Comment I suspect geofencing... (Score 1) 106
"This video is not available. Sorry about that."
If I'm right, and this is geofencing, WHY?!
Comment Root access (Score 1) 508
I'd change the locked down nature of many consumer devices to that root access can be obtained without relying on vulnerabilities.
Comment Unix 'file' is not sufficient (Score 5, Insightful) 74
Sadly Unix's 'file' utility is not sufficient for security purposes. Generally, file only checks for magic numbers near the beginning of the file. Many file formats remain valid, even with prepended data. For example, Python programs with several source files can be archived into a single zip file and still be executed, but you can stick a shebang onto the beginning, and still have Python (or most zip programs) recognise the archive as a zip file.
There's a good video on youtube about this kind of thing: https://ancillary-proxy.atarimworker.io?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3F...
tl;dr: This is security. It goes wrong in amusing and unobvious ways.
Comment Secure blogging (Score 1) 108
As an alternative (particularly if a DIY type), the OP could write a blog that is presented using only static HTML. I have a fairly simple set of Python scripts that compile a set of pages into a (if you can forgive my lack of visual design skills) presentablely formatted website: http://techmeology.co.uk/ This would avoid the potential for security vulnerabilites that might come from using a dynamically generated CMS like Wordpress.
Comment Briori (Score 1) 94
Must have been knocked off by the Briori tractor beam.[1]
[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/T...
[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/T...
Submission + - RadioTimes.com Accidentally Included in UK Antipiracy Blocking (torrentfreak.com)
Techmeology writes: Legitimate TV schedule website RadioTimes.com was briefly blocked by ISPs Be Broadband and Virgin Media as a result of the site's shared IP address. This comes days after it was discovered that Sky's system is vulnerable to DNS attacks that lead to TorrentFreak being blocked accidentally.
Submission + - FBI Considers CALEA II - Mandatory Wiretapping on End Users' Devices (freedom-to-tinker.com) 1
Techmeology writes: In response to declining utility of CALEA mandated wiretapping backdoors due to more widespread use of cryptography, the FBI is considering a revamped version that would mandate wiretapping facilities in end users' computers and software. Critics have argued that this would be bad for security, as such systems must be more complex and thus harder to secure. CALEA has also enabled criminals to wiretap conversations by hacking the infrastructure used by the authorities. I wonder how this could ever be implemented in FOSS.
Submission + - Most GPs Prescribe Placebos (bbc.co.uk)
Techmeology writes: "In a survey of UK GPs, 97% said they'd recommended placebo treatments to their patients, with some doctors telling patients that the treatment had helped others without telling them that it was a placebo. While some doctors admitted to using a sugar pill or saline injection, some of the placebos offered had side effects such as antibiotic treatments used as placebos for vial infections."
Submission + - New Pirate Bay Proxies (torrentfreak.com)
Techmeology writes: "Just days after the UK Pirate Party was forced to kill its proxy service Pirate Parties in Argentina and Luxembourg have created their own proxies. In a statement, the Pirate Party in Argentina said: “We wish the UK Pirate Party best of luck in their continued fight for free access to culture and knowledge. We have put up our own Pirate Bay proxy which is accessible from anywhere in the world, including the UK and other places where it has been censored.”"
Submission + - BPI Threatens to Sue The UK Pirate Party over Proxy (torrentfreak.com)
Techmeology writes: The BPI has threatened to sue the Pirate Party for allowing people access to The Pirate Bay through its proxy service. The leader of the Pirate Party UK, Loz Kaye said his party would go to court over the issue. Kaye said that he was determined to defend his party's principles even in the face of an expensive legal battle.
Comment Upgrade for Free? (Score 1) 727
So where are the free upgrades to Windows 7?
Submission + - Automated DMCA Takedown Notices Request Censorship of Legitimate Sites (torrentfreak.com)
Techmeology writes: "Microsoft has sent automated DMCA notices to Google demanding the removal of several legitimate URLs from its search results that it claims were facilitating the distribution if illegal copies of Windows 8, including links to BBC news articles, Wikipedia pages, US government websites, and even Bing! The erroneous DMCA notices are being sent automatically by rights holders, who are increasingly using such techniques."
Submission + - UK Ministers' Private Communications Subject to Freedom of Information Act (bbc.co.uk)
Techmeology writes: "Emails and texts sent from UK ministers' private accounts could be subject to the Freedom of Information Act, which means copies could be requested by members of the public. New guidelines to be released by the government say that the key factor is "the nature of the information and not the format". This development comes amid a two year dispute caused when a newspaper used the act to obtain and publish an email sent from the education minister's private email address."
Submission + - EU Court Asked To Rule On Private Copying (torrentfreak.com)
Techmeology writes: "The Dutch Supreme Court has asked the European Courte of Justice to decide whether downloading copyrighted material for personal use — even from illegal sources — is legal. At the heart of the debate is whether the European Copyright Directive requires that any new legal copy of material must have originated from a copy that is itself legal. The case tests the law in the Netherlands, where copyright holders are granted a levy on blank media in exchange for the legalisation of private copying."
Submission + - UK's IPv4 stocks not for sale (itnews.com.au)
jimboh2k writes: The UK may have 16.9 million 'unused' IPv4 addresses but according to the department that owns them, they're not for sale. The Department of Work and Pensions says it would be too expensive to reallocate those addresses and, even if it did, it would not stave off IPv4 address exhaustion by much.
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Testing can show the presense of bugs, but not their absence. -- Dijkstra
