Box of Meat

Wired: 10 Years After: A Look Back at the Dotcom Boom and Bust

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 08:58:19 -0700

Wired: 10 Years After: A Look Back at the Dotcom Boom and Bust:

a bit off-topic for Box of Meat…or is it?

SophosLabs: All browsers are (not) created equal

Fri, 05 Mar 2010 14:51:58 -0700

SophosLabs: All browsers are (not) created equal:

“It is going to be very interesting to follow the browser race now that Microsoft had to offer an alternative web browser with Windows Update and new Windows installations. So, are we going to see other browser equally used and equally targeted by malware writers? Could we expect a flood of newly discovered vulnerabilities when vulnerability researchers change their focus?”

Word to the Wise: Improving the email interface

Fri, 05 Mar 2010 13:50:52 -0700

Word to the Wise: Improving the email interface:

“The way to get the functionality inserted as a standard part of the software/web interface, is to get users to ask for it. In order to get users to ask for it, the best way to start is to create a plug-in that they like and use. If they like it in their Outlook interface at work, then they’ll ask for it in their webmail interface at home.”

PCWorld: FBI Embeds Cyber-investigators in Ukraine, Estonia

Fri, 05 Mar 2010 12:50:50 -0700

PCWorld: FBI Embeds Cyber-investigators in Ukraine, Estonia:

‘Troy wouldn’t comment on what cases the agents were working, but he said, “those countries were selected for a reason.”’

CSO: Security B-Sides: Perfect Authentication Remains Elusive

Thu, 04 Mar 2010 14:21:57 -0700

CSO: Security B-Sides: Perfect Authentication Remains Elusive:

“Everyone realizes passwords have their shortcomings. But alternatives like two-factor authentication are not as powerful as one would expect. The problem? As always — human behavior.”

Techdirt: FTC Finally Forces FreeCreditReport.com To Be Honest In Its Advertising

Thu, 04 Mar 2010 13:21:55 -0700

Techdirt: FTC Finally Forces FreeCreditReport.com To Be Honest In Its Advertising:

“The misleading ads have been incredibly lucrative for Experian, who apparently has convinced an astounding 20 million people to sign up for FreeCreditReport, and spends $70 million per year in advertising to get more people to sign up.”

MediaPost: No One WANTS To Watch Your Advertising

Thu, 04 Mar 2010 12:21:52 -0700

MediaPost: No One WANTS To Watch Your Advertising:

‘I am a little tired of hearing the argument “if it’s the right ad in the right place, then people will be engaged.” I am a huge fan of relevancy, but you’re not going to convince me that it’s possible to achieve perfect relevancy and solve the issue of advertising on the Internet.’

The Internet Patrol: Funeral for IE6 Not a Hoax - Being Held in Denver Thursday Night

Thu, 04 Mar 2010 11:21:51 -0700

The Internet Patrol: Funeral for IE6 Not a Hoax - Being Held in Denver Thursday Night

New York Times: Advertising on Facebook Strikes Some as Off-Key

Thu, 04 Mar 2010 10:04:51 -0700

New York Times: Advertising on Facebook Strikes Some as Off-Key:

‘“When it works, it’s amazingly impactful, but when it doesn’t work, it’s not only creepy but off-putting,” said Tim Hanlon, a principal at the consulting firm Riverview Lane Associates of Chicago. “What a marketer might think is endearing, by knowing a little bit about you, actually crosses the line pretty easily.”’

The Onion: Google Responds To Privacy Concerns With Unsettlingly Specific Apology

Thu, 04 Mar 2010 09:02:52 -0700

The Onion: Google Responds To Privacy Concerns With Unsettlingly Specific Apology:

‘“I’d like nothing more than to apologize in person to everyone we’ve let down, but as you can see, many of our users are rarely home at this hour,” said Google cofounder and president Sergey Brin, pointing to several Google Map street-view shots of empty bedroom and living room windows on a projection screen behind him. “And, if last night’s searches are any indication, Boston’s Robert Hornick is probably out shopping right now for the spaghetti and clam sauce he’ll be cooking tonight.”’

