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Macrovision/C-Dilla
Privacy & Security News July 2001
California hack points to possible IT surveillance threat
The revelation that hackers broke into computer systems owned by California's primary electric power grid operator and remained undetected for 17 days this spring highlights a growing concern of federal officials that such intrusions could be part of long-term intelligence-gathering activities. ComputerWorld
Third of U.S. Employees' Web Use Monitored - Study
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - More than one-third of U.S. employees who browse the Web and use e-mail at work have their Internet use systematically monitored by their employers, a privacy group said on Monday.
The Privacy Foundation found employee monitoring to be growing rapidly, spurred by the cheap price of surveillance software and concerns about productivity and sexual-harassment liability. Daily News
ERASER (Free Software)
Eraser is an advanced security tool (for Windows), which allows you to completely remove sensitive data from your hard drive by overwriting it several times with carefully selected patterns.
The patterns used for overwriting are based on Peter Gutmann's paper "Secure Deletion of Data from Magnetic and Solid-State Memory" and they are selected to effectively remove magnetic remnants from the hard drive. Click Download
Creative Labs sound cards have been spying on 20 million users
Irate users are accusing Creative Labs, the maker of popular soundcards and music players, of spying on them. The dispute revolves around a piece of software called newsupd.exe, installed with the software that comes with most Creative products, which many users say is connecting to the Internet without their authorization and relaying data secretly back to Creative servers. Security News Portal
Overview of Triangle Boy Network (UPDATE)
Please see figures (1) and (2) for reference. Figure (1) shows the basic SafeWeb network topology, while figure (2) shows how triangle boy (TB) prevents blocking of the SafeWeb service.
Corporations, governments, and other entities can (and frequently do) act as gatekeepers of the Web by blocking access to certain sites that they deem "inappropriate," "offensive," or "objectionable." Triangle Boy
Technology: Want to surf the Web anonymously? The CIA will help
A California software developer is offering a free Internet service to bring back the halcyon days of anonymous surfing, allowing Net users to evade Web bugs designed to spy on them and to get around programs that employers use to track what workers are doing online. NandoTimes
Have you been smart tagged? WinXP IE6 has a little list (How it Works)
Recent builds of the Internet Explorer 6 beta have included the IE implementation of Microsoft's smart tag technology, prompting choruses of disapproval from the media. Which is of course understandable - smart tag technology parses its way through a web page, underlines the words it's been pre-programmed to react to, and inserts its own hyperlinks. The Register
Does Europe Covet Own Echelon?
BRUSSELS, Belgium -- Maurizio Turco, an Italian member of the European Parliament, shook up the last scheduled meeting of the temporary committee investigating the Echelon interception system in more ways than one Wednesday afternoon.
Turco, who describes himself as a "radical," charged that the committee's year-long investigation may have raised international awareness about the satellite-based surveillance system, but it was in effect nothing more than a smokescreen. Wired
Some Free AOL IM Tools
Can Privacy Rights Survive?
When it comes to privacy, ever more intrusive collection technologies are being rolled out, such as online tracking mechanisms, spyware, face recognition systems, location tracking devices and even thermal imaging, a Senate Commerce Committee panel was told today.
And, Jason Catlett, president of Junkbusters.com and a visiting fellow at the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard, said in a written statement that "advances in 'cloaking' technologies are always outstripped by advances in collection technologies, both in capabilities and degree of adoption." Internet News
DoubleClick Reworks Privacy Policy
Online advertising giant DoubleClick, which last year faced controversy over its privacy policies and practices, has a new version of the document that started it all. Internet News
Privacy Debate Swirls Around iTV Advertising
As interactive TV firms beef up their efforts to develop advertising on the new medium, one consumer group is voicing concerns about the privacy ramifications.
On Tuesday, the Washington, D.C.-based Center for Digital Democracy released a report criticizing iTV providers' targeted marketing efforts.
The nonprofit's report, entitled "TV That Watches You: The Prying Eyes of Interactive Television," maintains that through tracked, addressable set-top boxes, personal video recorders and other devices, consumers will be as traceable as they are on the Internet -- and perhaps more so. Internet News
Amazon Wins Privacy Victory
Amazon.com won a major victory today when the Federal Trade Commission rejected a petition from privacy advocates claiming that Amazon violated the law by making changes in its privacy policy last year.
In a letter to Junkbusters.com President Jason Catlett and Marc Rotenberg, president of the Electronic Privacy Information Center, FTC Consumer Protection Director Jodie Bernstein wrote that its staff believes that Amazon's revised privacy policy "does not materially conflict with representations Amazon made in its previous privacy policy and that it likely has not violated Section 5 of the FTC Act." Internet News
Trial Date Set in DoubleClick Case
Alley-based DoubleClick likely will be heading to court in January, over alleged abuses of its "cookie" policies.
On Wednesday, lawyers for California resident Hariett Judnick received word from state Judge Lynn O'Malley Taylor approving a January 2002 trial date -- despite DoubleClick's earlier efforts to have the case thrown out.Internet News
Amazon Dodges Another Bullet
Amazon.com (NASDAQ:AMZN) dodged another FTC probe today when the agency's staff concluded that although the online retailer likely engaged in some deceptive business practices regarding the privacy of users of its Alexa service, no enforcement action is contemplated.
The mistake occurred when Amazon said that it did not keep personally identifiable information in Alexa's database of surfing patterns, the FTC said in a recent letter to Amazon's lawyers. The letter was signed by C. Lee Peeler, associate director of the Federal Trade Commission's Division of Advertising Practices. Internet News
Default Vulnerability Discovered in W2K SMTP Service
Friday, July 06, 2001 � Microsoft Corp. Thursday night issued a fix to patch a new vulnerability that could give an attacker user-level privileges on Windows 2000 systems running its Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP) service.
SMTP is installed by default along with IIS 5.0 on Windows 2000 Server systems. SMTP can be installed on Windows 2000 Professional systems, as well. ENT online
Hacker posts code to exploit MS bug
A Japanese hacker has posted a program on the Net giving attackers complete control of servers running Microsoft's popular Web server software. Experts say patch early and often. ZDnet
Microsoft Could Hold Passport to Net
The Internet is by its nature adaptive, chaotic and creative, a virtual territory that no one owns and with no central point of control. Could Microsoft change that?
The software giant's competitors think so. Rivals are marshalling arguments to influence upcoming settlement talks with the government and block Microsoft from becoming a de facto centralized power on the Internet. Yahoo Newss
Hole found in Check Point's FireWall-1 and VPN-1
A vulnerability in Check Point Software Technologies' Firewall-1 and VPN-1 firewalls may allow intruders to tunnel illegitimate traffic into or out of corporate networks. NWfusion
Security concerns prompt Safe Harbor site changes
Security concerns prompted a U.S. government agency to remove two features from its Web site designed to aid the flow of personal information and commerce between the U.S. and the European Union, according to a notice posted on the site. NW fusion
Study: Monitoring of employee e-mail, Web use escalates
According to a study released today by the Denver-based Privacy Foundation, 14 million employees, or just over one-third of the online workforce in the U.S., have their Internet or e-mail use monitored by their employers.
Worldwide, the number of employees under such surveillance is about 27 million, the study reports. NW fusion
A Security Warning for Windows 2000
Microsoft Corp. has issued a security bulletin for Windows 2000 users and a patch to resolve a flaw that could allow a malicious user to authenticate to the service using improper credentials for e-mail relaying.
The company said that an SMTP service installs by default as part of Windows 2000 server products, and can be selected for installation on Windows 2000 Professional. The flaw could allow an unauthorized user to authenticate to the service using incorrect credentials. An attacker who exploited the vulnerability could gain user-level privileges on the SMTP service, thereby enabling the attacker to use the service but not to administer it. The most likely purpose in exploiting the vulnerability would be to perform mail relaying via the server, Microsoft said.
The patch is available here. Story at Internet News
Time Cover Story: Internet Insecurity
The identity thieves are out there � and someone could be spying on you. Why your privacy on the net is at risk, and what you can do Time Magazine
CIA Official: Hackers Are Too Fast
WASHINGTON (AP) - The CIA cannot predict computer attacks on U.S. systems before they happen, as the agency is expected to do with political and military events, a top CIA official told Congress on Thursday.
Despite a major increase in intelligence efforts dedicated to computer security, attackers still develop new tools and techniques faster than the CIA can keep up, Lawrence K. Gershwin said. ITtoolBox
Foistware: New Net, Inc. (NewDotNet) DLL
NewDotNet is company that sells domain names for "nonstandard" top-level domains such as .free, .porn and .shop. While several such nonstandard TLDs are currently implemented by a number of organizations and under consideration by ICANN, this particular implementation smacks of an attempt to overthrow more legitimate pioneers of alternate domain-names (e.g. OpenNIC, AlterNIC) for a quick buck. The multiple systems offering the alternate TLDs will ultimately result in widespread namespace overlap, meaning that multiple sites can be using the exact same address, and what site comes up when you enter, say, www.example.free, will depend on whose DNS server gets queried first! (As if the lawyers aren't having a field day with domain-name registrations already...)
