There has been some growing speculation as to whether the NSA was aware of the Heartbleed vulnerability in advance. The story was raised and reported by Bloomberg, denied in the New York Times, and then sort of questioned again by the New York Times.
But the thing that strikes me the most is a quote from former NSA Head Michael Hayden who is on record as saying:
Some vulnerabilities are such that they marginally (but importantly) weaken a system but exploitation still depended on skills, systems and technologies that few, if any, can match. If the judgment is what is called NOBUS (nobody but us could do this), the risk management decision is pretty easy. Of course, that judgment could change over time and still requires continuous due diligence. (Security Current)
Given the ramifications that Heartbleed could potentially have on the fundamental infrastructure of the Internet, if the NSA was involved I think there needs to be some holding of account.
Categories: Internet, Privacy, Security, Technology
Home Internet with Anonymity Built In
With the debate about online privacy, anti-tracking, clean filter and the like raging and will no doubt to be raised again this year, this is a project that may gain some traction.
For the technically inclined, there are any number of products that will provide this type of function. However, for the less than technically inclined having the configuration built into the router itself may prove to be a more comfortable option.
Categories: Censorship, Internet, Internet Filter, Privacy
At first glance this could be some talented computer animators take on Google. However, when you add the fact that it was a paid commercial shown in Times Sqaure on the Jumbotron it takes on a bit of a new meaning.
Essentially this is a fight between a privacy advocate group and Google (who appear to have snubbed them at their own peril) over liberties taken with the use of user (i.e. most of the Internet) personal information.
While I think their intentions may be noble, I think they are fighting a battle that has been fought, lost and celebrated by the victor over a few generations! If you wanted privacy on the Internet, around 1995 was the time to put these mechanisms in place.
Two refuges exist for the true privacy seeker:
- Stay offline
- Get to know Tor, BetterPrivacy for FireFox and PGP
(Oh, and slight irony alert. I wonder how much YouTube found out about you and your viewing preferences while watching this video?)
Categories: Internet, Privacy, Security, Social Comment, Technology, Video
