Waiting for the light to change, Carl Bretzke
2 hours ago
Wednesday, 30 March 2011
Australia is 'at war' with hackers
Responding to the cyber attack on Prime Minister Julia Gillard's email system, information technology dean of research Dr Jill Slay said the nation had lost one battle with the hacking of these systems but must prepare for a longer conflict with hackers.
In May last year The Advertiser revealed Dr Slay had warned the Federal Government that politicians' use of social networking was compromising the security of government computer systems.
Dr Slay said Australian governments must understand that they are vulnerable to the world's most effective hackers.
"Think of what they have done to Google, the White House and governments in South-East Asia. A determined hacker, if they are determined to get in, they will get in there," she said.
"It is a war and we will win some and not win some, and it looks like in the current case we have lost that battle.
"All politicians need to be extremely careful, especially with social networking."
Hackers trawl social networking sites such as Twitter and Facebook seeking people who have revealed too much personal information, with politicians a favourite target because their systems are also linked to Departmental systems with valuable public service information.
Dr Slay said UniSA was leading a bid with Edith Cowan University and the Queensland Institute of Technology for a Commonwealth Research Centre to better coordinate research against hacking.
Of most concern to hacker-fighters such as Dr Slay and UniSA senior lecturer in information technology, Dr Raymond Choo, is the explosion of new technology and its vulnerability, which has created what Dr Choo calls "low hanging fruit" for even inexperienced criminals.
Apple's i-devices were last year the subject of hacking via a security hole in software that allowed hackers to gain access to data by putting a file with hidden code on to a website to attract visitors. At least one South Australian Cabinet minister has converted his entire paperwork associated with the cabinet process to his iPad...
Continue reading
Miles Kemp @'Adelaide Now'
Maine governor removes pro-union mural
The controversy over the 36-foot-long, 11-panel mural erupted last week when a LePage administration official announced that the artwork would be removed and that conference rooms dedicated to American labor movement icons would be renamed.
Administration officials said the change was needed to reflect a new image for the department, one not tilted toward organized labor. They said visitors to the lobby had complained that the mural is anti-business.
Maine AFL-CIO president Don Berry called it "a spiteful, mean-spirited move by the governor that does nothing to create jobs or improve the Maine economy."
Last week, acting Maine Labor Commissioner Laura Boyett announced a contest to replace the names affixed to the conference rooms. The names to be replaced include Cesar Chavez and Frances Perkins.
Chavez founded the National Farm Workers Association. Perkins, the first woman to hold a Cabinet-level position in the United States, served as labor secretary under President Franklin D. Roosevelt.
Bennett has said the Maine Arts Commission is helping find a new site for the mural.
abumuqawama Who should the USA support in tomorrow's cricket match? I say we tell Pakistan we support them while secretly aiding & training the Indians.
Cool as fuck!
Paul Simonon
Sad but true department: I still have all the copies of The Face from July 1986 (when I arrived in Australia) to about 1992 in storage. I had bought every issue previous to that and left them behind in London with a good friend of mine Bill. He apparently passed them on to 'Spotty' Tom!
Out of all the khunsts in the world to inherit my collection of what was at one time simply THE best magazine ever...
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