Infection method:
The NewDotNet software is surreptitiously bundled with unrelated software and ISP setup utilities in typical Foistware fashion. This software consists of a browser "plug-in" DLL (e.g. newdotnet2_78.dll), which is placed in the user's Windows folder. The file is normally placed in C:\Windows\ and run silently at start-up (via Rundll32) by a Run key placed in the Windows registry. According to the NewDotNet Web site, a New Net affiliate gets 5 cents for each system the plugin is successfully installed on. See Warning Bottom of their page
Document Tracker Features: allows you to keep tabs on your documents once you have released them to the world.
Know exactly when someone looks at your documents.
Know how many times your documents are viewed.
Know from where your documents are being viewed (by IP address).
Practical uses:
Resumes - know if and when your resumes are looked at.
Internal, confidential documents - track your internal documents and know when they are leaked outside of your organization.
Press Releases - watch your press releases and better understand your companies PR.
A new twist on the old Web Bug Story.. Check it out..
Microsoft Corp. Thursday night issued a fix to patch a new vulnerability that could give an attacker user-level privileges on Windows 2000 systems running its Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP) service.
SMTP is installed by default along with IIS 5.0 on Windows 2000 Server systems. SMTP can be installed on Windows 2000 Professional systems, as well. Here
Will Big Brother Track You By Cell Phone?
The FCC requires cell phone companies to track you, in order to find you when you call 911--but what about your privacy?
Your next cell phone may be able to tell your mobile carrier--and possibly others--exactly where you are and where you've been. Starting in October, new cell phones will contain Global Positioning System units for use with location services offering emergency help, traffic and shopping aids, and more. PC World
Should a Web Site's Privacy Policy be Set by Law?
Tech leaders say they want the flexibility to write their own, but Congress leans otherwise.
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Respecting customers' privacy doesn't have to be the law, it's simply good business, some dot-com executives say. But a Congressional subcommittee is concerned about the less-conscientious companies. PC World
Windows XP Is Nosy, Privacy Groups Complain
Advocacy groups urge FTC to force Microsoft to change Windows XP, possibly delaying launch. As they threatened, a handful of consumer advocacy and privacy organizations have asked the Federal Trade Commission to force changes in Microsoft Windows XP that could delay the product's release.
The groups are concerned that Microsoft's Passport authentication system has "the potential to track, profile and monitor users of the Internet ... [with] far-reaching and profound implications for privacy," according to the formal complaint, filed Thursday. PC World
Nation's Cybercops Criticized
Just days after the Code Red Worm crawls toward the White House, a Senate committee complains.
WASHINGTON -- As the Code Red worm lies dormant awaiting its next attack, the federal agency that is supposed to protect the nation against cyberterrorism took heat for not doing its job. PC World
FBI Required to Report on E-Mail Wiretaps
Use of the controversial monitoring system formerly known as Carnivore must be detailed, Congress says.
The U.S. House of Representatives passed a measure on Monday that would require the Federal Bureau of Investigation to report how it uses the controversial e-mail wiretap system formerly known as Carnivore.
Although the bill places no restrictions on how the FBI could use its monitoring system, now known as DCS1000, it would require the federal law-enforcement agency to provide a detailed report every year on how it was used. PC World
Russian Adobe Hacker Busted
LAS VEGAS -- FBI agents have arrested a Russian programmer for giving away software that removes the restrictions on encrypted Adobe Acrobat files.
Dmitry Sklyarov, a lead programmer for Russian software company ElcomSoft, was visiting the United States for the annual Defcon hacker convention, where he gave a talk on the often-flawed security of e-books.
This would be the second known prosecution under the criminal sections of the controversial Digital Millennium Copyright Act, (DMCA) which took effect last year and makes it a crime to "manufacture" products that circumvent copy protection safeguards. Wired News
Rallies planned for arrested hacker
LOS ANGELES, California (Reuters) -- The arrest this week of a 26-year-old Russian software programmer accused of violating U.S. copyright law has sparked protests and pledges of support from a wide range of free speech advocates, defense lawyers and consumer groups.
Dmitry Sklyarov, who was arrested on Monday in Las Vegas after a major hacker convention there, is the first person to be prosecuted under the controversial 1998 Digital Millennium Copyright Act, federal law enforcement officials said.
Hacker supporters ask Adobe to aid in defense
SAN FRANCISCO, California (Reuters) -- Supporters of a jailed Russian software programmer called for Adobe Systems Inc. Wednesday to contribute to a legal defense fund. "Adobe made the mess so they should help clean it up," said Don Marti, an organizer for the Coalition to Free Dmitry. "I think it would be an opportunity for Adobe to put their money where their mouth is," said Robin Gross, an attorney at the Electronic Frontier Foundation. CNN
Protest Prompts Adobe to Drop Charges
Programmer's release likely, so next target is reviled copyright law.
Adobe has dropped charges against a Russian programmer arrested for copyright infringement of its products, but the incident has nevertheless reinvigorated opposition to a digital-rights law that affects all PC users. PC World
Double Trouble: Code Red and Sircam Plagues Continue
Computer users face high-profile threats from multiple sources
Computer users continue to face attacks on two fronts as the impersonal Code Red worm persists in infecting Web servers and the extremely personal Sircam virus keeps replicating in e-mail in-boxes worldwide.
Code Red doesn't directly attack PCs, but it has the potential to impact online access and Web site performance, according to security experts who have seen more than 200,000 additional Web servers hit by the latest round of Code Red infestation.
During the first wave, which began in mid-July, the worm infected about 250,000 servers running Microsoft's Internet Information Service software. Code Red's wild card is what will happen when it is due to switch to attack mode on August 20. PC World
Consumers Are Key to Privacy Protection
Government and industry officials still disagree over regulation of online privacy, but agree that users need knowledge. WASHINGTON, D.C. -- When it comes to regulating online privacy protection, there seems to be only one thing that everyone here on Capitol Hill can agree on: Consumers need to be better informed. PC World
Win2K becomes a spam relay
A flaw in the Win-2K SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol) authentication scheme allows unauthorized users to access the system using bogus credentials and bounce spam and death threats off unwitting users' machines with impunity. The Register
Read your firewall logs!
Installing a firewall, configuring its rule-set, and letting it pass or deny traffic is not good enough. You also need to continuously monitor your firewall's log files. By reviewing your firewall logs, you can determine whether new IP addresses are trying to probe your network, and whether you want to write new and stronger firewall rules to block them, or trace the probes and take some sort of management action. ZDnet
Privacy: Win XP activation 'innocuous'
A German copy-protection company has published details of Microsoft's technology for preventing casual copying of Windows XP but concluded the technology allows for reasonable upgrades and doesn't threaten customers' privacy.
"We contribute technical facts to a discussion that is currently characterized by uncertainty and speculation about XP," Thomas Lopatic, chief technology officer for the company and an active member of the security community, said in a statement.
Microsoft's product-activation technology--included in the new Office XP software package and slated to appear in the new Windows XP operating system--requires people to activate their PC online or by telephone to continue using the software. It has attracted criticism from both privacy advocates and customers. ZDnet
And, Jason Catlett, president of Junkbusters.com and a visiting fellow at the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard, said in a written statement that "advances in 'cloaking' technologies are always outstripped by advances in collection technologies, both in capabilities and degree of adoption."
Also today, the American Civil Liberties Union and House Majority Leader Dick Armey, R-TX, issued a joint statement calling on all state and local governments to stop using cameras and the Internet to intrude on citizens before privacy in America "is so diminished that it becomes nothing more than a fond memory." Internet News
U.S. government wants a few good hackers
LAS VEGAS--We're from the government and we want you to help us.
That was the message from a seven-member "Meet the Fed" panel, where government officials answered the questions of a roomful of hackers at the Def Con conference here Saturday. Including members of law enforcement, a congressman and security experts, the panel illuminated the problems the government has in securing systems and appealed to hackers not to make it any harder--both to help the government and to help themselves. Cnet
Half of U.S. Broadband Users Unprotected
Are you practically begging hackers and Internet thieves to attack?
Up to half of U.S. broadband users are leaving themselves wide open to attack by Internet thieves and hackers. Why? Because subscribers to "always on" Net connections aren't using any protection--like a firewall or antivirus software--to keep the black hats from gaining access to their PCs. PC World
Cable internet security blown wide open
Millions of people accessing the internet through broadband cable connections risk having their computers taken over by malicious hackers, vnunet.com can exclusively reveal.
Israeli Security Company Checkpoint revealed today that the devastating security vulnerability is caused by the shared architecture of the data channel that carries internet traffic within cable companies' fibre networks. This means groups of subscribers share a single cable connecting them to the local neighbourhood node. Each subscriber's signal is multiplexed on to this single cable by frequency division multiplexing (FDM). VNUnet Technology News
"Jam Echelon Day" doomed to failure, say experts
Activists are planning an international day of protest. Their aim? To jam Echelon. But privacy experts warn that "trigger words" will not outsmart the global surveillance system.
A group of Internet activists are hoping to bring attention to the US-led communications spy network, on 21 October, with a "Jam Echelon Day", but privacy experts are certain that the protests will have a minimal effect on the sophisticated surveillance system. ZDnet
W32-Leaves.worm Exploits Compromised PCs
The W32-Leaves.worm apparently seeks out PCs compromised with the SubSeven trojan, plants additional code onto the machines and synchronizes their internal clocks with the US Naval Observatory clock, leading experts to surmise crackers are preparing the machines to launch a distributed denial-of-service attack. Cnet NIPC
Sprint Denial-of-Service Attack
Sprint officials confirmed that the company's network was hit with a "low-impact" denial of service attack. Engineers contacted the Internet service providers (ISPs) where the attacking addresses originated, and the ISPs blocked those addresses. Computer World
Microsoft Windows Function Affects Norton Anti-Virus
Changing the value of the registry key NAV 2001 disables Norton Anti- Virus, according to Peter Kruse of Scandinavian telco Telia. Symantec maintains that the problem affects only the on-demand scanner and not AutoProtect, but plans to change the way its anti-virus product uses PC registries.
