Friday, May 06, 2016

Satoshi Virtual Fog Matters: Sydney Opera Dramas

“We’re all insecure. We’re all neurotic. We’re all trying so hard to figure our process out. And kindness behooves you, because you’ve got to come back the next day and do it again.”
~ Gavin Creel (interviewed by Dave Itzkoff in “For the Cast of ‘She Loves Me,’ It’s the Sweet Smell of a Revival,”New York Times, March 2, 2016) 

 "Satoshi was more than a name, it was a concept, a secret, a team, a vision. Now Satoshi lives on in a new form — changed. Much of the secret is gone, but the vision is still there."

Speaking of Satoshi and the man who was born and bred in Sydney Mr Wrong aka Wright, czech out other virtual myths at the heart of the harbour city: “Experience 60 years of history and stories through 50 online exhibits, a new online archive of 1,000 rare and rarely seen materials, and 360° panoramic imagery. The story begins here:https://goo.gl/Oturtl. Download our Google Arts & Culture app to enjoy more Sydney Opera House from your mobile: Android (https://goo.gl/UoVxfe) / iOS (https://goo.gl/3GIXBa).”


Speaking of the Sydney Opera House, Da Lou Man who has the best view of the harbour shared this link with media dragon: 
In a recent visit to IRS offices in Washington, D.C., investigative reporter Chris Nagus got a big part of the answer to the question of where the scammers are getting their information. The IRS criminal investigators say scammers get information from a part of the Internet known as the “Dark Net,” a segment of the Internet that requires specific software and knowledge to access. A user cannot just go through a search engine, like Google, to access it.
While in Washington D.C., Nagus was given access to a special IRS cyber investigative unit, where he watched as specially trained agents navigated the “Dark Net,” searching for clues that might lead them to the criminals behind the data.
 Within moments he saw personal information appear on the screen from residents in Collinsville, Illinois and Columbia, Missouri. The data included Social Security numbers and dates of birth, the kind of data that could be used in identity theft. Agents told Nagus the information can be purchased for as little as $1. They also said it can be all but impossible to track the criminals because the web addresses are disguised and often routed through foreign countries
*The dark net with an exclusive look at The IRS Cyber Investigative Unit

The Australian Federal Police are not yet in compliance with the government’s mandated ‘Top 4’ security strategies, an audit has found. According to the Australian Signals Directorate, which maintains the government's Information Security Manual (ISM), the ‘Top 4’ strategies can prevent at least 85 per cent of the targeted cyber intrusions that it responds to AFP: cyber security

Surely Latitude punters should get the lotto numbers soon. Crikey. Blayney... Cracker Jack’s Prize In The Box Will Now Be Digitized NPR

There’s a new thing called ‘fog computing’ and no, we’re not joking Business Insider

Rube Goldberg machine built entirely from HTML form elements Boing Boing 

DON’T TRUST THOSE USB STICKS: Multiple computer viruses have been discovered in this German nuclear plant. I assume they’re Russian viruses.

While risk can never be completely eliminated, Australia will employ all available tools to manage cyber threats Australia PM Launches Cybersecurity Campaign 

 Government admits cyber attack capacity

Cybersecurity: Overview Reports and Links to Government, News, and Related Resources, March 2, 2016 (R44405) “Much is written on the topic of cybersecurity. This CRS report and those listed below direct the reader to authoritative sources that address many of the most prominent issues. Included in the reports are resources and studies from government agencies (federal, state, local, and international), think tanks, academic institutions, news organizations, and other sources. This report is intended to serve as a starting point for congressional staff assigned to cover cybersecurity issues. It includes annotated descriptions of reports, websites, or external resources…

Tim Pilgrim: a smart approach to privacy, data and de-identification

'If I'm not around, my prediction is Trump wins': Suicide suspected in death of Indiana political blogger after ominous last colum

Speaking of deaths, 'Satoshi is dead': what we know about Craig Steven Wright  

 An Australian entrepreneur claimed overnight to be the creator of the online currency Bitcoin. Within hours, the scepticism started.
Doubts surface over Australian man's claim to be bitcoin founder:

Having been named as Mr Nakamoto once, unconvincingly, Mr Wright has a steep hill to climb to convince the world that he is indeed bitcoin’s founder. Evaluating his claim involves the application of a multi-step paternity test. First comes the factual evidence: can Mr Wright prove that he is in possession of cryptographic keys that only Mr Nakamoto should have? Second, does he have convincing explanations for the holes in the story which came to light when he was first outed in December? Third, does he possess the technical knowledge which would have enabled him to develop a system as complex and clever as bitcoin? And fourth, to what extent does he fit the image that people have of Mr Nakamoto; in particular, what do those software developers who have collaborated online with the founder of bitcoin think of Mr Wright’s claim?
Here is a very good Economist article, I say p = 0.415.  There is some legitimate evidence and some serious endorsers, but the whole thing still doesn’t smell right to me ...
Onus on Craig Wright to provide better evidence relating to Satoshi Nakamotoed 

Stadt Zug will accept Bitcoin for small sums

"U.S. high court approves rule change to expand FBI hacking power": Reuters has this report.
And Bloomberg News reports that "FBI Computer Searches Expanded Under New U.S. Supreme Court Rule."

