* Posts by Arachnoid

1076 publicly visible posts • joined 17 May 2012

Attempt to clean up tech area has shocking effect on kit

Arachnoid
Joke

Clean room?

So you let cleaners into a clean room......... cant be that clean then

Nameless Right To Be Forgotten Google sueball man tries Court of Appeal – yet again

Arachnoid

UK anonymity order

We already know this carries little [ read zero] weight on international web sites as out UK gagged media have attested many times.

Canadian security boss ain't afraid of no Huawei, sees no reason for ban

Arachnoid

"white labs" where products are tested

Yea well firmware updates will some overcome that problem for the Chinese

Amazon Alexa outage: Voice-activated devices are down in UK and beyond

Arachnoid

Ring of death?

Both my alexas had a continual circling yellow/orange ring on them around midnight so it sounds like a bodged update.

HP Ink should cough up $1.5m for bricking printers using unofficial cartridges – lawsuit

Arachnoid

Missed Opportunity

Rather than email and postcard users they could have just rolled out a new driver with the apology included so it just came up on the printer and PC screen even amending a discount voucher for upgrades. BOOM job done!

Microsoft: Like the Borg, we want to absorb all the world's biz computers

Arachnoid

What used to be a Chinese/Indian accent at the end of the line is now evolving to a Eastern European chintzy brogue, so best called before lunch for a lucid response.

2-bit punks' weak 40-bit crypto didn't help Tesla keyless fobs one bit

Arachnoid

Re: Biometrics

Because your fingerprint can be copied from every item you touch and you only have ten options unless you were born with more fingers

https://www.theregister.co.uk/2002/05/16/gummi_bears_defeat_fingerprint_sensors/

Arachnoid

Electronic keys

Are a a convenience to some at times but are bulky compared to traditional metal keys and add more security holes than they cure.With a traditional metal key the doors can be locked and the vehicle is secured but with an electronic key it only has to be within range or have a range extender surreptitiously applied to the signal, for the doors to be opened and driven off by a.n.other.

https://www.stokesentinel.co.uk/news/motoring/most-popular-cars-stolen-key-1429949

Just because they are electronic many assume they are more secure than a metal imprinted key, they are not it is merely a different not better form of key coding.They also massivly multiply in expense to replace as the vehicle gets older, if you can even get the fobs made and coded ten years down the road from manufacture.

Leatherbound analogue password manager: For the hipster who doesn't mind losing everything

Arachnoid

P4ssw0RdZ

The problem is not so much remembering several passwords but in our I.T. fad culture, hundreds of passwords many of which require uppercase,lowercase, number etc or frequent changes for no apparent logical reason . Whilst its not an ideal 100% fool proof solution 2FA using a mobile app generated or recieved code is a way forward , as long as its not just a front to make a system "seem" more secure with a back door via a poorly constructed password. Even the U.S. Presidents Football uses a damn antiquated card code generator which was lost by one president [allegedly]

Talking of security its amazing how many Banking institutions etc require various ways of the user identifying themself over the phone but have no "Handshake" themselves to verify that they are genuine.

DIYers rejoice: Hitting stuff to make it work even works in space

Arachnoid

Social Interation

Just ask the next passing UFO to give the lander a tune up

Arachnoid

Clippy!

Are you having difficulty with your Rover?

Arachnoid

The next Rover evolution

Has long ambidextrous arm with large and small hammer attachment

NASA spots asteroid on crash course with Earth – with just hours to go

Arachnoid

Re: El Reg Units

Is this at Pounds of Force or Newtons as we wouldn't want to overcook the chops?

'Moore's Revenge' is upon us and will make the world weird

Arachnoid

Re: Getting more and more off topic ...

https://www.facebook.com/groups/234844780307322/permalink/465140037277794/

IBM bans all removable storage, for all staff, everywhere

Arachnoid

Removable storage

Its in more devices than is apparent i.e. take hundreds of images for work projects so now how do you get them accessible to add to your training document?

Phones and other Camera like devices OK so say you set up some form of authorization whats to say the installed memory in the "device" is the same as that which was authorized i.e. change out the removable memory?

Just going back to laptops the hard drives are removable as are the ram chips.Yes a tad more fiddly to do but just the same risk apparently.....

It may not be as common these days on laptops but a second drive could be installed in place of the removable CD drive for extra storage.Is this not removable?

Making security so unworkable for the end user just makes people more inventive to circumvent it i.e. as mentioned using bluetooth.

Using a mobile phone to proved a phone connection to a laptop does this not count as adding an external media connection [in more ways than one]?

Machines learned to assemble IKEA’s semi-disposable furniture

Arachnoid

3d Printers

IKEA only has a short term buisness plan, just wait till the ubiquitous"Star Trek" 3D printer comes to every home.