Note: This widely reported story is completely specious. Being able to change a Registry key in Windows systems to disable some function or executable is commonplace. If anything, it represents a weakness in Windows systems, not a weakness in any program. This is not Symantec's problem at all. [Sometime you should ask me about the Norton's Utilities problems created by the (Mijenix/OnTrack) Fix-It program..]
Vendor Group to Coordinate Vulnerability Reporting
A coalition of security and other software vendors plans to form an industry group that will establish standards for reporting vulnerabilities. The group would disclose vulnerability and exploit information to members first, then to the public, and only after fixes are available. The proposed procedure raises the debate over vulnerability disclosure: some maintain it's best not to publicize security holes before a fix is available, while others contend immediate disclosure keeps vendors honest. ZDnet
"Serious" Vulnerability In Check Point Firewalls
A hole has been discovered that allows outsiders to snoop inside networks that are protected by Check Point Firewalls. The vulnerability exploits the fact that RDP packets traverse Check Point firewall gateways. Representatives of CERT/CC called the problem serious. Computer World Advisory Patch
NSA's Windows 2000 Security Guides Have Moved
Everyone who tried (and failed) to download NSA's Windows 2000 security guides will be happy to know the guides are now more fully available. There are five valuable inf files and sixteen guides (including the first update to the "Secure Configuration and Administration of IIS" guide) Here
Security Vendors' Revenue Slows
Financial results reported by ISS, Check Point, Symantec, Certicom, Watchguard and Baltimore disappointed analysts and caused stock prices to fall. Computer World
Eli Lilly Exposes Customer E-Mail Addresses
Eli Lilly and Co. mistakenly sent messages containing more than 600 e-mail addresses to customers of a reminder service. Many of the customers are taking medication for depression, bulimia, or obsessive- compulsive disorder. Washington Post
Shopping Cart Software Flaw Still Prevalent
Although a flaw in PDG shopping cart software has been public knowledge since April, some e-commerce sites still have not repaired the hole, leaving customer credit card data and merchant identification numbers available to crackers. Lists of vulnerable sites have been appearing in chat rooms. MSNBC
Canada Aims for Secure E-Government
The Canadian government hopes to have its on line network running by 2004. They hope to allow Canadian citizens to pay their taxes, apply for benefits and conduct other government business on line with assured privacy and security. Here
The Serious Underbelly of Cyber Attacks
High profile cyber crimes like defacements and denial-of-service attacks distract from the greater threats of backdoors and cryptoviruses, say information warfare specialists. Wired
Crackers May Have Tested Distributed Spamming
Crackers have apparently used a worm-generating tool to create a program that turns infected PCs into zombie spammers. ZDnet
Note: This represents an extremely serious threat in that virtually everyone who downloads e-mail could potentially (and unwittingly) be turned into a spammer. This reinforces the need for virus walls at network gateways as well as other measures.
Firewall Appliances Outsold Software Firewalls In 2000
IDC reports that, for the first time, more money was spent on pre- configured hardware firewalls than on software firewalls in 2000. Lack of trained staff to monitor and configure the software firewalls has led to the switch, according to IDC.
Visa Announces Authentication Specs
Visa International, Inc. has announced technical specifications for payment authentication services. The 3-D Secure 1.0 specifications will allow e-merchants to use their own processing systems while establishing a connection between customers, card issuers, and themselves to authenticate transactions. Computer World
New "Code Red" worm is spreading rapidly through systems running Microsoft IIS. Both ISS 4.0 and 5.0 are affected. CRN
Sans.org Defaced
The Sans.org web site was defaced on Friday morning. The site was taken off line immediately. It was brought back up Sunday evening. Forensic analysis is ongoing. MSNBC
Note: This has been a startling reminder of just how devastating an Internet attack can be. Every single program and setting has to be reviewed and in many cases, redesigned so that they can safely operate, not just in today's attacks, but also in the face of the threat level we will experience two years down the road. Some services may not be available for days.
SANS Note: Though we would have greatly preferred not to have been attacked, the subsequent analysis is reaping far more fruit than we expected or hoped. We will provide a complete report of the lessons learned. We are gratified and humbled by the outpouring of active, unsolicited assistance being provided by many of the most experienced people in security. It helps a lot!
Leave Worm Variant Disguised as Microsoft Security Bulletin
A variant of the W32-Leave worm is wending its way about the Internet pretending to be a Microsoft security bulletin. The worm, which affects only machines previously infected with the SubSeven Trojan, downloads components from web sites and could potentially be used to plant denial-of-service software on infected machines. Computers with current antivirus software and firewall protection should be safe from infection. Computer World
Honeynet Expansion Planned
The founders of the Honeynet project (that uses fake web sites to track and fingerprint attackers) are proposing mechanisms that will greatly expand the number of honeypots, making them more difficult for the attackers to recognize. Cnet
Note: A few years ago you could track nearly all the sting sites but it's getting ever more difficult.
New Mailing List To Improve Speed and Accuracy Of Security Bug Reports
Three well-known vulnerability researchers, Rain Forest Puppy, Weld Pond, and Steve Manzuik, have formed a new vulnerability mailing list for reporting new vulnerabilities and threats. The new site, at www.vulnwatch.org is designed to improve both the timeliness and quality of bug reports over what has been provided by Bugtraq and NTBugtraq. News Byte
Outlook E-Mail Vulnerability
Georgi Guninski has reported an ActiveX control flaw in Outlook 98, 2000, and 2002 e-mail software that could allow an attacker to alter calendar information, delete e-mail, or run malicious code on the affected computer. Users can be exposed to the vulnerability either by viewing a specially crafted web page or by opening specially crafted HTML e-mail. Microsoft Corp. has issued a security bulletin, and a company security manager indicates that they would have preferred having had time to prepare a fix before the vulnerability became public knowledge. Computer World MSNBC Microsoft
Microsoft Speaks Out On Raw Sockets
Microsoft's Security Program Manager, Scott Culp, tells why he believes raw socket support is useful for effective security in Windows XP and why taking raw sockets out would not stop DDOS attacks. The interview was presented by the Register as a rebuttal to claims made by Windows guru Steve Gibson. The Register
Note: Gibson does not "say necessary and sufficient," and as Culp suggests. He merely says useful, that it will so lower the cost that it will result in a dramatic increase.
I-Worm.Mari
The I-Worm.Mari spreads, as many do, via Outlook address books when uses click on e-mail attachments. The worm does no harm to computers, but spreads a short polemic in favor of legalizing marijuana, and sets Internet Explorer's start page to marijuana.com. Though the site asserts it has nothing to do with the worm, angry victims have launched denial of service attacks in retaliation. Wired
Easing the Security Headache for Users
Because security measures are generally tacked on after computer systems are designed, users often find them cumbersome and develop methods for bypassing permissions, virus filters, digital certificates and the like. Unfortunately, passwords on post-its and disabled filters undermine security. Computer World
S1 Corp. Computer Intrusion
Intruders who broke into a computer at web-based banking services company S1 Corp. may have been able to access sensitive customer data, according to one source. Federal law enforcement authorities are investigating. MSNBC
Stopping Distributed Denial of Service Attack's
Shawn McCarthy offers a brief tutorial on types of DDOS attacks and how your ISPs can help you counter them. GCN
Bureaucrats Urge Legislators to Strengthen Cyber Security Oversight
A panel of bureaucrats told the Joint Economic Committee that all the attention paid to defacements, hacking and other minor cyber threats distracts from the larger risk of cyber warfare launched by foreign governments. The panel urged the legislators to strengthen federal security oversight. GCN
Research Report: How Americans Use The Internet
The Pew Foundation Internet and American Life Foundation just released a study of the amount of time spent and the activities performed on the Internet. Also compares veteran Internet users with newcomers. Report
If you or anyone you know has an IIS server, please get it patched, now! The patch is posted at: Yes this is a real Microsoft site
YOUR INFORMATION SECURITY POLICIES ARE ALREADY WRITTEN!
INFORMATION SECURITY POLICIES MADE EASY V8 is a practical, easy-to-use reference tool offering 1100+ already-written security polices. Quickly customize these definitive, up-to-date security policies covering the latest threats and technologies -- saving thousands of hours and dollars. This is the most comprehensive collective of security policies available anywhere. Recently updated to help with HIPAA and GLBA regulations.
Download a FREE E-MAIL SECURITY POLICY
Note: In order to obtain a Sample Policy you are required to provide your Full Name, Full Address, Telephone Number and Email Address. Read the Privacy Policy and decide for yourself.. If you just want to borrow mine, contact me.
White House Averts Code Red Denial of Service Attack
Thwarting the attempts of the Code Red worm to launch a denial of service attack against www.whitehouse.gov, system administrators moved the site to an alternate IP address. Code Red takes advantage of a known Microsoft IIS buffer overflow vulnerability and evades antivirus scanners because it runs entirely in memory. Computer World Cnet GCN CERT
Note: This was the single most successful worm in a decade, and it used only professionally managed systems. In a week, it starts over again. Anyone want to assert that we have destroyed all of more than 200K copies? Anyone want to assert that it has exhausted the address space and that are simply no more systems for it to attack? How about that we have responded to the attack and finally gotten around to patching all the vulnerable systems?
