Anonymous Hacks Turkish Cops
February 17, 2016
No Dark Web needed.
Anonymous has struck again, this time hacking the Turkish General Directorate of Security (EGM) in its crusade against corruption. The International Business Times reports, “Anonymous: Hacker Unleashes 17.8 GB Trove of Data from a Turkish National Police Server.” It is believed that the hacker responsible is ROR[RG], who was also deemed responsible for last year’s Adult Friend Finder breach. The MySQL-friendly files are now available for download at TheCthulhu website, which seems to be making a habit of posting hacked police data.
Why has Anonymous targeted Turkey? Reporter Jason Murdock writes:
“Anonymous has an established history with carrying out cyberattacks against Turkey. In 2015 the group, which is made up of a loose collection of hackers and hacktivists from across the globe, officially ‘declared war’ on the country. In a video statement, the collective accused Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdo?an’s government of supporting the Islamic State (Isis), also known as Daesh. Turkey is supporting Daesh by buying oil from them, and hospitalising their fighters,’ said a masked spokesperson at the time. ‘We won’t accept that Erdogan, the leader of Turkey, will help Isis any longer. If you don’t stop supporting Isis, we will continue attacking your internet […] stop this insanity now Turkey. Your fate is in your own hands.’”
We wonder how Turkey will respond to this breach, and what nuggets of troublesome information will be revealed. We are also curious to see what Anonymous does next; stay tuned.
Cynthia Murrell, February 16, 2016
Omnity Search: Yep, You May Have to Have to Pay
February 17, 2016
I read “Google Search Engine Face New Competitor : Omnity Semantic Search.” I had not heard about Omnity. I navigated to the firm’s Web page at https://www.omnity.io. I plugged in one of the names I use to test systems. The site then presented me with terms and conditions:
I noted section 8 “Payment Terms.” Here’s the passage I highlighted:
8.1 Payment. Unless otherwise expressly set forth in the Proposal, Omnity will invoice Customer in advance for the license Fees for the Initial Term and for any Renewal Term, and Omnity will automatically charge Customer’s credit card on file for the License Fees applicable to such initial Term and any Renewal Term.
My reaction was, “No way.”
Did the write up explain the fees for using Omnity? Nah.
Did the write up get beyond buzzwords and a reference to the Consumer Electronic Show? Nah.
Will Omnity be a threat to Google? Probably not, but I interpreted the sign up terms as a threat to moi.
I think this outfit suggested that Google was a cooked goose.
Nah.
Stephen E Arnold, February 17, 2016
Alphabet Spells Fiscal Controls
February 17, 2016
I read “Google’s Alphabet Poaches Intel Veteran Jim Campbell as Its First Controller.” My father was a controller at one time. He told me that he was not the most popular person at budget reviews. Gee, I thought he was lovable year round.
Here’s the passage I highlighted:
When speaking about the Alphabet reorg (particularly to Wall Street), the company’s execs have stressed that its intent was to instill tighter financial discipline around its various projects, particularly those outside of core Google, lumped on the balance sheet as Other Bets. “
I like the notion of investments as bets. I wonder if the controller will be able to reign the gambling losses as Google bets. I would bet on death remaining an unsolvable problem. Loon balloons? Pony up.
Stephen E Arnold, February 17, 2016
Was the Silk Road Trial Fair?
February 17, 2016
The Dark Web burst into the general consciousness with underground Web site called the Silk Road was busted. Ross Ulbricht aka the Dread Pirate Roberts ran the crime ridden Web site Silk Road that was a darknet playground for drug pushers, sex traffickers, money launders, hackers, and just about every other relatable crime that wants an untraceable presence. The Naked Security blog by Sophos proposes the question “Ross Ulbricht Appeals Silk Road Conviction-Did He Get A Fair Trial?”
In 2015, Ulbricht was convicted for money laundering, drug and hacking-related charges, and sentenced to two life terms with an additional forty years for running the entire Silk Road network. Ulbricht’s lawyers appealed the case based on the grounds that the law enforcement officials were guilty themselves of stealing bitcoins and extorting from Ulbricht. The evidence proving this was, of course, withheld in the trial and any favorable pro-Ulbricht evidence was suppressed.
