Lifeboat Foundation

Adrienne Porter Felt, Staff Software Engineer, Google Chrome.

Everyone wants to build software that’s both usable and secure, yet the world is full of software that falters at this intersection. How does this happen? I experienced the disconnect firsthand, when the Chrome security team redid Chrome’s security UI to conform to best practices for usable security. In the process, we learned how hard it is to actually adhere to oft-cited wisdom about usable security when faced with real-world constraints and priorities. With a set of case studies, I’ll illustrate the limitations we encountered when trying to apply common wisdom to a browser with more than a billion users—and discuss what has actually worked for us in practice, which might work for other practitioners too.

Continue reading “USENIX Enigma 2016 — Why Is Usable Security Hard, and What Should We Do about it?” »

Rob Joyce, Chief, Tailored Access Operations, National Security Agency.

From his role as the Chief of NSA’s Tailored Access Operation, home of the hackers at NSA, Mr. Joyce will talk about the security practices and capabilities that most effectively frustrate people seeking to exploit networks.

Continue reading “USENIX Enigma 2016 — NSA TAO Chief on Disrupting Nation State Hackers” »

Quantum Internet — this has been in development and testing for a while now at Los Alamos and I am looking forward to it been expanded to the commercial sector. It has seen some challenges; however, every month we’re seeing the challenges knocked out such as the Quantum Light Source technology.

Imagine communicating with your bank, the IRS or your doctor by way of an Internet that was actually secure, where if any bad actor were to try to eavesdrop you would know immediately. Such is the promise of secure quantum communication, and has been since it was ‘almost ready’ starting in the 1990s.

For quantum communication to become the standard, technical challenges still lie ahead. To make progress toward devices that can send and receive quantum data, researchers at Stanford University have created a novel quantum light source.

Continue reading “How To Improve Internet Security — 20th Century Radio Technology” »

I do commend Sacramento for trying to put controls in place to reduce human trafficking; will it work?

What if banning smartphone encryption could stem the rising tide of human trafficking, a form of modern-day slavery from which perpetrators force victims to engage in commercial labor services or sex acts against their will?

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“But if you are familiar with the advanced search options these sites offer or read any number of books or blogs on ‘Google Dorks, ’ you’ll likely be more fearful of them than something with limited scope like Shodan”.

And it’s recently emerged that Shodan, a search engine for the Internet of Things, allows users to snoop on screenshots of anything filmed by a webcam from cash register cameras to babies sleeping in a cot. It’s pitched mainly as a security research tool and a way for businesses to monitor connected device usage, but it has also exposed controls to utilities, heating and cooling units, and traffic systems.

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Another article highlighting the fears around Singularity. There are so many great things that will come from Singularity such as Cancer is wiped out, improved healthcare across the board and cheaper, etc. And, there are also downsides as Gates, Musk, etc. have warned folks especially around AI.

So, what are our options and obligations around Singularity? In reality, you will not be able to stop this evolution from happening. However, each person has a right to decide how much singularity is right for their own private use. As a business or a company, there are many things to consider such as Total Cost of Ownership v. ROI, tax codes or how government will view “humanoids” v. non-humanoids as it relates to CapEx and Taxes, etc. And, the company or business needs to ensure that there are appropriate safegaurds in place in order to protect their data, etc… Also, government has an obligation to the people in general in safegaurding our rights, security, and safety.

Another, question that will continue to be raised and will increase overtime is government and business obligations to the financial welfare of the people. And, this one will become more and more complex and interesting overtime. If AI was to truly displace millions of workers; how will the countries help feed, clothe, and house millions displaced people beyond what they have done in their own country’s past? Will the countries government place a special tax structure on companies and businesses to help fund the displaced workers and their families? Or, will it be a joint partnership with business and government? It does make one wonder.

Continue reading “Why you should be scared of robots” »

There is enough wealth for all of us. What if we decided that every human being has a right to income security? How could a basic income change our lives? Could this relieve our society from the stress and anger that comes with the rising inequality?

Featuring: Guy Standing (economist, UK), Phillippe Van Parijs (philosopher, co-founder European Basic Income Network, BE) Enno Schmidt (Co-initiator of the Swiss Citizen’s Initiative on Basic Income, CH) Daniel Hani (Co-initiator of the Swiss Citizen’s Initiative on Basic Income, CH) Roland Duchatelet (entrepreneur, BE) Francine Mestrum (researcher on social development, BE) Dirk De Wachter (psychotherapist, BE) Sarah Van Lieferinge (Pirate Party, BE) Claudia & Dirk Haarman (Researchers Basic Income Grant project Namibia, NA) Bischop Kameeta (current Minister of poverty aleviation, NA) Ismael Daoud, Pierre & Axelle Catelin (calculated a possible basic income, BE) …

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I see this competition now between the US vs Russia/China in robotics as a good thing. For one it will make the silly campaigns against robots go away, as this will now become a matter of national security to advance robotics. And, secondly, it will force the government to put up a huge amount of money into robotics research even if they didnt really want to; the old guys think robots are silly. What that means for us in the general public is that we will get robot caregivers much sooner than we thought thanks to all this defense spending on robotics.

U.S. officials have ordered an investigation into whether China might be gaining an unfair competitive advantage in the robotics race.

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I usually never post articles like this one; however, it does raise a question for me. Could both defense and homeland security needs in addressing risks, and other emergencies really propel us sooner than later into singularity in order to ensure citizens their own protection. As other country militaries race to improve their own military AI & robotic capabilities. https://lnkd.in/ebMQ3Ab

If you thought Enhanced Human Operations (EHO) were an extravagant fantasy of Hollywood films and video games, then think again. Russia and China are involved in EHO, the act of modifying the brain and body in order to create “super soldiers” who will have the upper hand in battles.

Continue reading “Russia and China Have Started Enhancing Humans for Battle” »