SirCam Worm
The SirCam worm propagates via Outlook when users open infected attachments. The accompanying e-mail address will have a randomly chosen subject line and will add a document from the infected computer to the attachment, possibly exposing personal or proprietary information. The worm also plays a sort of roulette, which may result in all unused space on an infected machine's hard drive being filled with random text. It also may delete all files on an infected computer. NWFusion ZDnet Wired
CIS Consensus Benchmark For Minimum Security Settings
By developing a consensus minimum security benchmark and offering free testing tools, the Center for Internet Security (CIS) hopes to pressure vendors into releasing products that are securely configured. Gartner analyst John Pescatore observes that the CIS benchmark will be extremely valuable and an easy way to get an increase in security, versus just reading about threats. CIS is a consortium of 160 large businesses, government agencies and academic institutions in 17 countries. Internet Week Reuters
Phony Microsoft Security Bulletins
Two spurious Microsoft security bulletins trick people into infecting their machines with viruses; their attendant web sites have been shut down. ZDnet
Note: I think I mentioned my definition of having the user do-it-to-himself as Social Engineering.. An old trick was "[email protected] or yahoo.com and then post it around the NGs and see who came caling..
IDSes Require Fine-Tuning
Federal security managers speaking at a conference about intrusion detection systems (IDSes) say there's a lot more to the systems than simply installing the boxes. You must know your network traffic patterns well enough to determine what is out of the ordinary and be careful not to set the threshold too low or you will flood your own system. Additionally, monitoring the IDS results can consume a lot of resources. GCN Note: "Setting the threshold too low" refers to a capability to adjust IDSs to either have more false alarms with the gain of fewer misses (detection failures) or have fewer false alarms with the gain of more misses. (Multiple*) Firewalls also require tuning and you have to know your security policy to install them effectively. The fact that any security system requires knowledge, skills, hard work, and tuning should not be a surprise. Sadly, federal agencies are asking people with little or no training to take responsibility for securing major systems. *Crash Crash and Burn Here Some Days!!
FBI's Missing Laptops
The FBI began tracking its laptops only last year. In the last 11 years, 184 of 13,000 laptops have disappeared; at least 13 were stolen and three contained sensitive or classified data. Legislators are unhappy, and Attorney General John Ashcroft has requested an inventory of Bureau laptops and other items. FCW
Security Firm's Action Irresponsible, Say Critics eEye Digital security, the company that apparently discovered the Code Red worm, has been criticized by security experts for publishing exploit information that could potentially be used by crackers. Computer World
CERT/CC Advisory for Home Users
CERT/CC has issued a security alert urging home users to protect their computers with antivirus software, firewalls, and good practices. CERT
Note: The CERT/CC bulletin is long overdue, but still useful. It is questionable, however, whether this bulletin will get to the people who need it most.
Feds Meet with Hackers
A panel of government officials spoke with hackers and voiced hopes that they will put their talents to good and ethical uses. ZDnet
A Very Real and Present Threat to the Internet: July 31 Deadline For Action
Summary: The Code Red Worm and mutations of the worm pose a continued and serious threat to Internet users. Immediate action is required to combat this threat. Users who have deployed software that is vulnerable to the worm (Microsoft IIS Versions 4.0 and 5.0) must install, if they have not done so already, a vital security patch.
How Big Is The Problem? On July 19, the Code Red worm infected more than 250,000 systems in just 9 hours. The worm scans the Internet, identifies vulnerable systems, and infects these systems by installing itself. Each newly installed worm joins all the others causing the rate of scanning to grow rapidly. This uncontrolled growth in scanning directly decreases the speed of the Internet and can cause sporadic but widespread outages among all types of systems. Code Red is likely to start spreading again on July 31st, 2001 8:00 PM EDT and has mutated so that it may be even more dangerous. This spread has the potential to disrupt business and personal use of the Internet for applications such as electronic commerce, email and entertainment.
Who Must Act? Every organization or person who has Windows NT or Windows 2000 systems AND the IIS web server software may be vulnerable. IIS is installed automatically for many applications. If you are not certain, follow the instructions attached to determine whether you are running IIS 4.0 or 5.0. If you are using Windows 95, Windows 98, or Windows Me, there is no action that you need to take in response to this alert.
What To Do If You Are Vulnerable?
a. To rid your machine of the current worm, reboot your computer.
b. To protect your system from re-infection: Install Microsoft's patch for the Code Red vulnerability problem: Windows NT version 4.0 Windows 2000 Professional, Server and Advanced Server
Step-by-step instructions for these actions are posted at www.digitalisland.net/codered
Microsoft's description of the patch and its installation, and the vulnerability it addresses is posted at: http://www.microsoft.com/technet/treeview/default.asp?url=/technet/security/bulletin/MS01-03.asp (cut and paste if required)
Because of the importance of this threat, this alert is being made jointly by:
The National Infrastructure Protection Center
Federal Computer Incident Response Center (FedCIRC)
Information Technology Association of America (ITAA)
Internet Security Systems
Internet Security Alliance
PacketStorm Security Site
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"Sailing the Seven Seas of Truth" was the title my nine-year old son, Tomas, proposed for my first book in 1977. Looking at possible titles, the late André Schiffrin, then executive director of Pantheon Books, cut to the quick. "Just call it 'Lying.'" A year before, I had sent him a proposal for an anthology of writings on lying and truthfulness, comparing the wealth of past writings to the paucity in more recent centuries. Instead, he suggested that I write a book of my own on the subject, with the anthology in an appendix.
This was unexpected advice, at first daunting, then energizing. Working on the book gave me the opportunity to take up so much that mattered to me, not only from philosophy, medicine, literature, art, anthropology, child-rearing, the history of religion, psychology, and sociology, but also from recent politics in the context of Watergate and the Vietnam War.
With the manuscript finished, I noted in my journal, "If the book goes well, I would really want to be a writer, one who can take work along on trips, live her own life, teaching and lecturing from time to time." True, I had already written a doctoral dissertation on voluntary euthanasia and published articles on topics ranging from Samuel Beckett's work and Nabokov's novel Ada to abortion, bioethics, the care of the dying, and the ethics of giving placebos. Now, the prospect of being a writer seemed to offer greater freedom and the chance to embark on additional books addressing large issues of practical ethics— beginning with Secrets, barely underway.


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Signs direct people to the entrance of the Clark County Election Department amid the coronavirus pandemic on June 9, 2020 in Las Vegas. (Photo: Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
Trump Proclaims Nevada Has Made It 'Impossible' for GOP to Win by Expanding Voting Rights During Pandemic
"Trump and his allies have always been motivated by partisanship, even at the expense of American lives."
In a Monday morning tweet attacking Nevada's proposed expansion of mail-in voting as "an illegal late night coup," President Donald Trump once again openly admitted that increasing access to the ballot amid the Covid-19 pandemic poses a dire threat to the Republican Party's ability to win elections.
"Nevada's clubhouse governor made it impossible for Republicans to win the state," Trump wrote, referring to the Nevada State Senate's passage Sunday of legislation that would send every active registered voter a mail-in ballot ahead of the November elections. Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak, a Democrat, is expected to sign the bill.
"Post Office could never handle the Traffic of Mail-In Votes without preparation," continued Trump, whose administration, critics warn, is currently attempting to sabotage and undermine the U.S. Postal Service.
"Using Covid to steal the state," the president added. "See you in Court!"
As Common Dreams reported in May, the Republican National Committee and right-wing advocacy groups are spending millions on lawsuits combating state efforts to expand mail-in ballot access as a safe alternative to in-person voting during the coronavirus pandemic.
In an illegal late night coup, Nevada's clubhouse Governor made it impossible for Republicans to win the state. Post Office could never handle the Traffic of Mail-In Votes without preparation. Using Covid to steal the state. See you in Court! https://t.co/cNSPINgCY7
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 3, 2020
"It's incredible that the president of the United States keeps openly saying that the only way that he and his political allies can keep their grip on power is by making it harder for large swaths of the population to vote," said Robert Maguire, research director at Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington.
Trump's tweet Monday was just his latest baseless attack on vote-by-mail expansion, which the president has repeatedly claimed—without evidence—will lead to a surge in voter fraud and cost him the presidential race.
Contradicting the narrative pushed by the president and the GOP, Nevada's Republican Secretary of State Barbara Cegavske told state lawmakers last week that her office is not aware of any voter fraud from the state's June primary, which was conducted largely by mail.
William McCurdy II, chair of the Nevada State Democratic Party, said in a statement Sunday that Trump's "protestations against mail-in voting represent an utterly hypocritical attempt to deny Nevadans the same rights" he and members of his administration have exercised repeatedly in past elections.
"Trump and his allies have always been motivated by partisanship, even at the expense of American lives," said McCurdy. "That he would threaten Nevada Democrats' work to protect voting access through a crisis of his own making is both despicable and par for the course. But Democrats will not be intimidated. We stand with Nevadans and will do the necessary work to ensure every eligible voter can participate easily and safely in what will surely be the most important election in a lifetime."

