Pretending to be someone else in order to obtain information, typically over the phone. See social engineering.
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Additional Resources
- Can a case be made against the Palin e-mail hacker?
- Can a case be made against the Palin e-mail hacker?What was done was wrong. Period.Hacking is hacking. I sure hope a case can be made against this persons.As much as I can't stand the thought of Sarah Palin being a heartbeat away from running this country, and no children...I'm NOT...
- Discussion threads 2008-09-19
- Canada to criminalize identity theft
- Canada to criminalize identity theftPatty Dunn and HPIt has never sat well with me that Patty Dunn was not prosecuted for the identity theft involving Cnet reporters. This news from Canada makes me think that loop holes involving her wrong doing exist in US law. To review. It is absolutely...
- Discussion threads 2007-10-03
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- Engineering a new curriculumSome smaller schools are way ahead hereI teach engineering at two schools in CT. One University of New Haven has a core required course for non-technology students to give them an appreciation and understanding as well as the necessary vocabulary of the role that engineering and...
- Discussion threads 2007-09-10
- HP firing on all cylinders
- HP firing on all cylindersNot too surprisedI'd have thought their server business would be doing a bit better than it is just based on my own anecdotal observations, but that's still pretty good growth for a relatively high volume area.I'm not surprised at all by the growth in their personal...
- Discussion threads 2007-08-17
- Something uncomfortable about DEFCON's treatment of Dateline NBC reporter
- I don't know about you but after watching the video and reading the reports (George Ou, Techmeme, Threat Level) about DEFCON's outing of Dateline NBC producer Michelle Madigan, I came away with an uncomfortable feeling that it was rather childish, over-the-top and unnecessary.For starters, there's the irony of underground hackers...
- Blog posts 2007-08-06
- HP on potentially dangerous laser printer emissions: Our printers no riskier than toasters
- HP on potentially dangerous laser printer emissions: Our printers no riskier than toastersGet real, pleaseThere are more things in your house that can cause cancer than a laser printer. Your cell phone can cause tumors, the TV, the monitor on your PC, the list goes on and on. A laser...
- Discussion threads 2007-08-03
- Schneier: Will data reuse foster creation of a police state?
- Schneier: Will data reuse foster creation of a police state?Paranoiatell me, do those RADAR-based "photo-cop" cameras give you the whillies too? Cause they are constantly scanning you too when you drive thru an intersection.The police state is already here.It's been here since 2001. It's been a slowly developing...
- Discussion threads 2007-06-29
- Poll: Fake Steve Jobs matters more than the real thing
- In the I can't resist department, Business 2.0 has a poll dubbed "Who matters now?" The idea is to vote for business people "who inspire, inform and infuriate you." Business 2.0 then compiles an average rank and creates the standings.Gimmicky? Sure. Perfect for a summer Friday? You bet. This effort...
- Blog posts 2007-06-15
- Virtualization fits in small business
- Virtualization fits in small businessItanicThis is an excellent article. It deserves wide distribution. The story of the Itanic is worth bringing up. Itanium was the ill fated 64 bit Microsoft/Intel/HP joint project that went down like the Titanic owing to multicore multiprocessors from both Intel and AMD and back room...
- Discussion threads 2007-04-25
- White House panel pushes new identity fraud laws
- White House panel pushes new identity fraud lawsHP's DUNNFirst: A Cnet/ Zdnet reporter's identity along with the identities of HP board members was stolen in what the US citizenry has been schooled to call pretexting. In the legal defense that was prepared to defend the perpetrator one Patricia Dunn an...
- Discussion threads 2007-04-23
- HP talks with Vera Wang's hands
- For the last several quarters, HP has been on a roll. CEO Mark Hurd is credited with turning the company around after the Carly Fiorina era, despite the tawdry pretexting scandal. During this rehabilitation period, HP has also had an image makeover. The stodgy company that liked to talk about...
- Blog posts 2007-04-13
- News to know: x86 rules; Vista meets Linux; Google TV; Oracle Linux 'idiots'
- Notable headlines: Despite its aging design, the x86 still rules.Ed Botts Vista Hands On: Part 1: Access shared folders from a Linux machine. Part 2. George Ou: Firefox ANI exploit on the way - no protected mode. Why is Microsoft hell-bent on ruining their reputation?Donna Bogatin: Google TV ads debut....
- Blog posts 2007-04-03
- Podcast: HP pretexters get wrist-slaps, the mortally wounded copyright, Red Hat seeks threesome with Microsoft, and Tellme more
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- Blog posts 2007-03-14
- News to know: Oracle goes shopping; Dell's new focus; Google and click fraud
- Notable headlines:Larry Dignan: Oracle kicks off business intelligence consolidation.Dana Gardner: Oracle and Hyperion combo moves them closer to the ultimate business dashboard.Inside AdWords: Invalid Clicks – Google’s Overall Numbers. Larry Dignan: Google: Click fraud costs us $1 billion a year.Dells new focus: Dont look back. ArsTechnica: Why Dell and other...
- Blog posts 2007-03-01
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- Control freaks won at HP, ex-board member saysExamples to remember chairpersons are only that... persons.Examples to remember chairpersons are only that... persons. The board can be such a lonely and ruthless place. Your fears only help you to do silly things. And then you find others who agree with you...
- Discussion threads 2007-02-28
- FTC asks court to stop pretexting
- Action Research Group, one of the investigative companies hired by HP, and Eye in the Sky Investigations, which subcontracted to Action, have been singled out by the FTC, which has requested a federal court to order the companies to stop "pretexting," InfoWorld reports. In a complaint filed Wednesday...
- Blog posts 2007-02-15
- Spyware, data privacy bills reappear in House
- Spyware, data privacy bills reappear in HouseSelling My Social Security Number?I am outraged that ANY company is allowed access to my social security number. How do they get it to sell in the first place? I have long beeen an advocate of NOT using SSN's for identification purposes....
- Discussion threads 2007-02-10
- NH will challenge Real ID again, address other privacy issues
- The New Hampshire House last year pushed a bill rejecting the federal Real ID law - which would require states to remake their driver licenses to serve as a sort of national ID card - but it was shut down in the state Senate. This year, Republican Rep....
- Blog posts 2007-01-29
- News to know: Inside MySpace's IT; Oracle patches; Jobs is a $20B asset
- Notable headlines:Small drives cross performance threshold.AOL phisher faces up to 101 years in prison.Inside MySpace.coms IT: Booming traffic demands put a constant stress on the social networks computing infrastructure. Yet, MySpace developers have repeatedly redesigned the Web site software, database and storage systems in an attempt to keep pace with...
- Blog posts 2007-01-17
- President signs pretexting bill into law
- President signs pretexting bill into lawWhy the law enforcement exemption?I agree with the law, but don't understand why we need to reserve the right for law enforcement to obtain our personal records by pretending to be us. Isn't this what warrants are for? And if they aren't able...
- Discussion threads 2007-01-16
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