Word to the Wise: With great wisdom…

Thu, 04 Mar 2010 08:01:57 -0700

Word to the Wise: With great wisdom…:

“There’s now a generation (for lack of a better term) of ESP & deliverability staff who weren’t around before there were ESPs, maybe not even before CAN-SPAM, but have learned many of the same things….”

Word to the Wise: A very young industry

Wed, 03 Mar 2010 08:01:50 -0700

Word to the Wise: A very young industry:

“What does it mean for the state of the industry that so few people on one side of the equation have long term experience in email marketing and so many people on the other side of the equation have long term experience with email (and marketing)?”

AP: Authorities bust 3 in infection of 13M computers

Tue, 02 Mar 2010 17:29:13 -0700

AP: Authorities bust 3 in infection of 13M computers:

“Spanish investigators, working with private computer-security firms, have arrested the three alleged ringleaders of the so-called Mariposa botnet, which appeared in December 2008 and grew into one of the biggest weapons of cybercrime. More arrests are expected soon in other countries.”

The Globe and Mail: German high court says telecom, e-mail data cannot be retained

Tue, 02 Mar 2010 15:38:59 -0700

The Globe and Mail: German high court says telecom, e-mail data cannot be retained:

“Nearly 35,000 Germans had appealed to the court to overturn the law, which stems from a 2006 European Union anti-terrorism directive requiring telecommunications companies to retain phone data and Internet logs for a minimum of six months in case they are needed for criminal investigations.”

Wired: Cyberwar Hype Intended to Destroy the Open Internet

Tue, 02 Mar 2010 08:08:52 -0700

Wired: Cyberwar Hype Intended to Destroy the Open Internet:

“He’s talking about changing the internet to make everything anyone does on the net traceable and geo-located so the National Security Administration can pinpoint users and their computers for retaliation if the U.S. government doesn’t like what’s written in an e-mail, what search terms were used, what movies were downloaded. Or the tech could be useful if a computer got hijacked without your knowledge and used as part of a botnet.”

Krebs on Security: Talking Bots with Japan’s ‘Cyber Clean Center’

Mon, 01 Mar 2010 14:59:57 -0700

Krebs on Security: Talking Bots with Japan’s ‘Cyber Clean Center’:

“Participating ISPs that have customers with botted PCs may send those users an e-mail — and in some cases a letter via postal mail — instructing them to visit the CCC’s Web site, and download and run a cleanup tool….”

EDRI: French Court says an IP address is not enough for a user's identification

Mon, 01 Mar 2010 13:58:51 -0700

EDRI: French Court says an IP address is not enough for a user's identification:

“The Paris Appeal Court has recently ruled that an IP address does not allow the identification of an Internet user and therefore needs no prior authorization from CNIL (National Commission for Information Technologies and Civil Liberties) to be collected.”

New York Times: Rethinking the Protection of Online Privacy

Mon, 01 Mar 2010 09:10:50 -0700

New York Times: Rethinking the Protection of Online Privacy:

“…policy and privacy experts agree that the relentless rise of Internet data harvesting has overrun the old approach of using lengthy written notices to safeguard privacy.

These statements are rarely read, are often confusing and can’t hope to capture the complexity of modern data-handling practices. As a result, experts say, consumers typically have little meaningful choice about the online use of their personal information — whether their birth dates, addresses, credit card numbers or Web-browsing habits.”

nCircle: How does a consumer report PCI non-compliance?

Sat, 27 Feb 2010 08:01:55 -0700

nCircle: How does a consumer report PCI non-compliance?:

“As an attempt at a good-hearted gesture, he gave me some free breadsticks along with the printed email containing my entire credit card and address information.”

Messaging News: Security and Collaboration Systems: Let's Not Forget the Simpler Actions

Fri, 26 Feb 2010 15:09:52 -0700

Messaging News: Security and Collaboration Systems: Let's Not Forget the Simpler Actions:

“…what happens if we make perfect investments in securing our collaboration systems, only to have end-users lose the devices they use to access those systems? With the proliferation of laptop- and smartphone-toting end-users, we have the makings of a disaster, if these devices are lost or compromised. What can we do to minimize these risks?”