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Focus Lab Culture Video | "Let"s go downtown", Neil Young echoes over a big wooly mass of sound thundered by Jack Iron's tribal drumming. It's 1995. Eddie Vedder's away in "time out" to regroup and recover. The other members of Pearl Jam are wondering what the future holds. And that's when the wizard Neil Young offers to take the band on tour. It's that cathartic moment in every hero's journey (as laid out by Joseph Campbell) when the wise sage comes in and shapes a samurai! Making Focus Lab's 90 second culture spot has been like that moment when Neil Young took Pearl Jam out on tour with him in 1996! They became a better band because of it. They taught each other new things. And the epic album 'Mirrorball' was conceived.
NOTE: 90 second video designed, shot and produced to give a glimpse into the Focus Lab culture. Neil Young 'Mirrorball' and Focus Lab were metaphorically put together for the purposed of this blog post. Thank you.


A client who provides a web proxy service to shield enterprise customers from malware recently hired us to build a documentation system we had proposed to quickly produce content for web presentation. Draft text is shared, edited, coupled to graphics, and automatically tailored for export straight to the web in a smooth, secure process based on free and open-source tools.
The company as a proxy executes customers' web sessions, removing Flash and other active elements that might contain threats, and then relays the sanitized results to the customers, all without perceptible delay. Their customers need clear instructions for installing the service but when the company approached us, the documentation at hand was a mix of PDFs, Word texts, and a few procedures online, all in need of a thorough technical edit and consistent style and branding. We converted the existing documentation so it would be clearly legible on the company website and structured a system for creating new documents that could be easily uploaded to the website and displayed in any screen format with no need for conversion. We had in mind an infrastructure that would be easy to maintain.
First, we converted the existing documents to plain text and then we used Markdown, a simple mark-up language that provides a syntax for plain-text formatting, to generate the typographic conventions for headings, italics, bold type, numbered lists, unordered lists, and so forth. Moving forward, we developed a consistent style in which documents would appear on the website.
We based the documentation system on a static-site generator—Jekyll–which takes the plain-text files in Markdown, organizes those according to templates we created for text and style, and creates web pages and a navigation hierarchy. Simply run a command and the system produces a directory of files for upload to the web server and the process is complete.
Jekyll is an open-source static-site generator that was intended for blogs as an alternative to WordPress, which was becoming complicated, cumbersome, and involved managing a back-end database. It is extremely easy to use. Features that make it helpful for blogs also make it a very convenient engine for a documentation system. For example, it can automatically create lists of all the blog posts from an author in reverse chronological order and create tags so posts about a particular subject can be collected on one page. We leveraged Jekyll because it thereby enabled building an organizational framework for the documentation system, not only style templates. For fast website deployment, security, and limiting infrastructure maintenance, we decided a static-site generator would best serve the application.
Once we converted the existing documents to plain text, we put them into a private repository on the website Github.com to share and collaborate with the client's staff. The Github website is based on Git; a version-control system that can pull from many servers. Everyone given company access has their own version of the entire private repository, enabling the staff to work on the files and see each other's changes.
The client's chief of publications produced raw content adding to the work we had done, and then we did a technical edit of the new material and submitted changes to him, in an informal ongoing process. However, based on Github, the structure is in place to implement a formal process for merging changes from authors, who can make technical edits and then submit a pull request: I've made this change; do you want to accept this into the main branch?
Beyond version control, Github gives a preview of how documents will look. Simply upload a Markdown file with accompanying images and Github melds into order the text and graphics free from compositing symbols. The publication chief can confirm how pages would be organized, set the layout with the Jekyll templates, and commit the results for upload to the company website.
The benefit of using plain text for generating documents, instead of such programs as Framemaker or Word, is that you can tap into the decades of development founded on plain text; namely, all the sophisticated tools that can analyze two very different versions of a text, see where they differ, automatically merge changes, and identify where a conflict must be resolved.
There is some downside of working in plain text, at least for engineers who are documenting product designs in progress. Composing in plain text is not as familiar as writing in Word. However, making the transition from Word to composing in plain text is not especially onerous.
Given the simplicity, convenience, and low cost of using this combination of free and open-source software to build a flexible and robust online documentation system, the approach can benefit many ventures, especially startups who have limited IT resources, small budgets, and pressing calendars.


With a stay at this apartment in Boston (Fenway–Kenmore), you'll be steps from Fenway Park and Kenmore Square. This 4-star apartment is 0.4 mi (0.7 km) from Longwood Medical Area and 0.6 mi (1 km) from Boston Museum of Fine Arts.
Make yourself comfortable in this air-conditioned apartment, featuring a kitchen with a full-sized refrigerator/freezer and a stovetop. A flat-screen television with cable programming provides entertainment, while complimentary wireless Internet access keeps you connected. Conveniences include a phone, as well as a desk and a microwave.
Enjoy recreation amenities such as a health club or take in the view from a rooftop terrace. Additional features at this apartment include complimentary wireless Internet access, concierge services, and an arcade/game room.
Featured amenities include laundry facilities and an elevator (lift). Event facilities at this apartment consist of a conference center and a meeting room. Self parking (subject to charges) is available onsite.
Global Luxury Suites at Fenway is pet friendly. Guests are welcome to bring 2 pets. The pet fee is $250 per accommodation, per stay.


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The earlier deadline means schools can give information on aid packages earlier, too. Currently, schools don't have the information to provide aid offers to students until spring. That means students often have a few short weeks to compare aid package offers from various colleges and figure out the best fit for their futures. (SUNY and scores of other colleges and universities have already pledged to align their aid calendar to match the changed FAFSA.)
The current FAFSA timeline is not only a confusing and stressful process for families. It's a time suck for colleges' financial aid officers, who spend time chasing down updated forms, and then verifying information on updated FAFSA applications that don't use IRS data retrieval. College aid staff could have more time to focus on helping families find ways to afford college.
The goal of the streamlined FAFSA system is to ensure 100 percent of the young people eligible for Pell Grants and other financial aid benefits can access them.
More FAFSA changes are needed, but legislation is required to make that happen. While the FAFSA can be partially populated with an electronic download from IRS forms, the questions now go beyond what's on the 1040. Basing federal financial aid solely on what's on federal tax forms could make filling out a FAFSA just a click away; alternately, families could simply check a box on their 1040 tax form to share information for college aid. These ideas have been floating around Congress since 2013.
In other college affordability news, the Obama administration recently unveiled its College Scorecard (collegescorecard.ed.gov), which offers information on colleges' average annual cost, graduation rates and average income earned after graduation. In some ways, it's a rough tool, but the U.S. Department of Education website gives a feel for a college's success in supporting and preparing its students.
College affordability is key to a strong future, not only for students, but for the nation. More than a trillion dollars in outstanding student debt is now drained from the economy; student loans are second only to mortgages in sources of household debt. College tuition price-tags continue to creep up — public colleges find less state support and private schools are woe to tap fat endowments. Meanwhile, our workforce demands higher levels of education.
That said, the FAFSA deadline change is an important step. A federal college aid application should encourage the pursuit of higher education, rather than overwhelm students and families.


I began singing when I was six years old in the choir at Saint Anne's church in Lucca, where I was born. I started singing opera when I was twenty-one.
I began singing because as soon as I discovered my voice it immediately became a need and an overwhelming desire. I knew from the beginning that this would be my life's path.
When I was a child I didn't listen to opera, that began when I was about eighteen, though I didn't know at that point that I was destined to become an opera singer. I think that the first singer to inspire me was Ettore Bastianini.
It's a difficult question to answer, admiration of the artist or admiration of the person? Too often the man and the artist, even though they're inhabiting the same body, aren't worthy to the same degree. However, I would do an injustice to someone or other if I said just one name, so I prefer not to.
It would be different if we're talking about an artist who inspires me, or one who's voice or interpretation I love. There are some artists who when I've known them closely I admire both as a person and as an artist. But also here, I'd rather not name names!
Figaro in The Barber of Seville.
I never tire of watching, and listening to, Mozart's The Magic Flute as long as it's well performed with the right spirit.
Al Pacino and Claudia Cardinale.
Dumas' The Count of Monte Cristo.
There are many films that I love, and love to see over and over again, sometimes too many times. But one of the very best is Luchino Visconti's Il Gattopardo [The Leopard], with fantastic acting, characters, story, setting, script and music.
Definitely New York where more than anything else I feel free and safe, I don't know why but immediately I felt at home there. The city I love the most though is, without doubt, Lucca, where I was born.
My sense of humour and my amiability, something I've always had.
I don't know how to answer… I've thought and rethought on this one to find an insightful answer because I don't want to respond with something trivial. Maybe I should just say that the list is quite long… but I'm striving to shorten it and to improve.
Without doubt it was the first time that I saw my name on a poster at La Scala, which I can now admit that I'd dreamed of from the moment of my first singing lesson. Who would have thought that it would have already come about by 2005? I still feel proud, even today, when I step onto the Milanese stage, even for a rehearsal.
When I was with my parents and we celebrated my Salzburg début in 2012 after a performance as Marcello in La bohéme. It wasn't just the happiness of the event but having by my side the two people who have always helped me to realise the dream of having this career.
I think that the love of my life is 50-50 between my parents and my voice. I will also add the love for a future child and the woman who will give him to me.
Fear can lead you to make wrong choices… lead you towards evil. Evil is inherent in fear itself. But I think that fear can help us and make us live with greater awareness.
