehicles.

Do aircraft need a BCAS—Bird Collision Avoidance System to supplement the avionics suite?

https://www.faa.gov/air_traffic/by_the_numbers/ states ~44,000 daily tracked flights (pre-pandemic): 44,000 flights/day * 365 days/year ~= 16.1M annual flights/year.

16,000 strikes/year / 16,100,000 flights/year = .000996 * 100% ~= 0.1% (1 per 1000) strike probability per flight.

Several comp.risks contributions cite bird strikes, e.g.:


Microsoft Warns of a 17-Year-Old ‘Wormable’ Bug (WiReD)

Monty Solomon <monty@roscom.com>
Tue, 14 Jul 2020 19:05:39 -0400

The SigRed vulnerability exists in Windows DNS, used by practically every small and medium-sized organization in the world.

https://www.wired.com/story/sigred-windows-dns-flas-wormable/


Risk management

Rob Slade <rmslade@shaw.ca>
Tue, 14 Jul 2020 16:06:21 -0700

So, people have lost jobs, friends, family members, life as they know it, and lives.

And the authorities are telling people, begging people, to stay apart, and stay inside, and stay away from crowds.

So, what does Krispy Kreme (in New South Wales, Australia) do to aid things in this situation? They have a free donut giveaway, to celebrate their 83rd birthday.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-07-14/coronavirus-fears-over-krispy-kreme-doughnut-promotion/12454862

And people came out and crowded the stores. For a dozen free donuts.

The promotion was a success.

If you think drawing big crowds, in this environment, is a success …


Re: How Universities Can Keep Foreign Governments from Stealing Intellectual Capital (RISKS-32.09)

Amos Shapir <amos083@gmail.com>
Tue, 14 Jul 2020 13:44:04 +0300

Is there a lawyer in the audience? The presented text snippet out of an EULA begs the questions, isn't causing damages by negligence a criminal offense? And, can a contract contain a clause which exempts one side from responsibility for criminal offenses it may commit?


Re: Can an Algorithm Predict the Pandemic's Next Moves? (RISKS-32.09)

“Jim” <jgeissman@socal.rr.com>
Mon, 13 Jul 2020 19:12:46 -0700

I was reminded of Gravity's Rainbow by Thomas Pynchon, 1973.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gravity's_Rainbow

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