The app is free for users but seems to be partially ad supported. Instead of ads in the app they are shown in the taxi during your ride on the screen of the terminal used to swipe credit cards. The app is linked to these terminals and actually notifies you when the meter is turned on (in case someone else has stolen your cab). At the end of the ride you can rate your driver. You can also set up payment for fares through the app in order to get electronic receipts.

From DC there are about 5 choices in taxi companies you can book. (In Oakton, I only get one choice.) I like this app so far and plan to continue using it when I need a taxi.

The app is available on iPhone, Android and Blackberry.

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Incidentally, Klout sent me an email to see if I had received The Weather Channel Social umbrella they sent me.  I received it just before this last set of rain storms and I’ve certainly put it to good use.  The umbrella is part of their campaign to announce their new “social” feature which aggregates tweets about weather by area.  I think this is perfect since I confirmed the earthquake (and the aftershock).  While I and other office building tenants stood outside after the earthquake I told some of them how far away the earthquake was felt just because of what I read in my Twitter feed.  I also tracked what was going on during Hurricane Irene in different areas via Twitter.  Through Twitter I also kept abreast of different road closings due to flooding associated with this last storm.

If you don’t already use a tool that aggregates Tweets, this social feature could be a good resource for you for tracking weather.  It is especially handy to know what’s going on in other parts of the country when you don’t have contact with your loved ones those areas due to weather.

Note: Though I did receive this umbrella I was under no obligation to post about The Weather Channel.

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Visually, I find the avatars extremely cute.  One feature I also thought was neat was that each DJ laptop reflects the operating system in use by the user.  That the site displayed an Ubuntu logo for me makes me like it even more.  (That’s me with the green hair.)

In the meantime, I’m going to use this site in moderation because I could really stay on it all day.

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• Geek Girl Gone Wild: My New Tiny PC
• Netbooks have arrived
• Good Find: Volume Knob Earbuds
• Virgin America Uses Linux

Then while visiting the WordPress blog of a Twitter friend, I get the following very realistic popup indicating that a virus was found on my computer.  (There was a rash of WordPress hackings at specific web hosting providers.)  The popup looks exactly like Windows Explorer.

(Click to enlarge)

This is a mere screen capture of a Flash animation that made it appear like my machine was being scanned by legitimate antivirus software.  When it popped up, I was a little freaked out because it was pretty alarming.  I was, however, browsing with the Linux operating system at the time.  If you look closely at the screen print, you will see that the fake Windows Explorer appears in a Firefox browser window.  You will also notice that this fake antivirus scan does not say McAfee, Norton, Symantec or any other well known antivirus software.

After taking the screenprint I attempted to close the Firefox browser.  The Flash animation would not allow me to close the window without downloading an executable file that had I been using a Windows machine would install fake antivirus software.

This malware relies on the users’ fear of malware to get the user to install it.  After installation, it then essentially asks for money (to clean the supposedly infected system files) to be able to do the most basic task in Windows.  This type of malware is called ransomware in that it holds your system hostage until you pay money to regain access.  An unsuspecting user would likely pay to make their computer work again future opening them up to additional exploitation since criminals would then have the user’s credit card information and who knows what type of malicious activities the still installed software will actually do on their computer.

Legitimate virus  protection can help identify many malware threats but it’s not a panacea.  It doesn’t even matter what operating system is being used if the user will install anything.  Granted this particular malware is targeted specifically to Windows users, but malware is being created for other popular operating systems as well.  Therefore awareness is just as important as technological solutions especially since technological solutions tend to be reactionary.  A good rule is to ignore popups and kill any kind of forced downloads.

It is also important to keep up with updates and patches for your software.  I wonder what kind of damage could have occurred had I been using Internet Explorer 6 on a Windows machine.  If you are using this, please upgrade to Internet Explorer 8.  Also consider installing Firefox and/or Google Chrome.

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• Trojan Outbreak on Facebook

This type of monitoring seems to be as a result of all the successfully phishing and malware attacks targeted at Facebook users.

This screen is confusing.  Was my account accessed or was it just a login attempt?  I know I haven’t been phished.  And I’m pretty sure I don’t have any malware installed.