I would like to be more patient, and to be able to wait and calm my rather frenetic nature. For certain things I believe that to be patient is the right approach, for example, in my career. But many times in my life I rush decisions or opinions when it would be better to reflect more before deciding, or before opening my mouth to express an opinion, or even before speaking. Calmness makes people more stable and better.
To overcome my shyness that I've always had since I was small. Nowadays, I feel more open to the world and readier to express my opinions with others now that I'm not so young, but sometimes I still close up like a clam, especially if I feel that I'm being attacked.
My origins and my family. We are, and always will be, tied to where we're from, and that background helps us to remember who we are.
To iron underpants and socks… I couldn't possibly renounce that!
If you're talking about 'overrated' as in not realising that a virtue is much more important than it seems, then I'd say 'wisdom' as in caution as Plato says… in other word, the control of impulse. If, however, we're talking about a virtue that is overrated because we place too much value on it, I'd say 'justice' because, again from Plato, every 'justice' doesn't always result in 'justice'.
I'd prefer not to answer this one to avoid telling a lie!!!
If I hadn't become an opera singer then I would have liked a normal life, with a normal job where you come home at 6pm, in a normal Italian city, maybe Lucca, doing normal things with a group of friends. I would have liked to see the world, not with holidays in exotic locations, but journeys to discover the real world. To see with my own eyes and get a true idea of the world.
Making sacrifices to reach a goal.
From a colleague I also want sincerity. I don't like working with colleagues who are not sincere, and I also like colleagues who respect both me and the others who work with us on stage: it's easy to forget that we're not the only ones in the theatre. There are at least three-hundred people who work with us every evening… respect means remembering that we're not the only people working.
Without doubt, my mother. First, because she has a soul and sensibility that truly mark her out and are noticeable to all those who know and meet her. But also because she's always consistent with her morals and her spiritual view of life. I would admire her even if she weren't my mother, looking at her with neutral eyes without the filial bond.
The waiting between the dress-rehearsal and the opening night, and usually I can't stand the periods between one performance and the next. Sometimes they are interminable.
I'd love to learn languages easily, whereas for me it's hard work. I know people who speak nine languages well. It's a God-given gift.
I don't think that there's a recipe for perfect happiness. I do think that balance brings about a happiness that can be almost perfect. A balance in energies can bring about happiness. But balance is difficult to achieve, especially in ourselves.
I certainly know how I wouldn't want to die: I don't want to die after a long period of suffering… in pain. I hope that I'll die leaving behind fond memories and not only with those who love me.
Quando hai iniziato a cantare?
Ho iniziato a cantare a 6 anni, nel coro della chiesa di S. Anna a Lucca dove sono nato, poi ho iniziato a studiare lirica all'età di 21 anni.
Perché hai iniziato a cantare?
Ho iniziato con la lirica perché una volta scoperta la mia voce questa era immediatamente diventata un bisogno e uno struggente desiderio. Avevo subito capito che sarebbe stata la strada della mia vita.
Da piccolo non ho mai ascoltato lirica, ho iniziato intorno ai 18 anni, ma non sapevo ancora di essere destinato a essere io stesso un cantante lirico, penso che la mia prima ispirazione sia venuta da Ettore Bastianini.
Quale cantante ammiri di più?
È una risposta difficile, ammirazione per l'artista o ammirazione per l'essere umano, troppo spesso l'essere umano e l'artista pur vivendo nello stesso corpo non sono ammirevoli allo stesso modo. Comunque io farei un torto a qualcuno o a qualcun altro se dovessi esprimere un solo nome qui. Allora preferisco non farne.
Sarebbe diverso se si parlasse di un artista al quale mi ispiro o un artista del quale amo la voce o l'interpretazione. Ci sono comunque alcuni artisti che una volta conosciuti nel profondo della loro vita stimo sia come uomini che come artisti. Ma anche in questo caso preferisco non fare nomi.
Figaro in Il barbiere di Siviglia.
Quale ruolo non hai mai interpretato ma vorresti o avresti voluto cantare?
Non mi stancherei mai di guardare e ascoltare il Flauto Magico di Mozart a patto che sia ben eseguito e con un pizzico di buon spirito.
Al Pacino e Claudia Cardinale.
Io ho molti film che amo e che adoro rivedere anche troppe volte. Ma direi uno dei migliori in assoluto rimane Il Gattopardo di Luchino Visconti, fantastico sia per interpretazioni, personaggi, storia, ambientazioni, sceneggiatura e musiche.
La mia città favorita è sicuramente New York, mi sento oltre ogni modo libero e sicuro li, non so perché ma veramente dal primo momento mi sono sentito a casa. la mia città più amata rimane senza dubbio Lucca dove sono nato.
Cosa ti piace di più di te stesso?
Il mio senso dell'umorismo, e il mio stare in compagnia. L'ho sempre avuto.
Cosa non ti piace di te stesso?
Alla fine non riesco a rispondere, ci penso e ci ripenso ma non penso di poter dare una risposta troppo profonda e non voglio dire una stupidaggine su questo argomento. Forse dovrei dire che la lista è un po' lunga… ma sto lavorando per ridurla e per migliorare.
Sicuramente la prima volta che ho visto il mio nome in cartellone al Teatro alla Scala, posso dire adesso che pur avendo sognato fin dalla mia prima lezione di cantare un giorno alla Scala non avrei mai pensato di farlo già dal 2005. L'orgoglio di questo successo è ancora vivissimo in me oggi e lo sento anche ogni volta che salgo anche solo per una prova sul palcoscenico Milanese.
Quando con i miei genitori ho festeggiato il mio debutto a Salisburgo nel 2012 dopo la recita di Marcello nella Bohème. Non solo la felicità del momento ma anche di avere al mio fianco le due persone che mi hanno sempre aiutato a realizzare il sogno della mia carriera.
Penso che l'amore della mia vita rimarranno al pari-merito i miei genitori e la mia voce, a questi si aggiungerà l'amore per un figlio e per la donna che me lo darà.
La paura porta a prendere scelte molto sbagliate, porta al male. Il male è una cosa insita nella paura stessa. Io penso che la paura può aiutare e può farci vivere con più consapevolezza.
Vorrei sapere essere più paziente, riuscire a saper aspettare calmando la mia natura piuttosto frenetica. In certe cose mi sono convinto che aspettare sia la scelta giusta come per esempio nella mia carriera. Ma a volte nella mia vita affretto troppo decisioni o punti di vista, quando invece sarebbe molto meglio ponderare prima di scegliere o anche di aprire bocca per esprimere giudizi o anche solo per parlare. La calma ci rende persone molto più stabili e migliori.
Vincere la mia natura introversa che ho sempre avuto fin da piccolo. Oggi mi sento una persona molto più aperta al mondo e anche più pronta a mettermi a confronto con gli altri di quanto non fossi in età giovanile, ma ancora per certi aspetti mi chiudo a riccio specie se in certi casi mi sento attaccato.
Le mie origini e la mia famiglia. Noi siamo e saremo sempre le nostri origini, le origini ci aiutano a ricordare chi siamo.
Qual è la tua abitudine più stravagante?
Se si parla di sopravvalutare cioè di non rendersi conto di una virtù che è molto più importante di quello che sembra, direi la saggezza in termini di prudenza come dice Platone ovvero come controllo delle pulsioni. Se invece si parla di sopravvalutazione perché si pensa che sia troppo rispetto alla vera essenza di quella virtù io direi Giustizia, sempre per la stessa visione Platoniana, oggi "giustizia" non significa sempre "giustizia".
Preferisco non rispondere per evitare di dire una bugia!!!
Se non fossi stato una cantante cosa ti sarebbe piaciuto fare?
Se non fossi stato un cantante lirico, io avrei voluto una vita normale, con un lavoro normale di quelli che alla sera ti riportano a casa alle 18, in una città normale italiana magari a Lucca, facendo cose normali e con un gruppo di amici. Non avrei rinunciato a vedere il mondo, non con vacanze in posti esotici ma con veri viaggi alla scoperta del mondo quello vero. Vedere con i miei occhi e farmi la mia idea sul mondo.
L'abnegazione volta al raggiungimento di un obbiettivo.
Da un collega esigo anche sincerità, non amo molto lavorare con colleghi che non sono sinceri, ma anche vorrei colleghi che rispettino me e le altre persone che lavorano con noi sul palco, troppo spesso ci dimentichiamo di non essere soli sul palcoscenico! Ci sono almeno altre 300 persone che lavorano con noi ogni sera… rispetto vuol dire lavorare pensando di non essere soli.
Posso dire senza dubbio mia madre, per prima cosa perché ha un'anima e una sensibilità che veramente la contraddistinguono e che sono visibilissime a tutte le persone che la conoscono e che la incontrano. Ma anche perché è sempre coerente alla sua morale e al suo senso spirituale di vedere la vita. l'ammirerei anche non fosse mia madre guardandola con occhi esterni al mio legame filiale per lei.
L'attesa che passa tra la prova generale e la prima, in generale non sopporto le attese anche tra le recite. A volte sono veramente giorni interminabili.
Vorrei avere facilità nell'imparare le lingue, invece faccio molta fatica. Conosco persone che parlano correttamente 9 lingue! Mi pare un vero dono Divino.
