Schneier on Security

Interview with Me

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 13:21:14 -0600

Yet another interview with me. This one is audio, and was conducted in Rotterdam in October....

FailBlog on Security

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 11:11:19 -0600

Funny: career fair fail....

Denial-of-Service Attack Against CALEA

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 06:11:17 -0600

Interesting: The researchers say they've found a vulnerability in U.S. law enforcement wiretaps, if only theoretical, that would allow a surveillance target to thwart the authorities by launching what amounts to a denial-of-service (DoS) attack against the connection between the phone company switches and law enforcement. [...] The University of Pennsylvania researchers found the flaw after examining the telecommunication industry...

A Taxonomy of Social Networking Data

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 12:51:17 -0600

At the Internet Governance Forum in Sharm El Sheikh this week, there was a conversation on social networking data. Someone made the point that there are several different types of data, and it would be useful to separate them. This is my taxonomy of social networking data. Service data. Service data is the data you need to give to a...

Stabbing People with Stuff You Can Get Through Airport Security

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 07:10:41 -0600

"Use of a pig model to demonstrate vulnerability of major neck vessels to inflicted trauma from common household items," from the American Journal of Forensic Medical Pathology. Abstract. Commonly available items including a ball point pen, a plastic knife, a broken wine bottle, and a broken wine glass were used to inflict stab and incised wounds to the necks of...

How Smart are Islamic Terrorists?

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 13:45:32 -0600

Organizational Learning and Islamic Militancy (May 2009) was written by Michael Kenney for the U.S. Department of Justice. It's long: 146 pages. From the executive summary: Organizational Learning and Islamic Militancy contains significant findings for counter-terrorism research and policy. Unlike existing studies, this report suggests that the relevant distinction in knowledge learned by terrorists is not between tacit and explicit...

Quantum Ghost Imaging

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 06:22:26 -0600

This is cool: Ghost imaging is a technique that allows a high-resolution camera to produce an image of an object that the camera itself cannot see. It uses two sensors: one that looks at a light source and another that looks at the object. These sensors point in different directions. For example, the camera can face the sun and the...

Secret Knock Lock

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 14:00:25 -0600

Door lock that opens if you tap a particular rhythm. EDITED TO ADD (11/20): Another knock lock....

A Useful Side-Effect of Misplaced Fear

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 05:58:07 -0600

A study in the British Journal of Criminology makes the point that drink-spiking date-raping is basically an urban legend: Abstract. There is a stark contrast between heightened perceptions of risk associated with drug-facilitated sexual assault (DFSA) and a lack of evidence that this is a widespread threat. Through surveys and interviews with university students in the United Kingdom and United...

Anti-Malware Detection and the Original Trojan Horse

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 13:09:45 -0600

Funny....

Public Reactions to Terrorist Threats

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 06:39:11 -0600

Interesting research: For the last five years we have researched the connection between times of terrorist threats and public opinion. In a series of tightly designed experiments, we expose subsets of research participants to a news story not unlike the type that aired last week. We argue that attitudes, evaluations, and behaviors change in at least three politically-relevant ways when...

Bruce Schneier Action Figure

Sun, 15 Nov 2009 10:22:03 -0600

A month ago, ThatsMyFace.com approached me about making a Bruce Schneier action figure. It's $100. I'd like to be able to say something like "half the proceeds are going to EPIC and EFF," but they're not. That's the price for custom orders. I don't even get a royalty. The company is working on lowering the price, and they've said that...