I take issue that Facebook made me go through all of that but wasn’t clear if my account was actually accessed.  I also question the effectiveness of this measure as I still see malware links on Facebook.

Has this happened to anyone else?

You might also be interested in:

• Are You Spamming Everyone You Know?
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CLEAR is a wireless internet service that boasts speeds up to four times as fast as 3G. It is completely mobile and works anywhere within the service area. It does, however, require a new type of wireless card to get access to the network.

If CLEAR catches on it could change internet service as we know it. Right now people pay for an internet connection at home, one on their mobile devices and many times wifi at locations such as cafes, hotels, airports and the like. The beauty of CLEAR is that one would be able to pay for one internet service plan and use the same service all over the metropolitan area. The user’s connected devices could also be used in other CLEAR service areas.

The service area is larger than I would expect for the initial launch (I thought it would just be in the District alone) but still does not include where I live. When the service is expanded to my area, my internet service provider should expect an “it’s not me, it’s you” letter from me.

In the meantime, CLEAR will be broken in this week as it will provide internet access for the core events of Digital Capital Week, a 10 day festival in Washington DC focused on technology, innovation and all things digital in our nation’s capital.

CLEAR uses a technology called WiMAX. WiMAX (worldwide interoperability for microwave access) refers to a standard designed to provide high-bandwidth wireless services on a metropolitan scale – think public WiFi on steriods. Reportedly, WiMAX download speeds rival that of a traditional DSL connection. WiMAX differs from WiFi in that while WiFi tends to work in a radius of about 30 meters, WiMAX’s footprint is 3 kilometers. What does that mean to you? Essentially WiMAX can easily blanket an entire city to provide wireless access. Not only that, the network speeds are not greatly compromised as with WiFi at the outer limits of coverage.

More than a year ago Xohm launched it’s WiMAX service in Baltimore. There have been numerous launches all over the country since then. During that time Xohm changed it’s name to Clearwire and rebranded the WiMAX service as CLEAR.

You might also be interested in:

• 4G Coming to Town
• WiMAX Launch in Baltimore

Geotagging

Digital cameras store images in a format called Exchangeable Image File (EXIF).  EXIF files can be TIF or JPEG format but they also include information about the photo including the type of camera used to take the photo and the camera settings.  The EXIF specification also allows for GPS coordinates to be included.  Adding geographic information to photos is called geotagging.  Phones that can geotag photos include Blackberry, iPhone, G1 and Palm Pre.

Geotagged Images Online

With the iPhone there was a limitation in the API used to upload and email photos that stripped GPS and other data when the photos were uploaded directly from the phone.  This can be seen as a flaw by some and an accidental security measure by others.  However, the API was fixed in the iPhone 2.1 update so all EXIF data is now being transmitted depending on what application you are using to upload the photos.  In addition, if you save the photos on your computer the data remains in the file so if you subsequently upload those files anywhere the location data will go along with them.

If photos are uploaded to Flickr, the service can automatically geotag them based on EXIF data.  However, I am not so much worried about sites like Flickr.  Flickr has the ability to hide EXIF data and many image hosting sites strip EXIF data from the image it shows (probably in the interest of saving bandwidth).  But what happens when one uploads photos to blogs or other sites?  Anyone, especially stalkers or other people with ill intentions, can view the photos’ EXIF data to find out where the photos were taken.  One seemingly innocuous photo could result in people knowing the exact GPS coordinates of your house.

It looks like many phones will allow you to turn geotagging off.  However, this feature cannot be turned off on an iPhone without turning off all location services.  At one point the iPhone’s Camera application would ask to know your location.  This was a good way to opt out of location data being stored in the photo.  However, the application no longer asks for permission and automatically stores the location data in each photo.

What Can Be Done

The most important thing is to be aware when you are geotagging photos.  On the iPhone it is likely that turning off location services completely is not a convenient option.  If you are saving the photos on your computer and then uploading them, you will have to edit the EXIF data to remove the GPS coordinates before uploading the files.  Many image editing programs will allow you to do this.  However, if you are uploading images directly from your phone, you are sending your GPS data to the internet.  I just checked the App Store and there aren’t any apps to remove geotags.  (I did see three apps that claim to remove all EXIF data though.)  Your best bet would be to not directly post anything from private locations unless you know for sure that your geotag data will be stripped.