“What frustrated Tolstoy the most was how Shakespeare neglected to furnish his characters with clear reasons for their actions, how he left a play’s meanings and intentions ambiguous.” Atlas Obscura 

 Mashable: 16 Blogging Platforms That Won't Distract From Your Writing

Simple-blogging

National Law Journal, Law Student Convicted of Laptop Larceny Loses Appeal Amid Tampering Charges:
A former Suffolk University law student charged with tampering a courthouse file related to his conviction for stealing a laptop from a campus locker has lost an appeal in Massachusetts.
A three-judge panel of the Massachusetts Appeals Court affirmed David Scher’s 2014 conviction of larceny in a April 27 decision, issued less than a month after Scher pleaded not guilty to separate charges of perjury and tampering.



Cybercrime Gang Tied to 20 Million Stolen Cards
A previously unknown cybercrime group has hacked into numerous organizations in the retail and hospitality sectors to steal an estimated 20 million payment cards, collectively worth an estimated $400 million via underground cybercrime forum sales, according to the cybersecurity firm FireEye. In a new report, FireEye says the group, which it's dubbed FIN6, steals credit card data and then sells it on darknet carder forums to buyers who use the payment card data to commit fraud. While many other cybercrime groups take a similar approach, FIN6 excels in its unprecedented speed to market, says Richard Turner, FireEye's Europe, Middle East and Africa president. "As far as we can tell, this is the first group that has really put an effort into ensuring that they get the credentials to market as quickly and as efficiently as they can to maximize the premium price that those credentials will generate," he says. "They can deliver them to market quite quickly to enable people to commit their crimes more quickly."
 
Bangladesh Bank Exposed to Hackers by Cheap Switches, No Firewall: Police  


Ex-Hacker: If You Get Hacked, Sue Somebody

700 Million People Just Got Encryption That Congress Can’t Touch

Google Records 700,000 'Hijacking' Breaches in One Year

Tax Justice Focus – The Corruption Issue

The Automated Indicator Sharing system, which facilitates machine-to-machine sharing of cyber threat indicators between the federal government and the private sector, is busy. John Felker, director of the National Cybersecurity and Communications Integration Center, said that AIS was certified to operate on March 17, and already is pushing out between 100 and 150 cybersecurity threat indicators to private industry per day.
DHS is busy sharing threat info with the private sector


Reinventing Administrative Leadership in Australian Taxation: Beware the Fine Balance of Social Psychological and Rule of Law Principles

VOLUNTEERING ABROAD: HELPING THE LESS FORTUNATE, OR EXPENSIVE VIRTUE-SIGNALING?

If both skilled and unskilled labor can help, then surely those who provide such labor should do good, feel good and learn much.
Not necessarily, critics say. Some would concur instead with an opinion published by a Somali blogger in The Guardian in 2013 and quoted by the sociologist Judith Lasker in “Hoping to Help: The Promises and Pitfalls of Global Health Volunteering” — “The developing world has become a playground for the redemption of privileged souls looking to atone for global injustices by escaping the vacuity of modernity and globalization.” (Read an excerpt.)

Forbes:  Get Published And Win An A In Tax Law, by Kelly Phillips Erb:
That’s right, I said, “Win an A in Tax Law.” My popular contest for law and paralegal students is back. So let’s get right to the good stuff… Here’s how it works: simply write a guest post for consideration on the site about a hot tax policy issue. I don’t mean a news or legal summary. I want a policy post: tell me what the issue is and why it matters. In other words, pick a topic and take a position. ...

 "Free Speech for Bad People": Law professor Noah Feldman has this essay online at Bloomberg

"Dangerous New Uses for Government Eavesdropping": Law professor Noah Feldman hasthis essay online today at Bloomberg 

IBM opens the first quantum computer cloud – Business Insider

A new report by The Australia Institute analysing findings from across several corporate regulatory bodies, including the ATO, and related agencies finds widespread wrong-doing in the Australian private sector. 
Corporate Malfeasance in Australia
The Daily Beast, How To Win $17M At Backgammon, Until The IRS Intervenes: A legendary Irish gambler took a celebrity-obsessed American private equity honcho to the cleaners, winning over $17 million from him in the course of a 72-hour backgammon session.

Airbnb is forming an alliance with one of the nation’s biggest labor unions WaPo  SEIU

How Uber’s political donations illustrate the divide between management and employees CrowdPac
 Google restructures to avoid hefty penalties in Australia, as tax bill hits $16 million
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