Several interesting items from the current issue:
The Risks Digest
Forum on Risks to the Public in Computers and Related Systems
ACM Committee on Computers and Public Policy, Peter G. Neumann, moderator
Volume 27: Issue 3
Saturday 29 September 2012
Fake sign causes real outage
John Carr jfc@mit.edu
Tue, 18 Sep 2012 08:46:55 -0400
"High voltage" signs next to Verizon cable conduits were a bluff to
keep homeless people away. They did not work. Instead they kept
firefighters from extinguishing a mattress fire. Regional phone and
Internet service went out as the cables melted.
http://www.eagletribune.com/latestnews/x550073983/Something-that-valuable-has-to-be-secured
New Jersey bans smiling
Mark Thorson eee@sonic.net
Mon, 24 Sep 2012 08:55:28 -0700
Since January, New Jersey banned smiling for driver's license
photographs because it can't be handled by new facial recognition
software.
What good is facial recognition software that can be defeated
by a smile? If I see someone with a forced smile at an airport,
does that meant they're likely to be a terrorist?
20% of new PCs in China come with malware pre-installed
Jim Reisert AD1C jjreisert@alum.mit.edu
Mon, 24 Sep 2012 14:41:32 -0600
Wolfgang Gruener, 24 Sep 2012 (source: Microsoft)
"In China, there is not much you have to do to contract a virus on your
PC. Plus, you have a one in five chance that you will get that first virus
on your brand new PC right out of the box."
[Excerpted, follow link for entire text ... jc]