Run DMZ

Just got done relaxing in the backyard with a cup of hot tea and the morning newspapers. I stumbled upon a story in the San Diego Union-Tribune about photoprocessors refusing to print amateur digital photos for fear of copyright infringement violations. In at least the instance mentioned, the pictures had been doctored using Photoshop or some other photo editing software. It's something to keep in mind for those shutterbugs stretching their digital capabilities, especially during vacation season. Elsewhere in the same issue, Boston Globe technology columnist Hiawatha Bray wrote a piece that should humble some MacIntosh users convinced they are immune to the malware typically targeting Microsoft Windows customers. Bray warns that a new feature in Apple's latest upgrade for the operating system, Tiger's Dashboard, will automatically install programs that may or may not come from a trusted source. This means you could accidentally install a worm or virus that looks like a le...

Though it afflicts runners especially, toenail fungus is a growing problem for a lot of people who either exercise in improper shoeware or go barefoot in dangerous places, like a gym. This year an antifungal company is visiting road races throughout the country with a "Toe Truck" to promote the screening and treatment of people who suffer from the embarrassing, potentially dangerous problem. Here's an excerpt from an RxNews.com article on the subject: "Nail fungus, also known as onychomycosis, is a persistent fungal infection of the nails that affects approximately 35 million Americans. Nail fungus occurs when fungi called dermatophytes, usually Trichophyton rubrum, invade the nail. The incidence of nail fungus increases with age and is higher in men, but it can affect people of any age or gender. The symptoms of nail fungus include changes in color and thickness of the nail. As the disease progresses, the nail thickens and causes pressure, especially when shoes are...

Wired News apparently interviewed the trio believed behind the Paris Hilton hack and Lexis Nexis break-ins that exposed more than 300,000 unsuspecting consumers to ID theft. The three New England teens say they did it for bragging rights and haven't used the stolen information for harm. Thus far, law enforcement officials say there's no proof to dispute that claim. Database Hackers Reveal Tactics

Not because it's gross, but because the chances of a terrorist slipping poison into our food remains a very real threat that the federal government is trying to address. By the end of the year, all food processors are expected to have modern computing systems in place that can track a food's source and any trail of tampering -- and produce such a report to the feds within 8 hours of a reported threat. Meantime, keep your fingers crossed since many smaller companies remain dependent on antiquated systems. If you'd like to read up on what the government's doing, read these reports from the FDA .

I remember watching convicted-hacker-turned-consultant Kevin Mitnick on (then TechTV's) ScreenSavers as he changed the Call ID name and number on a cell phone. At the time, it just looked like an interesting trick, but in the past six months the security industry's finally caught on to what Mitnick was demonstrating: the newest way for scam artists to get your money. Most Internet users now know to never, ever give up your financial account information soliticited via e-mail. Don't even click or hold your cursor over the links in the message -- they aren't real and most likely install nasty keystroke loggers on your machine. Now that public awareness has grown, these "phishers" are spoofing Call-ID numbers to look like it's Bank of America, PayPal, eBay, etc., calling instead about an irregularity with your account. For verification, they ask that you provide your account number. Then you can watch your money slip away. Unfortunately, it's getting hard...

Looks like The Washington Post has an exclusive story on the link between the Lexis Nexis data thefts and the hackers who lifted lewd photos off Paris Hilton's Sidekick and posted them online. First, someone posed as T-Mobil supervisor to get Hilton's password and then the gang posted photos and celebrity phone numbers on various Internet sites. The pictures had been hosted on a T-Mobil server. From the news story, it appears the same hacker group installed a Trojan horse (a sly type of code that does bad things) to record key strokes of anyone who opened an e-mail promising child porn. A policeman was one such taker and then later accessed a Lexis Nexis account for law enforcement. By gaining his account password and username, the stage was set to access the Lexis Nexis database and steal away. Looks like the average age of the alleged offenders is around 18.

This news item in today's New York Times (subscription required) is disturbing, to say the least. Now we've got a new reason to avoid walking on sidewalk grates.