I do not have access to other GPS-enabled phones at this time but will try to get my hands on some for testing.  From a cursory look on the internet it appears that Blackberry and Pre have an option to enable geotagging which probably means it can also be disabled.  I did not immediately find information on whether geotagging can be disabled on a G1.  I will definitely look more into this.

Are you unwittingly sharing location data?

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Scratch almost everything I said about Thomas-Rasset needing to hire a qualified computer forensics expert.  She did hire a computer forensics expert, however, she neglected to tell the expert that the hard drive she gave him to examine was installed AFTER she was notified about infringing on copyrights.  She neglected to tell everyone this fact instead saying the hard drive was replaced a year before.  The expert found a sticker on the drive indicating that it was manufactured in 2005 when Thomas-Rasset claimed it was installed in 2004.  (Even without this it would have been easy to determine when the hard drive was installed from artifacts on the hard drive.)  It’s obvious to me what she was trying to do.  MediaSentry reported seeing that she had songs being shared on her PC and she gave everyone a brand new drive to examine because they would find no traces of KaZaA installed on it.

The difference between civil cases and criminal cases is that in a civil case a conviction is based on the preponderance of evidence not beyond a reasonable doubt like in criminal cases.  The moment she was notified that she was infringing on copyrights she was required to preserve evidence (believe it or not).  Her story about one of the kids hitting the tower simply does not fly.  It takes more than that to kill a hard drive.  In many cases, the defense could have been sanctioned for spoliation [PDF] meaning the jury could assume that the missing evidence would have been unfavorable to Thomas-Rasset.

The lack of evidence explains why her defense did not choose to counter the evidence from the plaintiff’s experts with their own physical evidence.  Instead they countered with wild scenarios of what could have happened and almost outright pleas for sympathy.  She was found guilty again.  I have to admit that if I was on that jury, I probably would have found her guilty as well given what I read on the case.

With this new $1.9 million verdict, I’m thinking she should have settled.  I wonder what the defense’s strategy was given that they could not counter the plaintiff’s evidence with any evidence of their own.  I’m sure no one expected such an excessive award for the plaintiff.

Disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are my own and not the opinions of any employer or organization of which I am a member.

You might also be interested in:

• Capitol Records, et. al. v. Jammie Thomas

Google is not the reason for this. I’m wondering why the iPhone has this limitation – if it is an limitation of the iPhone itself. I’m wondering if it may be a limitation of ActiveSync as well.

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On December 16, 2008, I received an email from CheckFree, an online bill payment service, saying that my computer may have been exposed to malicious software putting my computer at risk. At first glance, I thought it was a phishing scheme but then noticed that my full name and address were included in the email. After reading the email again I realized what must have happened. Customers who tried to log into CheckFree’s bill payment service were redirected to a site that downloaded malware onto their computers. (Forgive me for being the high-technology crime investigation geek but I was intrigued by that redirection process (called pharming). I did a paper on phishing and pharming a few years ago but at that time there were no concrete examples of pharming.) Like phishing, pharming involves sending a user to fake websites that look like the actual site in an effort to get the user’s account credentials or other personal data, but with pharming the URL in the address bar will be that of the actual site making it difficult to identify it as a fake. In such a case you can’t trust your eyes or your browser.

Without looking further, the drive-by malware download would make it appear that CheckFree had been hacked, however, the criminals did not have to do that. Pharming instead involves gaining access to a websites domain registrar to point the website URL to a nefarious server. That is what happened here. Access to CheckFree’s account at Network Solutions was obtained by sending a phishing email to CheckFree’s system administrators. The Network Solutions account was then used to point the CheckFree.com domain to a server in the Ukraine.

In this attack, users received a blank page and a drive-by malware injection at CheckFree’s site. If the attackers had put up a login page instead we would probably be hearing about all kinds of suspicious payments right now. A login page would have affected more users: while the malware only affected Windows users, a login page would have affected users regardless of the operating system. We still don’t know how many customers were affected or what the malware does.

