4:43 PM
Researchers demonstrated how hackers can track the location of cellular users (without the users knowing) with a cheap phone and open-source software because the location information is broadcast by cell phone towers WITHOUT encryption. Cellular networks need to track the location of users to provide service efficiently (to know what cell tower would provide voice or data service for the user, etc.), so they broadcast a page to the phone and wait for the phone to respond. The page message is similar to a CB radio and the hacker can force a page to be transmitted and then hang up because the user's phone rings so the user will never know. This technique was demonstrated to work on GSM phones, which is the standard used in the majority of the world (Verizon and Sprint use CDMA, AT&T and T-Mobile are the main GSM carriers in the US):
http://www.homelandsecuritynewswire.com/dr20120217-cell-phone-hackers-can-track-your-location-without-your-knowledge
Study found that the median retention rate for all University professors is 11 years--if a University hires 100 assistant professors then 50 will have left after 11 years. The study found that men and women are retained at the same rate in all disciplines *except* for Math--for some reason, men remain a Math professor for 7.3 years while women remain a Math professor for 4.45 years. Instead of assuming that half of the professors left, aren't nearly half of the professors denied tenure so the retention rate shouldn't be a surprise at all?
http://www.homelandsecuritynewswire.com/dr20120217-faculty-retention-a-major-challenge-for-universities
Nortel was hacked for 8 years without its knowledge, with the security breach reaching as high as the chief executive level. Investigators tracked the attacks to systems located in China:
http://www.v3.co.uk/v3-uk/news/2153177/-nortel-hacking-operation-enterprise-vulnerabilities
AT&T and Verizon praised the Congressional measure that authorizes sales of wireless spectrum, raising at least $15 bil for the US Treasury. AT&T and Verizon were the biggest spectrum winners in the 2008 FCC auction, spending $16 bil between them for spectrum now used for LTE services:
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-02-16/airwaves-sales-sought-by-at-t-verizon-advance-in-u-s-congress.html
Google and digital ad companies Vibrant Media, PointRoll and WPP's Media Innovation Group use a special code to bypass user privacy settings across millions of iPhones and Macs running the Safari web browser. The code tricked Safari (the most widely used mobile browser in the world) into letting them monitor user behaviors despite Safari's default settings that block such tracking. Google disabled the code and said that the cookies didn't collect personal information and all cookies expired within 12 to 24 hours:
http://www.fiercemobilecontent.com/story/report-google-bypassed-iphone-privacy-settings-track-web-users/2012-02-17
http://www.infoworld.com/t/cringely/google-bites-apple-crams-down-cookies-186763
Amazon has refused to reveal how many Kindle Fire units it has sold, but according to iSuppli, Amazon shipped 3.9 mil Kindle Fire tablets during Q4 2011 (remember, the Kindle Fire wasn't released until a little over half of Q4 was over), giving it 14.3% of the tablet maarket. Samsung sold 2.1 mil tablets in Q4, giving it 8% market share. Apple sold 15.4 mil iPads for a 57% market share:
http://www.mobileburn.com/18567/news/amazon-kindle-fire-nabs-number-two-slot-in-tablet-market-says-new-report
http://www.homelandsecuritynewswire.com/dr20120217-cell-phone-hackers-can-track-your-location-without-your-knowledge
Study found that the median retention rate for all University professors is 11 years--if a University hires 100 assistant professors then 50 will have left after 11 years. The study found that men and women are retained at the same rate in all disciplines *except* for Math--for some reason, men remain a Math professor for 7.3 years while women remain a Math professor for 4.45 years. Instead of assuming that half of the professors left, aren't nearly half of the professors denied tenure so the retention rate shouldn't be a surprise at all?
http://www.homelandsecuritynewswire.com/dr20120217-faculty-retention-a-major-challenge-for-universities
Nortel was hacked for 8 years without its knowledge, with the security breach reaching as high as the chief executive level. Investigators tracked the attacks to systems located in China:
http://www.v3.co.uk/v3-uk/news/2153177/-nortel-hacking-operation-enterprise-vulnerabilities
AT&T and Verizon praised the Congressional measure that authorizes sales of wireless spectrum, raising at least $15 bil for the US Treasury. AT&T and Verizon were the biggest spectrum winners in the 2008 FCC auction, spending $16 bil between them for spectrum now used for LTE services:
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-02-16/airwaves-sales-sought-by-at-t-verizon-advance-in-u-s-congress.html
Google and digital ad companies Vibrant Media, PointRoll and WPP's Media Innovation Group use a special code to bypass user privacy settings across millions of iPhones and Macs running the Safari web browser. The code tricked Safari (the most widely used mobile browser in the world) into letting them monitor user behaviors despite Safari's default settings that block such tracking. Google disabled the code and said that the cookies didn't collect personal information and all cookies expired within 12 to 24 hours:
http://www.fiercemobilecontent.com/story/report-google-bypassed-iphone-privacy-settings-track-web-users/2012-02-17
http://www.infoworld.com/t/cringely/google-bites-apple-crams-down-cookies-186763
Amazon has refused to reveal how many Kindle Fire units it has sold, but according to iSuppli, Amazon shipped 3.9 mil Kindle Fire tablets during Q4 2011 (remember, the Kindle Fire wasn't released until a little over half of Q4 was over), giving it 14.3% of the tablet maarket. Samsung sold 2.1 mil tablets in Q4, giving it 8% market share. Apple sold 15.4 mil iPads for a 57% market share:
http://www.mobileburn.com/18567/news/amazon-kindle-fire-nabs-number-two-slot-in-tablet-market-says-new-report