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Monday, July 23, 2007

Whoops, you got punk'ed by Apple...



I just love when there is such mass media hysteria for a gadget that has not been fully tested within the public domain and the suckers that buy into this frenzy and spend $600.00 for a device that can be hacked in a matter of minutes.

Ofcource Apple claims no security breach has been detected, but are you willing to be the first kid on the block to lose all your personal info in a matter of seconds to a would be crook of identity?


Apple’s iPhone Has Serious Security Flaw

by Max Brenn 13:08, July 23rd 2007

A computer experts group including a former NSA employee has warned Apple of a serious security flaw that affects the company’s latest gadget, which could totally compromise the data contained inside the phone.

Independent Security Evaluators, a security research firm from Baltimore founded by Johns Hopkins University professor Avi Rubin (but not associated with the University), includes several Ph.D.s in Computer Science and in Math, as well as Masters degrees in computer science and security informatics. ISE security analysts have backgrounds that include academia, industry, as well as former employees of the National Security Agency.

With such outstanding academic background it’s no wonder that ISE experts have managed to bypass iPhone’s thoroughly tested security modules. They were able to gain control over the Apple iPhone, using a connection to a Wi-Fi network, by luring a user to access a bogus Web page that contained malware.

Charles Miller, the principal security analyst for the firm, admitted though that Apple’s efforts to make the iPhone a secure environment are quite impressive, but "once you did manage to find a hole, you were in complete control."

ISE has warned the Cupertino, CA-based giant of the vulnerability and also proposed a software patch that could prevent further attacks.

Apple found no evidence that the glitch has been exploited by other people than those at ISE and also informed that no similar vulnerabilities have been signaled until now.

Miller is a former National Security Agency employee with a doctorate in computer science. To demonstrate the hack in front of a NY Times reporter he used a fake Web page of his own creation, which, when accessed through the iPhone, infected the gadget with malicious code that later allowed full control over it.

The phone promptly followed instructions to transmit text message files, telephone contacts and e-mail addresses to the attacking computer.

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CRITICAL I.R.S. UPDATE

CRITICAL I.R.S. UPDATE

Committee on Oversight and Government Reform

THIS WEEK IN SENATE HISTORY - HISTORY TENDS TO REPEAT ITSELF


August 1, 1876
Image of William Belknap
William Belknap Library of Congress

Sitting as a court of impeachment, the Senate narrowly acquitted Secretary of War William Belknap, the only cabinet officer ever impeached by the House of Representatives. Belknap had served in President Ulysses Grant's cabinet for seven years when charges surfaced that he had accepted bribes tied to the appointment of a military trader in Oklahoma. As the House of Representatives considered these charges, Belknap, in tears, went to the president in March and resigned. Despite his resignation, the House acted unanimously and sent the impeachment to the Senate. The Senate initially agreed that it had jurisdiction over a former government officer, but many who ultimately voted against impeachment believed that Belknap's resignation moved him beyond the Senate's reach.


August 4, 1908
William Allison by Wilbur Aaron Reaser


Iowa Republican William B. Allison died at age 79, ending a 35-year-and-5-month Senate career--the longest to that time. One of the most influential senators of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Allison chaired the Republican Conference from 1897 to 1908. He was the longest-serving committee chairman in Senate history, chairing the Appropriations Committee for all but two years between 1881 and 1908. He was also a member of the Finance Committee for 30 years. The major legislative issues of Allison's day--tariff reform, currency stabilization, and regulation--all bore his sharp imprint. Along with Nelson Aldrich, John Spooner and Orville Platt, Allison was a member of The Senate Four.


August 5, 1789
George Washington


For the first time, the Senate refused to confirm a presidential appointee. Ignoring the budding concept of "senatorial courtesy," President George Washington nominated Benjamin Fishbourn to the post of Naval Officer for the Port of Savannah without clearing his choice with Georgia's two senators. Favoring another candidate who was a member of their political circle, the senators promptly engineered Fishbourn's rejection. Two days later, the president conveyed his irritation to the Senate. "Permit me to submit to your consideration whether on occasions where the propriety of Nominations appear questionable to you, it would not be expedient to communicate that circumstance to me, and thereby avail yourselves of the information which led me to make them, and which I would with pleasure lay before you."


August 6, 1971
Photo of Vice President Charles Curtis
Vice President Charles Curtis

The Senate and House of Representatives took their first mandatory 30-day summer recess as required by the 1970 Legislative Reorganization Act. Existing law had provided that Congress "shall adjourn sine die not later than July 31 of each year," unless the two houses provided otherwise. But the last time Congress had managed to complete its work at the end of July had been in 1956. On even-numbered years, Congress usually managed to adjourn by early October to accommodate members running for reelection, but in odd-numbered years it had become standard to work until December, with little time for members to plan for and enjoy family summer vacations. Although August recesses since 1971 have been abbreviated during election years, the 1970 act's recess provision has been carried out faithfully during odd-numbered years.

Powers & Procedures

Impeachment
Under the Constitution, the House of Representatives has the power to impeach a government official, in effect serving as prosecutor. The Senate has the sole power to conduct impeachment trials, essentially serving as jury and judge. Since 1789 the Senate has tried seventeen federal officials, including two presidents.

Nominations
The Constitution provides that the president "shall nominate, and by and with the Advice and Consent of the Senate, shall appoint Ambassadors, other public Ministers and Consuls, Judges of the Supreme Court, and all other Officers of the United States... (Article 2, Section 2)" The Senate has always jealously guarded its power to review and approve or reject presidential appointees to executive and judicial branch posts.

Treaties
The Constitution gives the Senate the power to approve, by a two-thirds vote, treaties made by the executive branch. The Senate has rejected relatively few of the hundreds of treaties it has considered, although many have died in committee or been withdrawn by the president. The Senate may also amend a treaty or adopt changes to a treaty. The president may also enter into executive agreements with foreign nations that are not subject to Senate approval.

Expulsion and Censure
Article I, Section 5, of the United States Constitution provides that each house of Congress may "...punish its members for disorderly behavior, and, with the concurrence of two-thirds, expel a member." Since 1789, the Senate has expelled only fifteen of its entire membership and has censured nine. A censure is a formal statement of disapproval, but does not remove a senator from office.

Filibuster and Cloture
The Senate has a long history of using the filibuster -- a term dating back to the 1850s in the United States -- to delay debate or block legislation. Unlimited debate remained in place in the Senate until 1917, when the Senate adopted Rule 22 that allowed the Senate to end a debate with a two-thirds majority vote -– a tactic known as "cloture." In 1975, the Senate reduced the number of votes required for cloture from two-thirds (67) to three-fifths (60) of the 100-member Senate.

Senate Investigations
Congress has conducted investigations of malfeasance in the executive branch–and elsewhere in American society–since 1792. The need for congressional investigation remains a critical ingredient for restraining government and educating the public.

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