U.S. Eyes 'Pain Beam' for Home Security, Law Enforcement
By David Hambling 12.10.07 2:00 PM
Sandia non-lethal weaponry researchers Willy Morse and James Pacheco test the small-size Active Denial System in the field. Photo: Randy Montoya
Burglars break into an apartment, hoping to pick up some expensive electronics or jewelry. But they're out again, empty-handed, within seconds, howling with pain and surprise. They've been driven back by waves of intolerable heat: Entering the apartment is like stepping into a furnace. It's the Active Denial System, or ADS, at work, the ultimate in home protection ... among other uses.
Also known as the "pain beam," ADS is a revolutionary non-lethal weapon that uses microwaves to cause burning pain without injury. The 95-GHz waves only penetrate a fraction of an inch, heating the outer surface of the target's skin. According to the Air Force, nobody can tolerate the beam for more than five seconds, and improvised protection such as wrapping yourself in wet towels or tin foil is useless.
There have been repeated calls for ADS to be deployed in Iraq, but the military is bogged down in reviews of the technology. However, now that ADS exists, the pain beam's manufacturer is exploring domestic U.S. uses, like industrial- and home-security systems. The Department of Energy is looking at employing the technology to protect America's nuclear stockpile. Meanwhile, some U.S. law enforcement officials are eager to get their hands on the pain weapon, and the Department of Justice is funding a multimillion-dollar research project to give it to them.
"We seem to have no qualms about dropping bombs on people, but are afraid of being embarrassed if we accidentally hurt someone while trying to save their lives," says Charles "Sid" Heal, a commander at the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department "Those restrictions do not apply to the Department of Justice and we are zealously looking for ways of resolving confrontations without having to kill or seriously hurt our adversary."
A former Marine, Heal has tested Active Denial and believes it could be invaluable in situations like jail riots, where the searing pain could cow rebellious prisoners. His biggest problems are the system's size and price tag; it's currently mounted on a Hummer and costs millions of dollars, putting it far beyond the reach of police departments.
That's where the U.S. Justice Department comes in. The National Institute of Justice, the department's R&D branch, believes police need a cheaper, lightweight Active Denial system with shorter range. NIJ tested a prototype of such a system earlier this year, but the results of testing have not yet been revealed. A working device is expected to be delivered towards the end of 2008.
"NIJ is working with the developer of the ADS system, Raytheon, to modify its underlying technology for law enforcement and corrections application in a man-portable configuration with a desired range of a hundred feet," says Department of Justice spokeswoman Sheila Jerusalem.
Mike Booen, Raytheon's vice president of directed energy weapons, says the handheld version could progress rapidly if the demand is there. So far funding has only amounted to $2.5 million (compared to $100 million on the military version), and more money would speed the process of getting it into the field. Such a device might be a separate unit or might be mounted under a rifle.
Booen says the smaller system may fire short pulses rather than a continuous beam due to power limitations. Beam diameter will be much smaller than the Hummer-mounted version -- just a few inches, instead of six feet. But in tests, even one square inch of exposure produced the "repel effect," forcing the subject to get out of the way as quickly as possible.
A handheld ADS would deliver an intermediate level of force, between verbal commands and more drastic means such as pepper spray or Tasers. But some have concerns that it could be used to punish or torture suspects rather than control them. Pepper spray and Tasers have caused plenty of debate, and any police use of "pain compliance" methods invites controversy. A device that causes intense pain but leaves no physical or chemical traces could easily be abused.
Tuesday, December 11, 2007
cyber threats
Here Comes the Cyber Cold War, spies declare eagerly
By Bruce Sterling December 11, 2007 4:18:17 AM
(((Or the "Cold CyberWar," as terminology differs.)))
Subject: SANS NewsBites Vol. 9 Num. 95 (((Gotta love these guys, they're my favorites)))
Date: December 4, 2007 8:54:40 PM GMT+01:00
"The first story in this issue provides very strong evidence that many more organizations are direct targets of nation-state cyber attacks aimed at economic espionage: law firms, smaller businesses and more as well as the big banks and industrial companies. The TimesOnline story provides excellent coverage of the letter sent to 300 CEOs by the head of MI5 (the spymaster known as "M" to James Bond fans.)
"And a similar wake-up call in the US: All across Washington DC, senior government and contractor officials are reacting with shock to the revelation that their systems have been deeply penetrated and taken over by unauthorized users who are stealing enormous amounts of sensitive data. Most of the penetrations were done through spear phishing emails with infected attachments or with urls that took victims to web sites where their systems were infected.