Non credo esista la combinazione per la felicità perfetta. Penso invece che l'equilibrio interno dell'individuo crea una felicità quasi perfetta. L'equilibrio delle energie ci rende felici. Ma l'equilibrio è una cosa difficile da trovare specie con se stessi.
Sicuramente so come non vorrei morire, non voglio morire dopo una lunga agonia, con dolore.
Spero di poter morire lasciando di me un buon ricordo nella memoria non solo delle persone che mi amano.
Massimo Cavalletti was born in Lucca, where he began his vocal studies with Graziano Polidori before attending the Academy of La Scala in Milan, refining his vocal technique with Luciana Serra.
In October 2004 he made his operatic debut at the Teatro Donizetti in Bergamo in La Parisina.
He subsequently began a long-term collaboration with the Teatro alla Scala, Milan, that saw him performing a variety of roles such as Figaro (The Barber of Seville), Schaunard and Marcello (La Bohème), Enrico (Lucia di Lammermoor), Paolo (Simon Boccanegra), Ford (Falstaff) and Rodrigo (Don Carlo).
He has performed regularly at the Zurich Opera since 2007 and has been featured in productions of La Bohème, La Juive, Le Cid, Lucia di Lammermoor, Carmen, Simon Boccanegra, Il barbiere di Siviglia, Falstaff, L'elisir d'amore, Poliuto, Le convenienze ed inconvenienze teatrali, as well as Don Carlo.
Other important past engagements include Marcello (La bohème) at the Royal Opera House Covent Garden; Schaunard, Marcello, and Escamillo (Carmen) at the Metropolitan Opera; Escamillo at the Vienna State Opera; Marcello and Ford (Falstaff) at the Salzburg Festival; Ford and Marcello at the Dutch National Opera; Enrico (Lucia di Lammermoor) in Tokyo, Dresden, and Hamburg; Belcore (L'elisir d'amore) at the Glyndebourne Festival and in Beijing; Lescaut (Manon Lescaut) at the Deutsche Oper Berlin; Paolo Albiani (Simon Boccanegra) at the Staatsoper Berlin; Marcello in Brussels; and Figaro (Il barbiere di Siviglia) in Hamburg.
Engagements in 2015 include debuts as Riccardo in I puritani at the Florence Opera House and as Renato in Un ballo in maschera in Tel Aviv, as well as company debuts with the Liceu of Barcelona as Escamillo, the Royal Opera House Muscat as Malatesta in Don Pasquale, and the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra, his return to Zurich as Belcore and to Tokyo as Ford; Escamillo, Figaro (Il barbiere di Siviglia), Marcello, and Ford at La Scala.
In 2016 the baritone will return to the Metropolitan Opera New York as Lescaut in a new production of Manon Lescaut and to La Scala as Paolo Albiani in Simon Boccanegra. He will make his house debut at the Teatro de la Maestranza Sevilla as Belcore in L'elisir d'amore and will open Abu Dhabi's new opera house as Figaro in Il barbiere di Siviglia.
Massimo Cavalletti has worked with such conductors such as Daniel Barenboim, Zubin Mehta, Riccardo Chailly, Nello Santi, Fabio Luisi, Daniele Gatti and Daniel Harding.
His DVD/Blu-Ray recordings include La bohème from Salzburg and Valencia, Falstaff from Zurich and the Salzburg Festival, and Simon Boccanegra from La Scala.
Lucchese, inizia gli studi di canto nella città natale con Graziano Polidori, prima di diventare membro dell'Accademia di Perfezionamento del Teatro alla Scala di Milano, dove perfeziona la tecnica vocale con Luciana Serra.
Con il debutto nel ottobre 2004 al Teatro Donizetti a Bergamo ne La parisina (allestimento dell'Accademia di Perfezionamento del Teatro alla Scala) inizia una collaborazione col Teatro alla Scala che lo vede impegnato nelle parti di Figaro (Il barbiere di Siviglia), Schaunard e Marcello (La bohème), Enrico (Lucia di Lammermoor), Paolo Albiani (Simon Boccanegra), Ford (Falstaff) e Rodrigo (Don Carlo).
Da 2007 canta con regolarità all'Opera di Zurigo in opere quali La bohème, La juive, Le Cid, Lucia di Lammermoor, Carmen, Simon Boccanegra, Il barbiere di Siviglia, Falstaff, L'elisir d'amore, Poliuto, Le convenienze ed inconvenienze teatrali e Don Carlo.
Interpreta inoltre Marcello alla Royal Opera House Covent Garden; Schaunard, Marcello ed Escamillo (Carmen) alla Metropolitan Opera di New York; Escamillo alla Staatsoper di Vienna; Marcello e Ford (Falstaff) al Festival di Salisburgo; Ford e Marcello all'[Opera Nazionale Olandese]; Enrico a Tokyo, Dresden e Amburgo; Belcore (L'elisir d'amore) al Glyndebourne Festival e a Beijing; Lescaut (Manon Lescaut) alla Deutsche Oper Berlin; Paolo Albiani alla Staatsoper di Berlino; Marcello a Bruxelles e Figaro (Il barbiere di Siviglia) ad Amburgo.
Tra gli impegni del 2015 spiccano i debutti nei ruoli di Riccardo ne I puritani all'Opera di Firenze e Renato ne Un ballo in maschera a Tel Aviv. Debutta inoltre al Gran Teatre del Liceu di Barcellona (Escamillo in Carmen), alla Royal Opera House di Muscat (Malatesta in Don Pasquale) e con l'Orchestra Sinfonica della Radio Svedese (Ford in Falstaff), torna all'Opera di Zurigo nei panni di Belcore, a Tokyo in quelli di Ford ed al Teatro alla Scala di Milano per interpretare Escamillo, Figaro (Il barbiere di Siviglia), Marcello e Ford.
Nel 2016 sarà Lescaut nella nuova produzione di Manon Lescaut al Metropolitan Opera di New York e Paolo Albiani in Simon Boccanegra al Teatro alla Scala. Debutterà inoltre al Teatro de la Maestranza Sevilla nella parte di Belcore ne L'elisir d'amore e sarà Figaro ne Il barbiere di Siviglia per l'inaugurazione del teatro lirico di Abu Dhabi.
Tra le collaborazioni musicali si notano quelle con direttori d'orchestra quali Daniel Barenboim, Zubin Mehta, Riccardo Chailly, Nello Santi, Fabio Luisi, Daniele Gatti e Daniel Harding.
La discografia di Massimo Cavalletti comprende le edizioni DVD/Blu-Ray delle produzioni di La bohème di Salisburgo e Valencia, Falstaff di Zurigo e Salisburgo e Simon Boccanegra del Teatro alla Scala di Milano.


Jan 20, 2016: In light of achieving over one-thousand subscribers (thanks everyone!), I thought I'd make another how-to video. In this one, I will show you how to build a wall-hanging light bar that looks quite modern and cool. It's a super simple build, and should be easy for most people to make.


President Trump Donald John TrumpDemocrats' CNN town halls exposed an extreme agenda Buttigieg says he doubts Sanders can win general election Post-Mueller, Trump has a good story to tell for 2020 MORE on Sunday sought to pin blame on Democrats for what lawmakers described as faltering negotiations on border security funding.
No Democrat in Congress has publicly said they support shutting down the government, though acting White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney John (Mick) Michael MulvaneyNielsen was warned not to talk to Trump about new Russian election interference: report Oversight chair wants to hold ex-White House official in contempt Consumer bureau to give firms more info about investigations MORE said on NBC's "Meet the Press" that he could not rule out the possibility of another shutdown over Trump's border security demands.
Sen. Richard Shelby Richard Craig Shelby20 Dems demand no more money for ICE agents, Trump wall Conservatives urge Trump to stick with Moore for Fed Poll: Roy Moore leading Alabama GOP field MORE (R-Ala.) said Sunday that Democrats have pushed to cap the number of immigrants who can be detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), presenting a new obstacle for negotiators.
Trump referenced that particular sticking point in a tweet later Sunday afternoon, when he accused Democrats of behaving "irrationally" and equated their desire to cap detentions with refusing to take murderers into custody. Immigrant detention centers are not used solely to house violent criminals.
"If [Rep. Tom Graves (R-Ga.)] and I and the group that was up at Camp David, including Mick Mulvaney, were left to our own devices, we would've solved it in less than a day," Rep. John Yarmuth John Allen YarmuthDivided Dems look to regroup On The Money — Presented by Job Creators Network — GOP senators urge Trump not to nominate Cain | Treasury expected to miss Dem deadline on Trump tax returns | Party divisions force Dems to scrap budget vote | House passes IRS reform bill Left-center divide forces Dems to scrap budget vote MORE (D-Ky.) said on "This Week" earlier Sunday. "And if Mick Mulvaney were president we could've solved it."


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Digital TV News: Robert A. Iger
Disney+ launches in the U.S., Canada and the Netherlands
Nov 12, 2019 – Disney+, from The Walt Disney Company, is now live in the U.S., Canada and the Netherlands, bringing together for the first time a lineup of content from Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, National Geographic and more.
News categories: The Walt Disney Company, Robert A. Iger, Apps, Canada, Digital TV, Netherlands, Streaming, USA
Disney+ set to launch in U.S. on November 12
Apr 11, 2019 – The Walt Disney Company has presented an extensive overview of its comprehensive direct-to-consumer strategy, including presentations on Hulu, Hotstar, ESPN+, and the upcoming Disney+ service at its Investor Day, which took place on the Company's studio lot.