Arachnoid

Yes but

Whos going to assemble and program the robot the destructions would be biblic in proportion !?

BTW who hasnt wanted a third arm when assembling stuff not just hoping it wont fall over before inserting part B,,,,,,,

We 'could' send troubled Watchkeeper drones to war, insists UK minister

Arachnoid
Mushroom

Rename the damn thing.......

Call it the Kami- KarZee and use it for single flight missions

Gmail is secure. Netflix is secure. Together they're a phishing threat

Arachnoid

Yahoo accounts

Have a similar working arrangement.You can use accountname-netflix@yahoo.com which will appear in your accountname@yahoo.com email account and again is a good way to see who has access to specific sign up details as it ignores anything past the dash.

White House: Is it OK to hijack, shoot down, or snoop on drones? Er ... asking for a friend

Arachnoid

Design

If someone wanted to conceal a drone they would make it look like a large Bird such as a Seagull or American Eagle. I really cant see the pointof this Bill, if the device is a threat then its open to capture or destruction.

PwC: More redundos at HQ of UK 'leccy stuff shop Maplin

Arachnoid

Re: Picked up a cheaper NAS

Anywhere else will still be open if it fails under warrenty is your £20 really that important to you?.....

Tandy/Maplin on the odd time Ive been into these stores over the years is a tad like going into Sportsdirect much ado about nothing and overpriced tat with more staff than customers.

US Army warns of the potential dangers of swarming toy drones on US soldiers

Arachnoid

Open the Pod Bay Doors Hal

Im surprised a cluster type pod device hasn't been designed yet that allows the mass dropping of possibly hundreds of bird [?] type drones that blend into whatever neighbourhood they are let loose in.They could blend in quite well and have a range of several miles using either on-board intel or remote laser/satellite updatable guidance.

Theres nothing to stop them being like clustered mines that wait for an opportunistic target to pounce on.You could even seed the waters with homing fish types that attach to passing craft either for tracking purposes such as in submarine lanes or to interfere with onboard communications.

Google assisting the Pentagon in developing AI for its drones

Arachnoid
Facepalm

Development

You would have thought Amazon would have been all over this

BlackBerry unveils bold new strategy: Suing the c**p out of Facebook

Arachnoid

Re: Enough, already

"it might as well be better to delete software patent as a whole."

Not really as it can take a developer as long to design something in software as someone designing something actually physical i.e a round cornered mobile phone.The problem appears to be the way the system is implemented and corrupted by some to their own gain and not of that of the original developer.

There was a patent war over hyperlinks only last year, yes its an patenable innovation but it seriously got scewed out of proportion much the same as we seem to be seeing here.

Windows Defender will strap pushy scareware to its ass-kicker machine

Arachnoid
Joke

Obligatory Star Wars quote

To quote Admiral Ackbar " Its a TRAP!!!"

So you accidentally told a million people they are going to die: What next? Your essential guide...

Arachnoid

Missed opportunity

This was Trumps ideal opportunity to say he had been informed a new U.S. laser weapons system had downed the ICBM removing the danger and that any similar launches by Rocket man would be treated the same way.......

He could then blame Worker 2 for provising misinformation if his bluff were called

Big shock: $700 Internet-of-Things door lock not a success

Arachnoid

Its Amazing

How people think because its an electronic lock its somehow more secure then a mechanical device

Brit MP Dorries: I gave my staff the, um, green light to use my login

Arachnoid
Mushroom

Talking of Passwords

I wonder how many U.S. Politicians share their keys to the Nuclear deterant?

Trident nuke subs are hackable, thunders Wikipedia-based report

Arachnoid

not approved by the Pentagon?

Its my understanding the targets are pre programmed into the Warheads, be it there may be a selectable menu option pre launch.

Give us a bloody PIN: MPs grill BBC bosses over subscriber access

Arachnoid
FAIL

"I don't drive. Why should I pay for roads that I never use?"

You don't happen to ride a freetard push [or even electric] bike do you?

Parties claiming bias is a way of getting even more air time allotted to your members to waffle on about your erroneous theories.

As for the BBC its a Dinosaur with a complete lack of any modern management skills in regard to providing on demand technology. They need to take a hard look at their competitors raking in money hand over fist [OOH look sky monthly subs plan far exceed BBCs yearly income per subscribed household].

Then work out how to bring the Ostrich like head in Sand BBC subscriptions and programming from the 18th century into the 21st.

Viewers have a wide variety of choice these days and its time the BBC actually competed with the market for its income not drinking Ambrosia wine all the time.

Seldom used 'i' mangled by baffling autocorrect bug in Apple's iOS 11

Arachnoid

Aye eye

So the new iPhone X will recognize your face but not your eyes!

