Lazy Security Vendors Make Life More Complicated

from here

Inspired by the trials and tribulations Didier Stevens has to go through to make a tool capable of introducing the EICAR Standard Antivirus Test File onto systems for testing without getting blocked by security products elsewhere (like at the gateway or the IT admin's own desktop).

This shouldn't be difficult. It shouldn't require a special program at all, never mind rewriting the program to stay ahead of security tools, because the original specification stated that a file had to start with those special 68 bytes in order to be considered the test file. Anything else, including the EICAR web page I linked to, should be able to pass through security products unhindered precisely so that the test file can be easily transported to the systems that need testing. I mean, it was even designed so that you could fax it or read it out over the phone, for crying out loud.

I can only imagine how Padgett Peterson must feel at seeing his efforts to make the test file easy to use wasted by lazy security vendors. Thanks to Didier for the effort in trying to reclaim some of that ease of use.

Surveillance Kitty Has It's Eye On You

found on i can has cheezburger

Geez, at least the surveillance camera doesn't look like it's judging you.

Time To Lunch An Attack

from here (source image)

When you hide cryptographic key stealing hardware inside a flatbread, the jokes just write themselves.

Even Dogs Are Getting In On The Racial Profiling

found on the meta picture

I gather that police dogs actually can pick up the racial biases of their handlers, just as children can learn to be racist from their parents. I wonder if those dogs can pass it on to their puppies.

Other People Already Know The True Answers

from here

My mother's maiden name is watermelon and my favourite colour is 3.14.

This Type Of Deadbolt Is Not Safe

found on the meta picture

And now you know not to trust this type of security mechanism.

You Deserve Better (Security)

from here (source image)

Hey, we all forget passwords. No need to beat yourself up over it.

8 Legged Threat

found on fail blog

Never underestimate your adversary, or you’ll wind up getting an unwelcome surprise.

Spy Dentures

from here (source image)

Thanks to @vanessa_amaya for tweeting an image of what could just be the next big thing in data smuggling.

Cool Iron Lock

found on the meta picture

Now there’s a cool lock. Imagine trying to pick that. You’d probably have to build new tools just to pick it. On the other hand, the slots in the key makes me think some parts of this lock are incredibly thin and could easily fail or simply be yanked out the keyway.