Posts by Velv

Ironically, isn't this the very type of "Service" that made CraigsList infamous???

"... its the quality of the code not the length..."

Quality is a subjective measure. Heavily documented code that's clear and easy to maintain could be quality to one situation where tight efficient complex code is quality in a different situation.

Re: Some thoughts

If they're your disks and you refuse to comply then you're first person involvement.

If Seagate* were compelled to provide access to the content of your disks then they'd be a third party involvement similar to Apple.

*or your manufacturer of choice.

Re: Bass-ackward.

But do you own .jake

Didn't think so.

So you don't control *.jake

One wonders if Jake actually understand how TehIntraWebTubes (sic) work

I'm in no way defending HOW this has been done (government is shit), or some of the WHYs, but the statistical analysis and big data elements are actually groundbreaking. You find correlations in seeming unrelated data through proper analysis, and things like prescription rates and referrals are related data so they don't count as big data analysis.

Re: Pretty weak position for the FBI here

"...by shutting down DFU updates "

I think we should be careful about what we prescribe as the "fix" for the challenge. There are many good reasons why it might be necessary for Apple to assist a person to access the hardware and content using a particular technical method, e.g. a failed update, a company owned phone, the owner being deceased and the family rightfully requiring access.

The issue is not technical. The issue is the government demanding access to private information, and their right or not to make such demands. Technical workarounds will fail - if the government has the power, they will use it, and they will penalise anyone who obstructs them irrespective of reality. We need to make sure they never get the power.

Re: Freedom

@Intractable Potshead

So you don't buy into that philosophy, that's cool.

Perhaps you think it's OK not to serve a disabled person, or an old person. Perhaps you think we should take the vote off the Blacks and the Women, because let's face it, they're not worth.

We've had this debate. Not treating people equally is discrimination. The Suffragets fought for equality and the sane people knew it was right. Martin Luther King fought and died for equality, and the sane people knew it was right. Discrimination and prejudice are wrong, and I stand by my statement - if you're not prepared to serve the public equally don't serve the public. I'm not asking you to like them, not liking your customers is a whole different issue.

Re: Simpler yet - Just Encryt

D'oh!

Encryption is useless if an authorised and authenticated "user" accesses the data, and this is actually the more common route for data loss.

Re: How far ?

I'm in no way suggesting this is anywhere near a reasonable justification for such legislation, but you've got to remember that most criminals are a bit thick, they'll use the standard features on their device, and law enforcement gaining access to the information will secure more convictions. I can therefore understand why some people think it's justified, however like you, I'd suggest any such legislation will just push the really dangerous criminals further underground.

Re: 1) is a tad unrealistic

Agreed there are issues that can only be diagnosed under the users credentials.

But the policy will handle that. The user must remain present during the support service. They cannot be permitted to "just bugger off for coffee". Now I know it's difficult for the PFY in his second week to tell the senior manager they can't just leave their password behind or even just leave the computer logged on, but if the senior manager has signed up to the policy in the first place the company should be behind it and the PFY. It doesn't take long for the right culture to be the norm.

"If there's a bypass that will grant access to data without entering the passcode, then the encryption isn't as strong as it's claimed to be, is it?"

Nothing wrong with the encryption. It's the authentication that is weak.

Re: The service runs as root?

"The service runs as root? ... is just plain laziness..."

"If the input was sanitised, it wouldn't even matter that it was running as root"

Any single failure probably wouldn't be an issue, but this problem and more importantly the subsequent blindness in the comments just highlight that *ALL* areas of the system need to take responsibility for the security of the entire system. No piece can ever rely on security being provided by some other piece.

Re: Oxymoron

the old comparison being "Military intelligence is to intelligence what military music is to music"

Re: I don't see any point to this

Can't speak for AndroidPay, but ApplePay tokenises the details from the App so that as they pass through the card machine and over the network they cannot be copied and used elsewhere.

If you just use your card (contactless or normal) then the card details can be stored or stolen and used elsewhere (and there are plenty of examples where this has happened with dodgy card machines and dodgy retailers).

Re: Clearly impossible

Having applied a fresh cup of really hot tea you've just proven that the more unlikely something is to occur the higher the probability it will happen sooner rather than later

Re: They gave him their password

He pled guilty to one count of unauthorised access to a computer system.

That doesn't mean that was one of the 122 accounts he accessed (which will be 122 separate counts of phishing or fraud or whatever that actually is in legal terms when you trick the victim into granting you access). It's an entirely different and charge.

But the evidence on that one unauthorised access was probably the best evidence they had of securing a conviction without going to court, the threat to him being a court might find him guilty of the 122 counts of fraud and a substantially larger sentence.

Re: Where were the opposition?

The problem is most MPs and parties have been brainwashed to believe that something is required or the country will fall apart. They believe in some form of new powers "to tackle terrorism and crime". Even if they don't believe every word of the current bill they believe there must be a new bill on surveillance and electronic communication interception.

And the fastest way to get those new powers approved is to let this bill pass to committee and hope they can amend it prior to final reading.

What happens next will be the real tell-tale...