I was not affected outright by this attack for several reasons including that I stopped using the MyCheckFree.com branded bill payment service opting instead to use the one provided by my bank. The troubling thing about this, however, is that CheckFree is the largest bill payment provider in the United States. If you are using an online bill payment service provided by your bank, it is most likely a co-branded CheckFree service. What I have read about this pharming incident is suggests that only users of the MyCheckFree.com website were affected. But I do wonder if any of their other services could be affected by this attack. CheckFree has also started notifying customers who use their bill payment service through banks. In addition, I wonder if any payment information in transit could have been affected or accessed. I was a developer in the electronic payment group of a bank some time ago and I don’t quite remember if payment information between banks is sent via the domain address or an IP address but it’s a question worth asking. With the encryption and authentication schemes that they use that might not have been a problem but I haven’t seen it mentioned anywhere.

According to accounts I read, 5 million customers could have been affected by this attack. It is our job as customers to be vigilant in holding companies accountable for protecting our personal data. To it’s credit CheckFree is contacting customers and offering complementary virus scanning software. But is that enough? If the hacker had gained access to customers’ accounts, they would have access not just to bank accounts but also to creditor accounts. It’s hard to even imagine the amount of work to remedy those kind of consequences.

Photo credit: iStockPhoto

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During the trial witnesses for the State of Connecticut testified that evidence showed that Amero had to have purposely clicked on the linked for the porn sites. The defense’s expert was not given the opportunity to testify but it was his theory that the computer was infected with malware from a hair website that caused the porn popups. Both theories were wrong. According to a report released by Alex Eckelberry, et. al., who examined the computer’s hard drive after the conviction, the computer was infected with newdotnet, spyware that was installed one week prior to the instance bundled with a Halloween screensaver.

This conviction was thrown out but this has proven all for naught though as Amero has accepted a plea agreement for her new trial due to health problems related to stress. The plea agreement resulted in a $100 fine and revocation of her teaching credentials. So she is essentially being punished though she is clearly innocent. This case drives home something that is of the utmost importance in cases involving electronic evidence – both the prosecution and the defense must utilize qualified experts do a thorough examination of the evidence. Had the prosecution thoroughly examined the drive in a forensically sound manner, they would have no doubt found exculpatory evidence related to this case. Had the defense thoroughly examined the drive, they would have been able to defend against the prosecution presenting actual evidence instead of theories. The best way to counter electronic evidence is not with testimony, demonstrations and shaky theories but with electronic evidence.

In addition to having qualified computer forensic experts, it’s also important to have counsel that is not only computer-literate but also understands electronic evidence. Such counsel on either side would be able to recognize misleading testimony.

With Jammie Thomas’ copyright infringement case, I originally felt that qualified experts were not used because of cost but in both cases, it seems that the reason was more likely lack of awareness of computer forensic experts. In the case of Julie Amero, help from computer forensic experts was received after the case was already in full swing when it was too late. The experts became involved because of the media coverage of the case. How many other cases are involving electronic evidence are going on that aren’t receiving media coverage?

Not only is it a lack of awareness on the part of people who need computer forensic experts but also we (computer forensic experts) don’t seem to make our existence known. To that end, here are some places to find computer forensic experts. Looking at the websites, some don’t seem to focus on people who need to find an expert. The HTCIA, however, has recently created a Computer Forensic Examiner locator.

• International Society of Forensic Computer Examiners
• International High Technology Crime Investigation Association (members are not allowed to work on criminal defense cases unless approved and on a pro-bono basis)
• SANS Institute – Certified Computer Forensics Analysts
• International Association of Computer Investigative Specialists (members are law enforcement)
• High-Tech Crime Cops (mostly law enforcement)

It is important to note that members of some of these organizations don’t do criminal defense work but that does not mean that they wouldn’t given the right case. Nevertheless these organizations are a good starting point for looking for qualified computer forensic services.

While I use computer forensics to identify unethical and illegal behavior, I don’t think anyone should be punished due to misinterpretation of evidence or because a thorough examination of that evidence was not done.

You might also be interested in:

• Koobface Comes to Twitter: Are You Protecting Yourself?
• CheckFree: A Case of Phishing, Pharming and Drive-Bys
• Capitol Records, et. al. v. Jammie Thomas

Because it’s difficult to fully convey this kind of information in 140 characters, I decided to put together a “bibliography”. These links are divided into general information, data collecting third-parties, merchants, banks and government.

