Episode 3!
The latest episode was released a day late. Sadly the day job got in the way. It’s a long one, though, at nearly 45 minutes. Hopefully we can pull this back a bit and keep the podcast to a set time frame. Editing was miserable this time. We’re slowly getting use to recording things in segments then stringing it together, but GarageBand is very cumbersome at times.
Show notes after the jump.
Tech Policy Podcast – February 16, 2010
Show Notes
- I apologize for the delay in this weeks show, sometimes the day job gets in the way.
- Still some sound quality issues to be worked out
- iTunes had a snafu with the RSS feed and some aspects of the description and episode titles weren’t transferring properly
- Unfortunately no one likes Microsoft Word very much for show notes…
- The website will be for now and the foreseeable future at WordPress.
- The snow is melting, the snow is melting!!!
- Music by Sterixx via Looperman, on the web at http://www.looperman.com/profile.php?mid=243518
News
1. Bipartisan Policy Center hosts a cyber attack simulation called “Cyber Shock Wave”. Watch the simulation unfold on CNN this weekend at 8pm.
http://bipartisanpolicy.org/events/cyber2010
http://politics.theatlantic.com/2010/02/its_your_cyberspace_too_so_take_care_of_it.php
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0210/33048.html
2. Virginia Legislators Outlaw Involuntary Implantation of Microchips
HB 53 – “Human tracking devices; unlawful use thereof by insurer or employer”
3. The SANS Institute Says Software Developers Should be Held Accountable for Errors that Enable Cyberattacks
Link to the report:
http://cwe.mitre.org/top25/archive/2010/2010_cwe_sans_top25.pdf
4. Rep. Edward Markey of Massachusetts introduces bill to update Universal Services Fund E-Rate program for broadband adoption.
Bill information found here: http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c111:H.R.4619
5. Bill introduced to create the Internet Freedom Foundation
Bill information found here: http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c111:H.R.4595
6. New study from Public Knowledge argues for renewed FCC regulation
http://www.publicknowledge.org/pdf/eti_wholesale_study_20100211.pdf
7. Release of the FCC’s first High-Speed Services for Internet Access” report
http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DOC-296239A1.pdf
8. Government employees beware: Malware writers are targeting your computer.
The best way to protect against these kind of attacks is to first install and maintain an antivirus program.
Second, learn to recognize when something is an executable file and when it’s not. The “I Love You” virus back in 2000, which crippled millions of computers and forced the Pentagon, CIA, and the British Parliament to shut down their mail systems to get rid of it, was started because someone didn’t check the file extension before clicking on the attachment.
Third, learn to look before you click. When you hover your mouse cursor over a link in Outlook or a web browser, the address for that link shows at the bottom of your screen. Is this where you really want to go? PayPal users are tricked every day because someone clicks on a link purporting to be from PayPal which sends them to a non-PayPal website where they’re invited to enter their username and password. Pay attention and question everything you get.
Events
With the government shut down many of the hot-topic hearings that were scheduled have been postponed. Some things we’re keeping an eye on here:
- The Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on fighting cybercrime and identity theft
- House Terrorism Subcommittee put off a hearing on Defense Department information technology and cybersecurity activities
- House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing about the ‘Google predicament’ in China
- The Congressional-Executive Commission on China postponed a meeting about Google and that country
But don’t worry there’s a few opportunities this week to get out.
Wednesday, Feb. 17, 11 a.m.
National Broadband Plan – New America Foundation
New America Foundation and other groups will hold a news conference to outline their recommendations for the Federal Communications Commission’s National Broadband Plan.
Contact: Kate Brown at 202-213-7051 brown@newamerica.net
Place 2123 Rayburn Bldg.
Participants:
- Mark Cooper, Consumer Federation of America
- Parul Desai, Media Access Project
- Harold Feld, Public Knowledge
- Joel Kelsey, Consumers Union
- Benjamin Lennett, Open Technology Initiative, New America Foundation
- Ben Scott, Free Press
Wednesday, Feb. 17, 3 p.m.
Internet Stability and Security – Center for Strategic and International Studies
Panel Discussion
Contact: 202-887-0200 techpolicy@csis.org
Note: RSVP via e-mail.
For further information: http://csis.org/event/internet-stability-and-security
Where: B1 Conference Center, CSIS, 1800 K St. N.W.
Participants:
- Kenneth Silva, senior vice president and chief technology officer, Verisign
- Gregory Rattray, chief Internet security adviser, Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers
- Feb. 22-24 Cloud Computing for DoD & Government conference, Hilton Old Town, Alexandria, Va. — www.cloudcomputingevent.com
- Feb. 23 Information Technology & Innovation Foundation panel on using IT to fight terrorism, noon, ITIF, 1101 K St. NW, Washington — mail@itif.com
- Feb. 24 Department of Homeland Security webinar on cybersecurity, 2 p.m. — www.msisac.org/webcast
- March 5 Panel on FCC for the Internet Age hosted by Silicon Flatirons, Public Knowledge and ITIF, 8:30 a.m., Washington Court Hotel, Washington — sf@colorado.edu
- March 16 1105 Government Group seminar on collaborating on cyberthreats, 7:45 a.m., Willard Hotel, Washington — 1105GovInfo@1105info.com