(((That doesn't sound very "Chinese" to me. Sounds very RBN "Russian Business Network," an outlook who, it is claimed, recently rel-located their services to Chinese machines. They're the blackest of black globalizers, and if anybody can spearphish a gullible fed, it's these guys.)))
(((Guys who are employed by nation-states always wanna go fight a nation-state. Condemning China because of the depredations of the RBN is like invading Iraq to defeat Al Qaeda.)))
"Now a new attack vector is being used increasingly against federal sites: direct attacks against federal web sites and commercial web sites. Apparently most developers that create web sites and other applications have had no intense training in secure coding, and they do not know what they don't know. If you would like to know whether your developers have good secure coding skill (in C or Java) there's a free assessment they can use next week in Washington, DC . (It will cost $250 after January 1). If you have developers who would like to know where their security knowledge gaps are, write me at apaller@sans.org.
(((Are you a fed? You should listen to these guys.)))
TOP OF THE NEWS
--MI5 Warns UK Businesses of China-Sponsored Cyber Attacks
(December 2 & 3, 2007) (((On other news, MI5 might warn China about "Russian business" attacks, but the idea of "businesses" savaging governments is, like, still too much to a bureaucrat's head around. You mean states are FAT VICTIMS of cyberwar -- that Britain is just a bigger Estonia? Does not compute!)))
"Reports in the English media say the UK government has accused China of breaking into computer systems at prominent UK businesses. (((I dunno why they bother when they could just walk off with the CD plasticware, but never mind, forge on:)))
"The reports indicate that MI5 chairman Jonathan Evans sent a confidential letter to 300 chief executives and security chiefs at major UK companies, warning them of the attacks. Rolls Royce and Royal Dutch Shell have reportedly been targeted by the cyber attacks, but so have many smaller organizations and law firms representing companies doing business in China. A Chinese embassy official in London denies the allegations."(((Like they'd tell him. "Hello? Is this the Chinese embassy in London? Yes, we plan to rifle through the British databanks using unrevealed first-day exploits -- is that okay with you guys in the corps diplomatique?")))
http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/markets/china/article2988228.ece http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9050499&source=rss_topic17 http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/7123970.stm
"STATISTICS, STUDIES & SURVEYS
"--McAfee's Virtual Criminology Report
"(November 29 & 30, 2007)
"According to McAfee's annual Virtual Criminology Report, the world faces a cyber cold war over the next decade; 120 countries around the world are conducting cyber espionage operations. The operations target the military, political, economic, and technical arenas. The report also says that China is leading the way in cyber espionage. The Chinese government denies the allegations that it is at the forefront of the impending cyber cold war. The report was compiled with input from the UK's Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA), NATO, and the FBI."http://www.scmagazine.com/uk/news/article/769321/mcafee-report-issues-stark-cyberwarfare-warning/ http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/industry_sectors/technology/article2962570.ece http://www.zdnet.co.uk/misc/print/0,1000000169,39291156-39001093c,00.htm http://www.smh.com.au/news/Technology/Chine-disputes-McAfee-report-labeling-it-a-key-cyber-warfareinstigator/2007/11/30/1196037112426.html
(((I'm saddened that the world now requires a "Virtual Criminality Report" (once a year? Shouldn't that be once a week?) and it doesn't improve my mood that the net is boiling over with spooks. A hundred and twenty countries with "cyber-espionage" outfits? All spying on each other, presumably... Where do they find the elbow room?)))
By Bruce Sterling December 11, 2007 4:18:17 AM
(((Or the "Cold CyberWar," as terminology differs.)))
Subject: SANS NewsBites Vol. 9 Num. 95 (((Gotta love these guys, they're my favorites)))
Date: December 4, 2007 8:54:40 PM GMT+01:00
"The first story in this issue provides very strong evidence that many more organizations are direct targets of nation-state cyber attacks aimed at economic espionage: law firms, smaller businesses and more as well as the big banks and industrial companies. The TimesOnline story provides excellent coverage of the letter sent to 300 CEOs by the head of MI5 (the spymaster known as "M" to James Bond fans.)
"And a similar wake-up call in the US: All across Washington DC, senior government and contractor officials are reacting with shock to the revelation that their systems have been deeply penetrated and taken over by unauthorized users who are stealing enormous amounts of sensitive data. Most of the penetrations were done through spear phishing emails with infected attachments or with urls that took victims to web sites where their systems were infected.