General information

Identity Theft More Often an Inside Job
http://www.securityfocus.com/news/1727

Consumer data protection faces legal, tech hurdles
Experts agree that much work needs to be done by lawmakers and technology providers to foster an online environment in which consumer data is better defended from cyber-crime and misuse
http://www.infoworld.com/article/07/04/18/HNaotasummit_1.html

Survey: Congress falling down on data protection
http://news.cnet.com/Survey-Congress-falling-down-on-data-protection/2100-1029_3-5737983.html

Schwarzenegger vetoes data-breach bill
http://www.securityfocus.com/brief/607

Data collecting third-parties

Advertiser Charged in Massive Database Theft
http://www.securityfocus.com/news/9189

Hacker accesses customer information from database manager Acxiom
http://www.securityfocus.com/news/6665

Federal charge filed against Ohio man accused of hacking Acxiom
http://www.securityfocus.com/news/6733

Burned by ChoicePoint breach, potential ID theft victims face a lifetime of vigilance
http://www.securityfocus.com/news/10552

Merchants

Debit-card fraud underscores legal loopholes (Sam’s Club, OfficeMax)
http://www.securityfocus.com/news/11381

TJX completes Mastercard breach settlement
http://www.securityfocus.com/brief/740

Gov’t charges alleged TJX credit-card thieves
http://www.securityfocus.com/news/11530

Ralph Lauren, HSBC in data breach debacle
http://www.securityfocus.com/news/10921

Two retail breaches threaten consumers
http://www.securityfocus.com/brief/411

TJX breach larger than previously thought
http://www.securityfocus.com/brief/441

Report: TJX thieves exploited wireless insecurities
http://www.securityfocus.com/brief/496

ID Theft Alleged at D.C. Blockbuster
Ex-Worker Accused of Taking Customer Data, Spending $117,000
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/04/25/AR2005042501411.html

Banks

MasterCard warns of massive credit-card breach
http://www.securityfocus.com/news/11219

MasterCard backs off Security, Leave Cardholders at Risk
http://www.securityfocus.com/archive/107/436227

Lessons learned: The Citibank ATM breach
http://searchfinancialsecurity.techtarget.com/tip/0,289483,sid185_gci1329591,00.html

Citibank debit card fraud highlights ATM vulnerabilities
http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9106958

Citibank security breach: undisclosed *internally*, let alone publicly?
http://www.boingboing.net/2006/03/06/citibank-security-br.html

International Citibank Customers Shaken By Data Breach
http://www.informationweek.com/news/security/cybercrime/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=181502068

Government

TSA loses 100,000 employee records
http://www.securityfocus.com/brief/498

U.S. Government Flunks Computer Security Tests
http://www.securityfocus.com/news/1693

Online attack exposes 197,000 personal records (University of Texas at Austin)
http://www.securityfocus.com/brief/193

Veterans Affairs warns of massive privacy breach
http://www.securityfocus.com/news/11393

You might also be interested in:

• Bank Emails Customer Data to Wrong Account Exposing 1,325 Customers to Potential Identity Theft
• CheckFree: A Case of Phishing, Pharming and Drive-Bys

“11. Making a sammich 12. Ironing my shirt 13. Cooking/Cleaning”

and

“Feminism. lol. Aww that’s precious. Now get me a beer, and while you’re at it get your milkers out..”

While I am appalled at this behavior I am honestly not surprised – especially on Digg. I’ve noticed on technical sites like CNet and ZDNet as well that any time a post has something to do with women, the rude sexist comments show up. The funny thing about this is that most of these comments prove the point they are arguing against. While I won’t say that the entire internet has this attitude there is definitely a common theme.

Since I’m a visual person seeing the following video illustrated this issue for me. Sony has created a new 3D social gaming community for the Playstation called Home. It’s very similar to Second Life and currently in open beta. It appears that whenever a female avatar appears the male avatars mob her – many crowding her space and some asking for sex. My boyfriend had access to the beta and witnessed this behavior first hand – as a matter of fact, he didn’t want me to go on there to be subjected this behavior myself. Instead he shared a link this video:

Horny Players in Playstation Home

While this is not actual sexual harassment or sexual assault, there’s definitely something to be said about it. I’m not a psychologist but I think it could have the a similar effect. There are after all actual people sitting behind that game controller. It’s ridiculous that a woman/girl can not go about her merry way exploring the community without this crazy behavior. (It actually reminds me of a few guys in the computer science program when I was in college and also of the time when I got so many IMs from guys in AOL days that my computer couldn’t handle it and reset.) The excuse is that guys aren’t used to seeing girls in gaming environments, in tech classes or whatever and that boys will be boys. None of this is a valid reason for this blatant disrespect of women.