“Ulbricht’s family paints a very different picture of him than federal prosecutors. The family has been waging a campaign to “Free Ross Ulbricht” that accuses the government of framing Ulbricht as part of the “failed War on Drugs,” and depicting his case as a milestone in the government’s crackdown on Internet freedom. Ulbricht’s defense attorneys argued at trial, and in his appeal, that Ulbricht had founded the Silk Road using the pseudonym Dread Pirate Roberts, but that he had sold his stake and was framed by subsequent operators.”
Ulbricht’s family says that the two corrupt agents Shaun Bridges and Carl Force had administrative privileges on Silk Road and would have been able to manipulate information in their favor. They claim the information was withheld when Ulbricht’s case went to court and the government kept it under seal to protect its agents.
Ulbricht and his family have many supporters saying that the two consecutive life terms without parole was too harsh of a punishment. They also claim that Ulbricht’s Fourth Amendment rights were breached.
The US government, however, thinks otherwise. They want to make an example of Ross Ulbricht and send a message to cyber criminals that they cannot hide behind the Dark Web’s invisibility cloak. The Dark Web might be a mask criminals wear, but a light can unmask them.
Whitney Grace, February 17, 2016
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, publisher of the CyberOSINT monograph
DirectEDGAR plus DtSearch Equals Superior Search for Analysts and Researchers
February 17, 2016
The article on PRNewswire titled directEDGAR SEC Edgar Database Research Platform Now Embeds The dtSearch® Engine for Enhanced Search and Retrieval discusses the partnership between dtSearch, AcademicEDGAR+, and AppsPlus. The merger is meant to improve advanced search for analysts and academic researchers who rely on search to enable them to wade through tens of millions of documents. Why did Dr. Kealey, CEO of AcademicEDGAR+ choose dtsearch? He explains in the article,
“We have over two terabytes of SEC filings and there was no other vendor whose offering allowed immediate access to any document in the results set no matter how many documents are returned.” Dr. Kealey also notes that search granularity is critically important, and dtSearch’s unique operators extend far beyond the standard Boolean operators…To complete the implementation, AcademicEDGAR+ chose AppsPlus.”
AppsPlus has been around for over 15 years aiding in a huge range of development projects across industries. The article explains that with directEDGAR, users get more than just search. The product allows for extraction and normalization in one stop. That capability, paired with dtSearch’s instant search of terabytes, makes this partnership very exciting. Those academic researchers must be drooling into their elbow patches to get their hands on the new service.
Chelsea Kerwin, February 17, 2016
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, publisher of the CyberOSINT monograph
UK Government Digital Services Board without an Alphabet
February 16, 2016
I read “Government Creates Digital Board to Advise on Tech Matters.” The idea is that the UK government wants to be more informed about technology. Hmm. What about the National Health Services’ on the job learning? I assume those experiences were not sufficiently rich and deep. The entities on the board, according to the write up, are:
- Amadeus Capital
- Amazon
- Aviva
- Baroness (one)
- Entrepreneur First
- Founders Factory
- Goldman Sachs
- Improbably
- LoveFilm (founder)
- Open Data Institute (founder)
- WeAreTheCity.com.
My question, “No Alphabet Google?” I do like the inclusion of baroness and some MBA types.
Stephen E Arnold, February 16, 2016
Weekly Watson: Playing Hoops with the Raptors
February 16, 2016
The Raptors do not have Stephen Curry on their team. The Raptors do have IBM Watson. I read “Raptors Team Up with IBM Supercomputer Watson to Analyze Player Talent.” The idea is that the basketball loving Canadians (no the game is not played on ice) will have a more effective squad with Watson in the locker room.
Watson is not a disturbance. The new team member is more of a cloud thing. As a result, Watson is everywhere, which addresses some of the problems in the Raptors’ line up.
According to the article:
…they’re [the basketball team] hoping that recruiting some help from a supercomputer will help Toronto take them to the next level.
I have had limited exposure to NBA professionals and managers. That experience suggested that supercomputers were absolutely one of the primary interests of those involved. None of this fashion, exotic cars, and friendly fans. Nope. Throughput, massive parallelism, and fresh approaches to machine learning were the chatter on and off the court.
A whiteboard with Xs and Os. Nope. Math equations for optimizing statistical anomalies when processing real time data like how many times the announcers said, “He drained that shot.”
