Tag Archives: european

EU Presidency calls for massive internet filtering

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A Council of the European Union document leaked by Statewatch on 30 August reveals that during the summer months, that Estonia (current EU Presidency) has been pushing the other Member States to strengthen indiscriminate internet surveillance, and to follow in the footsteps of China regarding online censorship.

Source: Leaked document: EU Presidency calls for massive internet filtering – EDRi

According to the leaked document, the text suggests two options for each of the two most controversial proposals: the so-called “link tax” or ancillary copyright and the upload filter.

Iceland drills 4.7 km down into volcano to tap clean energy

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Iceland’s decision to harness the heat inside the earth in a process known as geothermal energy dates back to the 1970s and the oil crisis.

But the new geothermal well is expected to generate far more energy, as the extreme heat and pressure at that depth makes the water take the form of a “supercritical” fluid, which is neither gas nor liquid.

Source: Iceland drills 4.7 km down into volcano to tap clean energy

Norway to switch off FM radio in risky, unpopular shift to digital

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Norway is set to become the first nation to start switching off its FM radio network next week, in a risky and unpopular leap to digital technology that will be closely watched by other countries considering whether to follow suit.

Source: Norway to switch off FM radio in risky, unpopular shift to digital

For the same cost, digital radio in Norway allows eight times more radio stations than FM.

EU Set to Probe Ireland’s Tax Arrangements with Apple

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Ireland’s taxation laws allow multinationals to set up subsidiaries that effectively turn them into stateless entities whose revenues are subject to no jurisdiction. It’s the definition of entirely legal tax avoidance, and Apple has been among the most successful companies in routing much of its international revenues and earnings through its Irish subsidiaries.

via EU Set to Probe Ireland’s Tax Arrangements with Apple – The Mac Observer.

No the Internet is not a ‘value tree’

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Projects like Wikipedia, uses such as text and data mining, online access to cultural heritage and educational resources, and transformative use of the Internet do not follow the same logic as the traditional content industry value chains. Here limited user rights and long terms of protection become problematic and increased enforcement translates into chilling effects.

At the same time all of these types of uses are exactly what makes the Internet special and drives its potential to accelerate innovation and to democratize access to knowledge, tools and culture. The Internet is the first mass medium that is simultaneously enabling market driven uses, uses that are driven by public policy objectives (such as education or access to culture), and uses driven by people’s desire to create, collaborate and contribute to the commons.

via Kennisland : No the Internet is not a ‘value tree’.

World’s largest DDoS strikes US, Europe

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The Network Time Protocol (NTP) Reflection attack exploits a timing mechanism that underpins a way the internet works to greatly amplify the power of what would otherwise be a small and ineffective assault.

via World’s largest DDoS strikes US, Europe – Security – Technology – News – iTnews.com.au.

The OpenNTPProject can help administrators determine if their servers are vulnerable.

Munich open source switch ‘completed successfully’

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In one of the premier open source software deployments in Europe, the city migrated from Windows NT to LiMux, its own Linux distribution. LiMux incorporates a fully open source desktop infrastructure. The city also decided to use the Open Document Format (ODF) as a standard, instead of proprietary options.

Ten years after the decision to switch, the LiMux project will now go into regular operation, the Munich City council said in a document published

via Munich open source switch ‘completed successfully’.

14 MEPs emails intercepted by a hacker thanks to Microsoft flaws

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My best guess is that what they did was to impersonate the EP-EXT wifi network and steal our credentials from the login page (https://wifiauth.europarl.europa.eu/, now no longer available, see screenshot below for what it more-or-less used to look like). In this scenario, after I automatically connect to the rogue WiFi (because my phone recognizes the SSID), it presents me with the familiar login page, but this time it’s not HTTPS but plain HTTP. So, no warning about a self-signed certificate is presented to the user.

After I type in my credentials, the rogue WiFi is turned off for a minute or more, so my phone re-connects to the real EP-EXT network and I am asked for my credentials again. I would probably think that I mistyped the password or something and not think twice about it. After a minute the rogue WiFi goes back online, waiting for the next victim.

via epfsug – Re: Ang.: [EPFSUG] 14 MEPs emails intercepted by a hacker thanks to Microsoft flaws – arc.

This is classic MITM where a user inadvertently accepts a different certificate than provided from the mail server which allows the man in the middle access to the encrypted stream.  Always be on the lookout for those pop up notifications.  An attacker can’t get to an encrypted stream without your permission — even on an unsecured open wifi.

From: Temporary Switch-off of the EP Public WI-FI Network. EP Private Wi-Fi Network Still Available.

The Parliament has been subject for a man-in-the-middle attack, where a hacker has captured the communication between private smartphones and the public Wi-Fi of the Parliament (EP-EXT Network).

The consequence is that some individual mail-boxes have been compromised. All concerned users have already been contacted and asked to change their password.

As a precaution, the Parliament has therefore decided to switch-off the public Wi-Fi network until further notice, and we invite you to contact the ITEC Service Desk in order to install an EP software certificate on all the devices that you use to access the EP IT systems (email, etc..).

In response to NSA revelations, the internet’s engineers set out to PRISM-proof the net

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Yet one major caveat remains. While the IETF might be able to secure the pipes through which users’ data travel, users must also be able to trust the parties where their data is stored: software, hardware and services such as Cisco, Gmail and Facebook. These parties can hand over user data directly to government agencies.

via In response to NSA revelations, the internet’s engineers set out to PRISM-proof the net | Radio Netherlands Worldwide.

Most Innovative Carrier WiFi Deployment

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The WiFi deployment plays a dual role for Virgin Media Business, however. The company uses fiber backhaul connections to ensure the network’s performance, but also to lease to mobile operators that can use it to bolster their 3G and 4G networks. It’s a win-win for everyone: Residents get free WiFi, Virgin gets access to prime real estate for small cells, and the city gets a cut of the revenue it earns from the wireless operators.

via 2013 Leading Lights Finalists: Most Innovative Carrier WiFi Deployment | Light Reading.