What follows is my take on “Ciscogate”, the uproar over researcher Michael Lynn’s presentation at this year’s Black Hat conference, in which he revealed that he was able to remotely execute code on Cisco routers. I have been representing Mike during this crisis, so I’m clearly partisan, and what I can say is limited by attorney-client responsibilities. But while many people are speculating about the facts, there hasn’t been much on the law, which turns out to be really interesting.

Jennifer Granick has posted the first installment of the story about her representing Mike. Its very rare you get to hear the take of a case like this directly from the lawyers involved, so this is a treat.

Earlier I suggested that everyone leave a comment on Jennifer's blog thanking her for representing Mike. I'd like to renew that suggestion. Thanks Jennifer!

After reading this, you might want to check out this collection of comments on Cryptome about the situation. It includes links to pictures of the presentation Mike actually gave, as opposed to the one that is floating around.

And seriously don't miss the truly excellent video floating around of the Cisco temp-workers slicing the materials out of the conference booklets. You can get it here or here.

The Shout | Jennifer Granick | ISS and Cisco v. Granick’s Gambling Plans

holy shit!

via boingboing, ironically.

more bouncy balls on Flickr - Photo Sharing!

This is the google news page that contains all the articles (well all the ones google can find) regarding Mike's blackhat talk and the ensuing conflagration.

You'll notice it hit the AP wire about 5:30 pm thursday, so expect to see it, you know, EVERYWHERE now.

Google Search: The Mike Lynn Saga

Although the situation between Lynn and Cisco now is an issue for the courts to decide, the matter has had one definite effect: a post-talk flurry of patches.

"The existence of this major vulnerability is now receiving lots of publicity," said Hypponen. "As a result, many administrators are busy patching."

[ Which was, afterall, much of the point, I gather. The fix has been available for weeks or months. Now maybe it'll get applied to the infrastructure, where it can do some good. -k]

Top Tech News - Tech Trends - Cisco Tries To Silence Security Researcher

Not to pimp my own site *too* much, but we've been trying to maintain a list of articles regarding mike, aka abaddon, over at the supernicety.

In truth, the google news link is the most complete, i think, but we'll keep posting as we get stuff.

the Supernicety » Blog Archive » Just like mike…

Julian Beever is an English artist who is famous for his art on the pavements of England, France, Germany, USA, Australia and Belgium. It's peculiarity? Beever gives his drawings an anamorphosis view, his images are drawn in such a way which gives them three dimensionality when viewing from the correct angle.

[Fucking rad. -k]

3D street drawings. Too cool!

The code name, Space Beast, was one they came up with in the wee hours of the night.
Tyler Lyon, Daniel Winegar and Chad Thornley were overtired and giddy as they tackled a science fair project. Their idea: Eliminate the use of Freon in automobile air-conditioning systems by relying on the Peltier effect - of course.
"We aren't planning our lives around making air conditioners," Lyon explained. "We wanted to do something to help the environment and the economy."
But what began as a Riverton High School physics class assignment nearly two years ago has morphed into an award-winning, internationally recognized invention.

[ Call for research.

This article has some issues, like the fact that cars don't typically use freon anymore, but another refrigerant which, while a greenhouse gas, doesn't deplete ozone.

Mainly though, i want to know the details of this because the claim seems to be that taking the gasoline, converting it to electricity, and powering a stack of peltier devices is more efficient than directly driving a compressor for the ac. Presumably the same number of fans would need to be run electrically for either.

Is the alternator/electric cycle that much more efficient than the compressor/refrigerant cycle?

I imagine other problems, like there's extra heat there, which isn't strictly necessary in an engine bay, and may not have an alternate use. A reduction in movable parts and nasty greenhouse gasses seems a valid argument in it's favor, but i'm skeptical that the whole package is going to prove sensible.

Of course, if it pans out, i'm sure i won't be the only one regretting the assumptions they've made about peltier coolers and the relevant efficiencies. Has ANYONE who's seen a peltier not thought, at least briefly, about doing something like this? I coulda scored 50k and a trip to japan, dammit. -k]

Salt Lake Tribune - Utah

Enter Peerflix, which can be described on a basic level as eBay meets Netflix. Peerflix resembles many online DVD stores, but it neither rents nor sells DVDs. Rather, it depends on a community of users willing to trade DVDs they have for DVDs they want. There are no subscription fees. Peerflix charges a 99-cent transaction fee and senders are responsible for the postage charge of 37 cents for the mailers that the company distributes. Behold the $1.36 DVD.

[ Decent idea. -k]

Switched On: The Peerflix challenge: Rip. Flix. Churn. - Engadget - www.engadget.com

The best way for doubters to control a questionable new technology is to embrace it, lest it remain wholly in the hands of enthusiasts who think there is nothing questionable about it.

Stewart Brand on the environmental movement.

[ This is a very good article, as expected. Technology Review is the only magazine I pay cover price for on any kind of regular basis... i really should just subscribe.

I want to point out the extended debate between Brand and Joseph Romm on Brand's TR blog, which I think pushes the whole thing up to almost gold star rating... I hope all the Energy and Environment people on memestreams will spend a few minutes on it : http://brand.trblogs.com/index.html

My thinking on nuclear has wavered a little lately, although I still think it's the best we've got in a lot of ways. Still, the arguments about how much benefit could be extracted from aggressive conservation are very compelling. Romm makes some good points. -k]

Environmental Heresies

One thing the freeze doesn't do is prevent creditors from issuing pre-approved instant credit applications in the mail, which makes it easy for identity thieves who rummage through mail or garbage to find the applications and open credit accounts in a victim's name. The bill provides a special exception to the freeze to allow creditors to access credit reports to prescreen applicants.

A Senate source told Wired News that federal lawmakers adopted the exception for prescreening from a similar clause in the California legislation.

"That's a state statute that tried to balance the consumer-protection issues and the concerns of businesses to be able to market (to consumers)," the source said.

Fuck businesses, especially credit card companies with their pre-screened mail-in applications. It doesn't take a genius to realize that they are entirely profit-driven and, instead of protecting me, would prefer isntead to prey on the hapless consumer who catches the Debt psuedo-virus. What really ticks me off is that they could just as easily mail an information flyer without the added candy for dumpster divers.

-janelane, unimpressed

[ I second that. Caveat emptor and all, but this has always seemed shady. I have pretty good credit and I've gone through periods where I got an average of one of these per day. I *ALWAYS* tear them multiple times or shred them. I'm not too paranoid, but that doesn't mean I think it's ok. -k]

Wired News: Bill Strives to Protect Privacy