News categories: Walt Disney Company, Robert A. Iger, Digital TV, Streaming, Worldwide
Disney and 21st Century Fox agree $38-per-share acquisition deal
Jun 20, 2018 – The Walt Disney Company (NYSE: DIS) has announced that it has signed an amended acquisition agreement with Twenty-First Century Fox (NASDAQ: FOXA, FOX) for $38 per share in cash and stock.
News categories: Walt Disney Company, 21st Century Fox, Robert A. Iger, Digital TV, Europe, MandA, Satellite, USA, Worldwide
The Walt Disney Company to acquire Twenty-First Century Fox
Dec 14, 2017 – The Walt Disney Company and Twenty-First Century Fox have announced that they have entered into an agreement for Disney to acquire 21st Century Fox, including the Twentieth Century Fox Film and Television studios, along with cable and international TV businesses.
News categories: Walt Disney, Twenty-First Century Fox, Robert A. Iger, Orin C. Smith, Rupert Murdoch, Digital TV, MandA, Satellite, Worldwide


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Dodgers News: First Baseman Aaron Bates Signed To Minor League Deal
by Ross Gasmer 01/29/2014, 2:17 PM
With less than two weeks remaining until the start of Spring Training, the Los Angeles Dodgers are busy adding players to the organization. Players like Brendan Harris, Clint Robinson, J.C. Boscan, Daniel Moskos and others have been signed to minor league deals already this winter.
While Harris has the best chance to make the major league team out of Spring Training, it's likely that these players will either be released or play for different minor league teams in the Dodgers system. Today, the Dodgers added another player on a minor league deal according to Chris Cotillo of MLB DailyDish:
Confirmed that Aaron Bates has a minor league deal with the #Dodgers.
— Chris Cotillo (@ChrisCotillo) January 29, 2014
Bates, 29, spent last season with the Sugar Land Skeeters of the Independent League, hitting .306 with seven home runs and 57 RBI in 126 games. Prior to that, he's spent time in the Boston Red Sox, Minnesota Twins and St. Louis Cardinals organizations.
Primarily a first baseman, Bates does have experience playing in the outfield and it'll be interesting to see if he can get a job with the Dodgers Triple A affiliate in Albuquerque. Expect the Dodgers to sign more players for organizational depth as they look to bring more and more players into the fold before Spring Training.
ICYMI: Here's our Dodgers Nation Weekly Video in Review
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Written by Ross Gasmer
Ross Gasmer is a Social Media Producer for @TheHerd and was a contributing writer and editor for Dodger Nation. Follow him on Twitter @Ross_Gasmer12
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Astros Fan Feels the Club Has Suffered Enough After Sign Stealing Fallout


Meets EPA standards for particle emission to the air. 98% reduction in lint exhausted out of the unfiltered facility.
Reduced fire hazard in the laundry room. Improves dryer efficiency through improved air flow in the dryer. Cleaner, safer laundry room.
Saves time and money with internal dryer lint screens removed.
Noncorrosive fiberglass and aluminum insure long maintenance free life. "Black Fiberglass" interior surface prevents lint from building up inside the filter.
LONG LASTING MAINTENANCE FREE DESIGN.
Lint is exhausted from the dryer(s) through the wall and collects on the screen.
At pre-set intervals, determined by dryer exhaust CFM, compressed air is released. The compressed air activates the rotor and automatically "blasts" the lint off the screen.
Lint drops by gravity into the lint bag.
Benefits: Easily retrofitted to existing site with no extra sheet metal required.
Mounts flush with the side of the building.
Filters supplied painted to match the exterior wall color scheme.
The filter will be constructed of fiberglass with non-stick "black fiberglass" interior surface.
Frame material will be noncorrosive aluminum construction.
The filter screen will be 160 to 210 micron, cable reinforced polyester with at least 40% free area.
Controls will be U.L. approved and operate at 24V. Automatic "blow-down" will be set to operate as required, based on backpressure.
Compressed air must be sufficient to maintain 80psi for 6-8 seconds to operate the "Lint Blaster" rotor during "Blow-down" to clean the screen.


Go beyond the integration capabilities by using the Bizagi Connectors. Connect to the most frequently used enterprise applications using the Ready-to-use connectors or creating your own ones.
Learn how to create, install, configure and use Bizagi Connectors easily. Enjoy discovering a new world of connectivity with some very useful examples.
Learn how to use the Ready-to-use connectors to speed up your developments.
Learn how to create assisted connectors with cero code.
Learn how to take advantage of the flexibility of the Bizagi Connectors by creating Custom Connectors.
This course is aimed at professionals who are involved and interested in the development of BPM projects, particularly in the integration of Bizagi with Cloud applications. Basic knowledge in: software development, JSon structure, and nodeJS.
This course has been designed with Bizagi 11.1. Download here.
The effectiveness of the course is directly related to the effort that is invested in it. The resources are available for free for anyone who wants to learn something about Bizagi Connectors, but the results achieved are dependent on the amount of time and work the learner is prepared to commit to the course.


Do you have bad habits? It doesn't have to be a serious one, like smoking. A bad habit can be the nail-biting mania, especially when anxiety dominates.
The writer Niklas Goeke says he chewed his nails for over 10 years until he realized it was a problem.
When he began to study self knowledge, Goeke made it his mission to stop this habit. He then prepared a list of 27 exercises to develop the mind and decide what is interesting to eliminate from our lives.
Thought: activities you can do alone or just with your mind.
Expression: exercises to evaluate your attitudes and beliefs, which you can do alone or through writing.
Implementation: Strategies and activities that you need to apply in the real world to take effect.
Before you get to know the exercises proposed by Goeke, you need to understand what self-knowledge is and why this process is so important.
Self-awareness means becoming aware of who we are and what we want for ourselves, taking into account our emotions, potentials, and limitations.
Therefore, self-knowledge is a path to growth. When we know ourselves deeply, we take the reins of our lives and write our own history.
The philosopher and writer of Ancient China, Lao Tzu, said: "Those who know others are wise; he who knows himself is enlightened".
Take a walk. No geographic destination, get lost in consciousness. Preferably, listening to music.
Take a walk with a friend. It's easier to open up while you're walking.
It's like talking to someone. In this case, with the author.
Ask "why" three times. Reflect your life with these three questions. You will develop some insights.
Classify your thoughts and emotions. Putting a name on negative emotions reduces its impact.
Meditate. Sit, close your eyes and breathe.
Exercise and practice sports alone. It's like a mantra.
Get out of the circuit of consciousness. During the day, we are led by a flood of thoughts. Step aside and get out of it.
Put a question mark at the end of your opinions. Remove the final and start asking yourself.
Breathe consciously. Stop feeding your body with a short breath.
Pay attention to your posture and body language. Doing this helps you better understand how to deal with stress.
Look into the eyes. Look straight into other people's eyes.
Create a personal manifesto. A document that captures your values, attitudes, and aspirations.
Keep a journal. A small habit that can be only one sentence per day, but that will certainly create insights.
Take personality tests. Something like the 16 personalities test can help you better understand who you are.
A: Activating Event, which activates an internal dialog.
B: Belief, what forms within you after the event.
C: Consequences, about how you feel after the event.
Apply Drucker's questions. Questions to improve your personal perception. Find out what they are here. In doing so, you'll develop into self-knowledgable person.
Discover your "Eulerian Destiny". Exercise for you to find skills and beliefs that are at the very core of your being. Understand it better in Niklas's text.
Use the Liberty Diagram. Based on the Euler Diagram, you can also find it there.
Write a letter of regrets. Imagine that you are 90 years old and writing a letter to your 20-year-old self. What would you apologize for?
Write your own obituary. Based on the "funeral test" described in the book The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.
Get constant feedback and analysis. Whenever you make a decision, write whatever happens. One year later, review.
List your most important tasks every night. Describe the three most important tasks for the next day.
Practice "Honest Hour". Sit down with three of the most important people in your life and ask honest feedback about what they think of you.
Say no (for now). Self-analysis helps you understand what your desires, wants and instincts are. Now follow them.
Practice the pause-and-planning reaction. Whenever something serious happens, instead of reacting immediately, freeze everything and take time to plan. Pretend dead and then decide what to do.
Ask for forgiveness. That simple.
You already know the 27 self-knowledge exercises. Now it's up to you. It is in your hands to decide to take the first step.
Habits shape your life and can transform it – for better or for worse. It will depend on how well you know yourself and what you plan for yourself.
Tom Rath wrote the book for those who want a healthier, more peaceful life. For him, living a healthy life is a matter of implementing small changes.
The author himself struggled with a serious illness to keep himself healthy. On the long run, everyone can do the same. Before you start your next diet, take this reading.
The word mindfulness is a trend and won't come out of blog posts and newspaper articles. You have probably heard of this technique, which teaches us to pay more attention to what is happening around us.
With this guide, you will learn how to apply the technique with simple practices. Perhaps isn't it the habit that was lacking your life to be complete?
Some people need a little stronger push to put healthy habits in the routine.Ben explains in this book that with some changes in what you do daily, you can accomplish activities you never thought you would be able to do.
After all, you do not have to be a dedicated athlete to be healthy.
Enjoyed it? Now, what about learning a little more about how to do meditate?