sniffing

Nanotech device could step in for dogs to sniff out explosives

When it comes to detecting a wide range of extremely faint scents, including the primary vapor that emanates from TNT-based explosives, dogs are the gold standard. But researchers out of the University of California at Santa Barbara, report in the journal Analytical Chemistry that they just may have man's best friend beat -- in the form of a fingerprint-sized silicon microchip.

"Like a person, a dog can have a good day or a bad day, get tired or distracted," Carl Meinhart, a mechanical engineering professor who led the research, said in a school news release. "We … Read more

Your Web browsing history is totally unique, like fingerprints

Browser sniffing has had its rogue moments, like when the Web site YouPorn was caught checking whether visitors had been to other porn sites. It turned out that YouPorn was just the top of a list of 46 Web sites that were sniffing users' browser history, according to researchers at the University of California at San Diego.

But in a new study from the French public research institute Inria, ( PDF) researchers themselves did the browser sniffing and discovered that most users have a completely distinctive history when it comes to Web sites they regularly visit. Their results show that users' … Read more

Laws on Wi-Fi sniffing still up in the air, say specialists

LAS VEGAS -- Got a Wi-Fi network? If someone, say Google or the government, sniffs your open network, you may think you're legally protected. Don't be so sure.

It remains unclear whether the law protects your unencrypted Wi-Fi from interception, because there are differing interpretations and lack of court precedent, Kevin Bankston, senior counsel at the Center for Democracy and Technology, said in a session at Defcon yesterday.

The federal wiretap statute prohibits sniffing of contents of communications by a device unless the contents are readily accessible to the general public. If the network is password-protected you're … Read more

YouPorn sued for sniffing browser history

A site for sharing pornographic content is the target of a lawsuit accusing it of improperly checking what other Web sites visitors had used.

Plaintiffs David Pitner and Jared Reagan, both of Newport Beach, Calif., accuse YouPorn operator Midstream Media of the Netherlands of violating the U.S. Computer Fraud and Abuse Act and California's computer crime law; of engaging in deceptive and unfair business practices; and of unlawful and unfair competition.

The suit, filed Friday in U.S. District Court for the central district of California, accuses YouPorn of, among other things, "intentionally accessing plaintiffs'...computers without … Read more

Android Atlas Weekly 7: How to root your Android phone (podcast)

The new Droid X is released...with a kill switch, anyone can create apps for an Android device, and special guest Darren Kitchen of Hak5.org shows us how to root an Android phone. Plus, we cover how to packet-sniff with your rooted droid, and share a tip on how to make that stock touch-screen keyboard more useful!

EPISODE 7News

The Motorola Droid X could brick itself if tampered with

Motorola spells out its reasons why...in February

...and it's all potentially a non-issue anyway… Read more

Sniffing keystrokes via laser and keyboard power

VANCOUVER, B.C.--Presenters at the CanSecWest security conference detailed on Thursday how they can sniff data by analyzing keystroke vibrations using a laser trained on a shiny laptop or through electrical signals coming from a PC connected to a PS/2 keyboard and plugged into a socket.

Using equipment costing about $80, researchers from Inverse Path were able to point a laser on the reflective surface of a laptop between 50 feet and 100 feet away and determine what letters were typed.

Chief Security Engineer Andrea Barisani and hardware hacker Daniele Bianco used a handmade laser microphone device and … Read more

Who needs dating sites? Get a dog

This invention reminds us that certain species in the animal kingdom, such as pandas, sometimes require artificial encouragement to begin their mating ritual--and that humans need a little help in this department from time to time as well.

The "SNIF Tag System," according to Gadgetell, not only tracks a dog's whereabouts but also stores information about the pet and its owners that can be traded to create a kind of canine social network. It's created by SNIF Labs, after all, which stands for "Social Networking in Fur."

"When you get home, all the … Read more