Tuesday, March 6, 2012

Protecting NASA From Hackers Is Not Rocket Science, Say Analysts

Protecting NASA From Hackers Is Not Rocket Science, Say Analysts

Protecting NASA From Hackers Is Not Rocket Science, Say Analysts

Posted: 05 Mar 2012 12:23 PM PST

NASA has become a popular target of hackers. The space agency's computer network was breached 13 times in 2011 -- to the point where suspected Chinese hackers gained "full functional control" of computers used by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory," a government inspector general told congressional investigators. The agency spends just $58 million of its $1.5 billion annual budget on computer security, NASA inspector general Paul Martin said recently. That low priority extends to physical security.

Sen. Wants FTC to Take a Hard Look at Mobile Apps' Snooping Practices

Posted: 05 Mar 2012 11:34 AM PST

Neither Apple nor Google are doing enough when it comes to addressing how iPhone and Android applications can access users' private information, according to Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y. On Monday Schumer called for the Federal Trade Commission to launch an investigation into reports that iPhone and Android applications can essentially steal data like private photos and address books. Mobile applications for iPhone and Android can gain access to users' photo libraries and, in some cases, share the photos online, according to recent reports. These followed reports last month that some applications on the iPhone and iPad could upload entire address books to third-party servers.

Data Breach? Try Rubbing Some Free Credit Services on It

Posted: 05 Mar 2012 06:00 AM PST

Before your company finds itself embroiled in a lawsuit over a data breach that spills personal information about your customers all over the Internet, you might want to take a look at some recent research by Carnegie Mellon and Temple Universities. Data breach victims are six times less likely to file litigation against a company if they receive free credit monitoring following a breach, according to analysis of 230 federal breach lawsuits from 2000 to 2010. That finding surprised one of the researchers working on the study.

OMG, Apple and Microsoft Have Traded Places

Posted: 05 Mar 2012 05:00 AM PST

Apple and Microsoft have kind of switched places with their recent operating system refreshes. Microsoft, which is dominant with PCs but anything but on tablets and smartphones, is leveraging its smartphone platform heavily to create a new PC product. Apple, which is a small player with PCs but massively dominant with smartphones and tablets, is keeping the two technologies at arm's length. Microsoft's latest OS is a smartphone-like product, although it is weakest with smartphones. Apple's is a PC-like product, although it is weakest in that space.

In the Field of To-Do Apps, This One's a Clear-Cut Winner

Posted: 05 Mar 2012 05:00 AM PST

With the proliferation of list-based to-do apps, including Apple's own category-thumping Reminders app, one thing has become plain to me: The very best to-do app or list app is 100 percent subjective. Why? The best to-do app is the one that you, the holder of the iPhone, actually use. If it's pretty or powerful and lets you set deadlines and reminders or snap photos and add them to list items or email assignments to people you know ... those features are all well and good, but only if you use the features.

Raspberry Pi and Cotton Candy: Computing's Newest Treats

Posted: 05 Mar 2012 05:00 AM PST

There has never been any shortage of interesting names here in the Linux world, but recently a decidedly sugary theme has emerged. Just in the past week, we saw the debut of Cotton Candy and the long-awaited Raspberry Pi -- two diminutive computing devices that may have the potential to shake up the computing world. Small, portable and relatively low-priced -- at $199 and $25, respectively -- there's no doubt that these new contenders have made quite a splash. Do they represent a new computing trend?
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