Credit Card Number Code

byJess.net has a nice diagram on the codes used to create a credit card:

RSA's big hole

RSA got hacked a while back (March, 2011).  Here's some notes on the incident:

• NYTimes on What Happened.
• Znet on what happened. 
• Overview of the tools, techniques and procedures used in the attack from Command5. (pdf)
• RSA tells everyone to replace SecurID tokens (RSA, Mar/2011)
• Wired discusses how F-Secure figured out what the Worm was that got into RSA.

And then slashdot points out: 

"A researcher has found and published a way to tune into an RSA SecurID Token. Once a few easy steps are followed, anyone can generate the exact numbers shown on the token. The method relies on finding the seed that is used to generate the numbers in a way that seems random. Once it is known, it can be used to generate the exact numbers displayed on the targeted Token. The technique, described on Thursday by a senior security analyst at a firm called SensePost, has important implications for the safekeeping of the tokens. An estimated 40 million people use these to access confidential data belonging to government agencies, military contractors, and corporations. Scrutiny of the widely used two-factor authentication system has grown since last year, when RSA revealed that intruders on its networks stole sensitive SecurID information that could be used to reduce its security. Defense contractor Lockheed Martin later confirmed that a separate attack on its systems was aided by the theft of the RSA data."

Monitoring your Utilities

HackaDay has a nice piece on how to monitor your utility usage via wifi.   As a natural followup, slashdot points out that the FBI says that smart meter hacks are on the rise. 

More Coffee Shop Hackary!

I love my N900!  There is a great pen tester that can run either on it or a plug-pc running Ubuntu.   Its called pwnieexpress! Both the plug-pc and (obviously the n900) will let you pen-test  wired, wireless, and 3G networks.

Murphy's Law - A History

Improbable Research has a fantastic primer on this history of Murphy's Law, were it came from, and why rocket sleds are cool. (Note that you can also buy the book "A history of Murphy's Law" that discusses this in more detail.)

Cool Weather Maps!

Couple of cool new ways to see what the weather is.

Wind Map: Fernanda Viegas and Martin Wattenberg over at hint.fm came up with a very cool way to present how the wind is flowing over the US.

Weatherspark: James Diebel and Jacob Norda have put together a fantastic (the best I have ever seen) weather site. It allows you to view combinations of graphs to better understand the data that comes out of NOAA and all the other online weather services.

Thanks to Robert Krulwich for pointing out NASA's world wind animation video (unfortunately, it's just a video, and not an interactive page. )

Want to track down where someone was born (or at least where they got their SSN) if you have their Social Security Number?  EFF has a quickie doc on decoding SSN to issued location.

Thermal Imaging

New Scientist has a cool little project that lets you record the lack of insulation in your home.

Make a simple thermal scanner with an Ardunio card, and then record the observed temperature not with a number (in Fahrenheit) but with a colored flashlight that is pointed on to the surface that you are measuring. Thus, hot surfaces get red light shined on them, and cold surfaces get blue. Then use some time-lapse photography to compile all the readings into a single photo.

Things you will need:

Arduino Card

Photo thermal scanner wiring diagram:  Circuit diagram for 5v Melexix Sensor

Code for Arduino Card: (Have not found yet)

Time-lapse (long exposure) app: Glow Doodle, iPhone app guide, 

crapscatter X-ray

"TSAourOfOurPants" demonstrated how he got around TSA's backscatter X-ray system by simply putting the metal object to the side rather then the front of his body. 

At $100-$200k a unit, and all the hubbub over cancer and embarrassment, are these really the best method to keep public air travel safe?  A good string of methods and procedures should be used, but is this the best bang for the public's buck.  (ok... bang is maybe not the best word to use..)

Stelth Car

I'm digging Mercedes new add campaign for their new F-Cell (hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicle) car.  To add attention to it, they strapped on a sheet of LED's and made it very well camouflaged. 

Only problem it's only on one side of the car, and the lights are held together with black sheets, so you can't really see through them.  A better material to hold the lights together, and enough cameras inside the car to properly project the correct image on all the sides of the car, and you have an awesome camo system!