Those IT gadget freebies you picked up this year? They make AWFUL Christmas presents

Arachnoid

Re: Small and smaller

" Some old PCs will not do ANYTHING at power on if the battery is dead and/or CMOS corrupt. There ARE things that need an old PC."

Don`t forget the Compaqs which had the bios on the hard drive so you had to download the correct replacement firmware from their website on a new hard drive install......

Snap, crackle ... patch! Apple kicks out iOS 11.0.2 to tackle crappy calls, fix email glitches

Arachnoid
WTF?

So Self drive Cars,,,,,,,,,,

Will be full of bugs given the number of lines of code they will have or will they crash too?

US Senate stamps the gas pedal on law to flood America's streets with self-driving cars

Arachnoid

If all thats required.............

Is a reduction in accident figures then just make it a 30 mph [or less] speed limit on all roads,install speed limiters in all vehicles and instant jail for any traffic offender or anyone tampering with such equipment.There ya go saved billions of investment in new technology and being unable to afford a new "high tech self drive car" and removing any miscreants from the road.

In doing so Ive increased the employment levels in Vehicle equipment and testing jobs, Prison officers, re-offence prevention officers.Thus enabling the Billions to be reinvested into the economy and jobs rather than unneeded equipment that constantly needs upgrading at great expense.

Gov contractor nicked on suspicion of Official Secrets Act breach

Arachnoid

Free Speech like Freedom and Free will has a cost

Brit military wants a small-drone-killer system for £20m

Arachnoid

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ukqqEDlsgyA

Arachnoid

Drone spped

We are not just talking about those slow blade spinning droids much loved by nerds but high speed,jet powered devices too.

As for many of the "weapons" offered as solutions so far, just remember many of the areas under defense will be in civilian populated areas during peace time.

Arachnoid

Target recognition

Its not so much knocking the device down thats going to be hard as you can launch tangle netting or a solid or liquid object once its in range.The difficulty is target recognition on such a small scale object in a variety of weathers and light conditions, given the airspace may also be full of wildlife.

Firmware update blunder bricks hundreds of home 'smart' locks

Arachnoid

Remote security risks?

So the lock owner is reliant on the lock producer having a secure enough server, thats up to the snuff of preventing a rogue compromised update that allows ner do wells access to propertys protected by said locks.

WannaCrypt victims paid out over $140k in Bitcoin to get files unscrambled

Arachnoid

WMD`s......

Was`nt there a "general consensus" about those too.........

Arachnoid

Who would pay.........

I would`nt put it past some security agencys to pay an intreging amount for a chance to trace the money through the wash system.They may not get the root of this particular problem doing so but it would give a working knowledge and a fingerprint for furure issues.

Hacked Chrome web dev plugin maker: How those phishers tricked me

Arachnoid

Lucky it was a security app developer..........

Can the restricting of access to accounts from only certain I.P. address help in such situations?

WannaCry-slayer Marcus Hutchins 'built Kronos banking trojan' – FBI

Arachnoid
Thumb Up

Sounds like an FBI Honey trap to me........

Invite them to DEF CON ,collect evidence from other attendees then arrest the perp on the way out.......

Programmer's < fumble jeopardizes thousands of medical reports

Arachnoid
Pint

Re: Looks like...

My Dad > Your Dad

Moneysupermarket fined £80,000 for spamming seven million customers

Arachnoid

Too cheap. 1.1p per person

Cheaper and quicker that Royal Mail 1st class

I've got a verbal govt contract for Hyperloop, claims His Muskiness

Arachnoid

Verbal Contract

Waits for updates from President Trump though the tweet may end up with some spilt Maglev Covfefe during the ride

Hackers able to turbo-charge DJI drones way beyond what's legal

Arachnoid

Self drive vehicles

So given the propensity for humans to change things, how long before self drive vehicles have their firmware hacked by users.Yea lets have it cut into traffic lanes making all the other SDVs behind panic stop or exceed the speed limit by 5mph or jump through a changing traffic light instead of stopping.....At what point does "its my property I`ll do what I like" become a big problem?

Ker-ching! NotPetya hackers cash out, demand 100 BTC for master decrypt key

Arachnoid

"so why would anyone bother paying up next time?"

If you were oh......say a large western intellegence company and you wanted to poison the ransom well and thus deter others asking for money what better action could one take.........

Please do not scare the pigeons – they'll crash the network

Arachnoid

"We ran ARCnet "

So do you wear a dark coloured suit and glasses for work.Maybe we should simply refer to you as "A"?

We're not saying we're living in a simulation but someone's simulated the universe in a computer

Arachnoid

Careful........

The Vogons are also part of the simulation and may prevent finding the answer to the question