Security

Looks like Defcon 16 is one of the best yet. The “Defcon 16 Mystery Challenge” is a competition for attendees to have at. Solve a series of puzzles and mysteries and you could win special black Defcon badges that give you free admittance for life. One of the puzzles includes this delightful yellow ball with a combination lock on the ...

Going to Beijing for the upcoming Olympic games? Well, if you weren’t aware, China is not a democracy. Their nation-wide firewall leaves access to certain websites blocked, dulling your internet experience. No worries, thanks to Germany’s Chaos Computer Club’s USB dongle dubbed The Freedom Stick. For just $30, this device is preloaded with software which will secure your connection, routing ...

We’re not actively covering the Black Hat 2008 security conference currently going on in Las Vegas but there is some crazy stuff happening. Similar to when I attended Defcon years ago with Hack a Day, there was a Wall of Sheep. The WoS displays people who got hacked and insecure connections to prove a point and expose weaknesses in wireless ...

We’ve seen artificial corneas that could replace damaged organic corneas, but how about a digital image sensor that adjusts itself like a human retina? That’s exactly what John Rogers at the University of Illinois is creating. An improved method of transferring silicon sensors onto a curved surface allowing for the sensor to capture wide-angle views with low distortion. Because it ...

Everybody knows it can be dangerous to have porn on your computer at work, but now it seems like none of your files are safe from prying eyes. Thanks to some recent court rulings and new policies at the Department of Homeland Security, any traveler crossing the US border can have their laptops and other electronic devices seized and examined ...

Designed by fellow New Yorker and Brooklyn-based artist William Lamson, this lifehack is probably the easiest way to eliminate a public security camera. First, you’ll need a helium-filled balloon and some string. A weight won’t hurt either. Get the balloon full of static electricity and then raise it up to the camera. As it sticks, tie the string to the ...

Quality car stereos are always getting stolen so a poster on Instructibles who goes by the name of sfgabe came up with an easy way to fool thieves into thinking that your sound system has already been jacked. Gabe, who says he lives in a “sketchy section [of] Oakland” where his car gets broken into on a “weekly basis” came ...

Olympus Japan today announced the development of the worlds first 360 degree lens and camera prototype. With a vertical coverage of 180 degrees this camera is a boon to surveillance systems everywhere.� This camera won’t miss a thing as it can cover every possible angle so long as the room isn’t too asymmetrical. No word from Olympus if the prototype ...

Israeli company Linceus is introducing a monorail robot designed to patrol large areas such as airport perimeters/Gaza Strip without the need to hire rent-a-cops for security. The bot is capable of reaching speeds up to 50 MPH.� It’s equipped with an array of sensors such as thermal cameras, laser designators and a rangefinder. It’s a damn shame it doesn’t have ...

If you go away for a few weeks and need to give your key to a housekeeper, babysitter, or dog watcher while your away, who knows whether that person is going out and making a copy of the key, with some sort of diabolical plot for thievery planned on your return. The ViprLock ensures that something like that could never ...