There are some guys who have taken offense to these activities as well an have started reacting to it. Watch the two videos below:

The Art of the Quincy

Perverts on Home

What these guys are doing may deter some of the behavior but what difference does it make? There are still guys that think that women are put on this earth for the sole purpose of being their personal enjoyment. And that is the problem.

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I’m seeing a lot of articles about Koobface, trojan horse malicious software that was designed to travel from user to user via Facebook. You’d get a message from one of your Facebook friends mentioning a video allegedly starring you. When you click on the link, you are taken to a site that gives a message saying that you need an updated Flash player and asks you to upgrade. That upgrade is the trojan. I’m guessing that this targeted Windows users but I haven’t seen any confirmation of that because coverage of these kinds of issues tends to be lacking.

Back in August, I reported several messages to Facebook regarding this but their response was just to tell me that my friends had a virus and to contact the friends about it.  It would have been more effective if Facebook had dealt with this given how widespread it was. (I saw mention of it on Twitter too). They would have known which users were infected by pattern of the messages. They also could have let those users know that they were infected and deleted some of the offending messages before others were infected.  It could have been an automated type of process that most likely would have saved tech support hours on this issue. Given that these kinds of incidents have been happening on MySpace forever, Facebook should have been more prepared to handle this situation.

While I think Facebook could have been more helpful in curbing, the “outbreak” it is ultimately up to computer users to be more aware of the sites they go to and what they are installing on their PCs. While some trojans are relatively harmless, there are others out to steal information about your identity and financial accounts. Installing some seemingly harmless application could leave you with an empty bank account.

Photo by Frank K.

You might also be interested in:

• Fake Antivirus Holds Your System Hostage
• Facebook Security Snare
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There were a number of demos including the On the Go Demonstration, the Partner Device Demonstration and the XOHM Water Commuter Experience.

On the Go

During the On the Go Demonstration we rode around Baltimore in a party bus downloading lots of content.  The XOHM guy had Men in Black playing along with a video from CNBC while tracking our position on Google Maps.  Three other laptops were all playing video as well.  I personally had five hulu.com videos running at the same time.  The XOHM guy went to speedtest.com while all of this was going on – we were getting 4 Mbps download and 289 Kbps at the time.  We learned that Baltimore has 180 WiMAX cell sites.

Partner Device Demonstration

Next I check out the Partner Device Demonstration.  There were laptops by Lenovo, ASUS and Toshiba that all contained the embedded WiMAX chip. That chip also includes standard WiFi technology.  What caught my attention though was the Nokia N810 WiMAX Enabled Internet Tablet.  I watched a few YouTube videos on it.  It was definitely better watching YouTube videos on my 3G iPod.  How much better is hard to say, however.  I was impressed as the device also allows GoogleTalk video calls.

Water Commuter Experience

Next up was the water taxi demonstration.  We zipped around the Baltimore Harbor on a water taxi while surfing on four laptops.  Again I tried to get as many hulu videos going at the same time but I got distracted trying to figure out the coverage area.  It was definitely neat to be able to use the internet in the middle of water but it made me think of working while commuting on the boat.  On a positive note, I can see folks who live in house boats and boat based businesses now having access to a reliable internet connection.  While on the boat I learned that XOHM’s current coverage area includes a little more than half of Baltimore city’s population of 2 million.

I thoroughly enjoyed the event but I wish I would have been able to play with WiMAX on my own computer to compare to my own personal usage.  XOHM’s WiMAX comes to Washington, DC, and Chicago next but no date was given for the rollouts.

You might also be interested in:

• 4G Coming to Town
• CLEAR High-Speed Wireless Internet Service Comes to Metro DC
• #CES Photos: Automotive
• Ultrabooks at #CES