WINDING DOWN
An idiosyncratic look at, and comment on, the week’s net, technology and science news
by Alan Lenton
Only a few topics this week: The FCC and Net Neutrality, Lenovo and SuperFish, car and gas station digital security, and Samsung's spy TVs. Winding Down changes format for a week or so this week, to a number of much shorter pieces and a bunch of URLs. This is because there are a couple of important issues that I don't want to miss, but I'm short of time because I'm job hunting and out of town doing all the things that need doing as the executor of my recently deceased father's will. Please bear with me - normal service will be resumed as soon as possible!
The FCC votes for Net Neutrality
Well the FCC has now made its very sensible decision to make the ISPs 'common carriers', which effectively bars them from setting up paid 'fast lanes', just like the phone system. The vote was two to one in favour - a bigger majority than I expected. So, what's next? Court cases. Lots and lots of expensive court cases, as the ISPs try and wriggle out of being common carriers. The lawyers are rubbing their hands with glee at the thought!
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2015/02/06/so_will_the_fccs_net_neutrality_rules_hold_up/
http://arstechnica.com/business/2015/02/fcc-votes-for-net-neutrality-a-ban-on-paid-fast-lanes-and-title-ii/
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2015/02/26/net_neutrality_rules/
http://www.infoworld.com/article/2888962/net-neutrality/net-neutrality-triumphs-as-isps-weep.html
http://www.cnet.com/news/net-neutrality-a-reality-fcc-votes-to-bring-internet-under-utility-style-rules/
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2015/02/26/net_neutrality_rules_passed_by_fcc/
Lenovo computers shipped with encryption breaking adware aboard
Lenovo, the giant PC and Laptop company, has been found to be shipping new computers with software called SuperFish that inserts ads into your applications - both on and off line. Even worse it breaks the security of your encrypted links in order to do so. They claim they didn't know. Why is it that people in the IT business think that a failure to make sure their products are safe is a 'get out of jail free' card? I suspect their sales are about to take a massive nose dive. Bring on the lawyers... Oh! And by the way, it turns out that Lenovo may not be the only ones dishing out this crap.
http://www.infoworld.com/article/2886792/security/lenovo-shows-us-why-we-need-to-reinvent-web-security.html
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2015/02/20/lenovo_caves_in_face_of_public_firestorm_release_superfish_killer/
http://www.infoworld.com/article/2886959/laptop-computers/are-you-buying-risk-along-with-your-laptop.html
http://arstechnica.com/security/2015/02/lenovo-pcs-ship-with-man-in-the-middle-adware-that-breaks-https-connections/
http://www.cnet.com/news/superfish-torments-lenovo-owners-with-more-than-adware/
http://www.pcworld.com/article/2887253/superfish-vulnerability-traced-to-other-apps-too.html
http://www.howtogeek.com/210265/download.com-and-others-bundle-superfish-style-https-breaking-adware/
http://www.infoworld.com/article/2886983/security/lessons-from-lenovo-superfish-fiasco.html
Other important material
Gas stations urged to secure internet-exposed fuel tank devices
http://www.darkreading.com/perimeter/gas-stations-urged-to-secure-internet-exposed-fuel-tank-devices-/d/d-id/1318794
Wireless device in two million cars wide open to hacking
http://arstechnica.com/security/2015/01/wireless-device-in-two-million-cars-wide-open-to-hacking/
Now Samsung's spying smart TVs insert ADS in YOUR OWN movies
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2015/02/11/samsung_fixes_advert_interruption_problem/
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2015/02/17/samsung_smart_tv_privacy_rewind/
Acknowledgements
Thanks to readers Barb, Fi, and Chandra (whose material will appear real soon now...) for drawing my attention to material for Winding Down.
Please send suggestions for stories to alan@ibgames.com and include the words Winding Down in the subject line, unless you want your deathless prose gobbled up by my voracious Thunderbird spam filter...
Alan Lenton
alan@ibgames.com
1 March 2015
Alan Lenton is an on-line games designer, programmer and sociologist, the order of which depends on what he is currently working on! His web site is at http://www.ibgames.net/alan/index.html.
Past issues of Winding Down can be found at http://www.ibgames.net/alan/winding/index.html.