I envision the announcers saying:
Watson mods the open source code. A quick call to Vivisimo and then more of those old Almaden home brew moves. It’s up. A miss. The Raptors lose again at the buzzer. Bummer.
Watson, in the post game interview, says, “My bad.”
Meanwhile the Golden State Warriors keep on winning.
Stephen E Arnold, February 16, 2016
Expedia: Objective Hotel Search Results? Not Likely
February 16, 2016
I read “Expedia’s New Bidding Program Lets Hotels Buy Better Placement in Search Results.” The write up states:
The exact details on the program aren’t public, but it allows hotel properties to bid for placement in select slots on search result pages. But hotels won’t be able to just buy their way to the top of every search result. They’ll still have to match other needs the consumer is looking for.
In my experience, locating a hotel in an unfamiliar city is a difficult task. The idea that a hotel search engine might return objective results was an expectation I had and have long since abandoned. For example, in Gaithersburg, Maryland, there was a hotel with Potomac in its name. The problem was that Potomac was miles from Gaithersburg. Navigating the interstate for a morning meeting was a thrill some executives did not want to experience. I have also stayed in airport hotels at BWI which were miles from the airport.
Now it is clear that objectivity is not on the radar of Expedia. I doubt if it ever was. It is nice to have my hunch confirmed that delivering on point results is irrelevant.
Great news for everyone except the person looking for a hotel near a meeting location in an unfamiliar city.
Stephen E Arnold, February 16, 2016
A Guide to Google-Ize Your Business
February 16, 2016
To Google is a verb, meaning to search specifically for information on the Google search engine. If a user is unable to find information on Google, they either change their key words or look for a different option. In other words, if you are not pulling up on Google than you might as well not exist. Perhaps it is a little drastic to make the claim, but without a Web presence users, who double as consumers, are less likely to visit your business. Consumers take an active approach to shopping these days by doing research before they visit or purchase any goods or services. A good Web presence alerts them to a company’s capabilities and how it can meet the consumers’ needs.
If you are unsure of how to establish a Web presence, much less a Google Web presence then there is a free eBook to help you get started. The Reach Local blog posted information about “Master Google My Business With Our New Ebook.” Google My Business is a free tool from Google about how to publish your business information in Google+, Google Maps, and local search results.
“Without accurate and up to date information on Google, you could be missing out on leads and potential customers either by having the wrong phone number and address listed or by not appearing at all in local search results for products and services relevant to your business. We want to help you take control of your information on the web, so we put together a helpful eBook that explains what Google My Business is, how to set up and verify your business, and tips for managing your information and tracking your progress.”
The free eBook “Your Guide To Google My Business” written by the Reach Local folks is an instruction manual on how to take advantage of the Google tool without going through the headache of trying to understand how it works. Now if only Windows 10 would follow a similar business pattern to help users understand how it works.
Whitney Grace, February 16, 2016
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, publisher of the CyberOSINT monograph
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Coveo Lauds Itself for Growth, Innovation, and Industry Awards
February 16, 2016
The article on EIN News titled Coveo Achieves Another Record-Breaking Quarter and Calendar Year of Rapid Growth discusses the search companies growth and recognition in a nakedly self-congratulating post. In 2015, Coveo released both Coveo Cloud, a streamlined search-as-a-service, and Coveo Reveal, a self-learning search service aimed at understanding intent to ensure improved accuracy and relevance in search results. The article states,
“The company expanded its SI ecosystem with several leading CRM and Customer Community system integrators, including Appirio, Bluewolf, Cloud Sherpas, Etherios, NTT Data Cloud Services and Vertiba. Exiting 2015, Coveo had in excess of 100 certified SI partners… Coveo for Sitecore was named as a 2015 CUSTOMER Magazine Product of the Year Award winner, marking the fourth consecutive year that Coveo has won this award (In January of 2015 Coveo received its fifth consecutive CUSTOMER Magazine product of the year award…)”
So just how big was that fish Coveo caught? The private company reports a “record breaking quarter” lists any number of current projects and industry recognitions. According to the article, the company now has a total amount of financing of $75 million. 2015 was clearly a very good year, particularly in the financial services market. What company can resist patting itself on the back?
Chelsea Kerwin, February 16, 2016
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, publisher of the CyberOSINT monograph
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