(((That doesn't sound very "Chinese" to me. Sounds very RBN "Russian Business Network," an outlook who, it is claimed, recently rel-located their services to Chinese machines. They're the blackest of black globalizers, and if anybody can spearphish a gullible fed, it's these guys.)))
(((Guys who are employed by nation-states always wanna go fight a nation-state. Condemning China because of the depredations of the RBN is like invading Iraq to defeat Al Qaeda.)))
"Now a new attack vector is being used increasingly against federal sites: direct attacks against federal web sites and commercial web sites. Apparently most developers that create web sites and other applications have had no intense training in secure coding, and they do not know what they don't know. If you would like to know whether your developers have good secure coding skill (in C or Java) there's a free assessment they can use next week in Washington, DC . (It will cost $250 after January 1). If you have developers who would like to know where their security knowledge gaps are, write me at apaller@sans.org.
(((Are you a fed? You should listen to these guys.)))
TOP OF THE NEWS
--MI5 Warns UK Businesses of China-Sponsored Cyber Attacks
(December 2 & 3, 2007) (((On other news, MI5 might warn China about "Russian business" attacks, but the idea of "businesses" savaging governments is, like, still too much to a bureaucrat's head around. You mean states are FAT VICTIMS of cyberwar -- that Britain is just a bigger Estonia? Does not compute!)))
"Reports in the English media say the UK government has accused China of breaking into computer systems at prominent UK businesses. (((I dunno why they bother when they could just walk off with the CD plasticware, but never mind, forge on:)))
"The reports indicate that MI5 chairman Jonathan Evans sent a confidential letter to 300 chief executives and security chiefs at major UK companies, warning them of the attacks. Rolls Royce and Royal Dutch Shell have reportedly been targeted by the cyber attacks, but so have many smaller organizations and law firms representing companies doing business in China. A Chinese embassy official in London denies the allegations."(((Like they'd tell him. "Hello? Is this the Chinese embassy in London? Yes, we plan to rifle through the British databanks using unrevealed first-day exploits -- is that okay with you guys in the corps diplomatique?")))
http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/markets/china/article2988228.ece http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9050499&source=rss_topic17 http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/7123970.stm
"STATISTICS, STUDIES & SURVEYS
"--McAfee's Virtual Criminology Report
"(November 29 & 30, 2007)
"According to McAfee's annual Virtual Criminology Report, the world faces a cyber cold war over the next decade; 120 countries around the world are conducting cyber espionage operations. The operations target the military, political, economic, and technical arenas. The report also says that China is leading the way in cyber espionage. The Chinese government denies the allegations that it is at the forefront of the impending cyber cold war. The report was compiled with input from the UK's Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA), NATO, and the FBI."http://www.scmagazine.com/uk/news/article/769321/mcafee-report-issues-stark-cyberwarfare-warning/ http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/industry_sectors/technology/article2962570.ece http://www.zdnet.co.uk/misc/print/0,1000000169,39291156-39001093c,00.htm http://www.smh.com.au/news/Technology/Chine-disputes-McAfee-report-labeling-it-a-key-cyber-warfareinstigator/2007/11/30/1196037112426.html
(((I'm saddened that the world now requires a "Virtual Criminality Report" (once a year? Shouldn't that be once a week?) and it doesn't improve my mood that the net is boiling over with spooks. A hundred and twenty countries with "cyber-espionage" outfits? All spying on each other, presumably... Where do they find the elbow room?)))
This is alarming news
In Test, Canadian ISP Splices Itself Into Google Homepage
By Sarah Lai Stirland December 10, 2007 1:42:16 PMCategories: Network Neutrality
A screen shot posted to the web over the weekend seems to show that Canada's largest provider of high-speed internet access is exploring a controversial data substitution technique that lets it add its own content to the webpages customers visit.
Expect this development to become Exhibit A in the case for net neutrality legislation.
Lauren Weinstein, a technology consultant in Los Angeles and a long-time Internet activist, posted a screen-shot of a Rogers-modified Google search page this past Saturday on his blog.
The screen shot, forwarded from "a concerned reader," shows a Rogers-Yahoo branded customer service message apparently on Google's home page.
The message informs the Rogers customer that they are approaching their data cap limit for the month, and provides them with a link to information on how they would be able to upgrade their account, among other things. (Click the image to enlarge)
"Just brought to my attention today by a concerned reader who chose Google for his example, what you're looking at is reportedly an ongoing test by Rogers in Canada, scheduled for deployment to Rogers Internet customers next quarter," Weinstein wrote in his blog.
"This is what Net Neutrality is about -- it's not just making sure that data is handled in a competitive and non-discriminatory manner, but it's also that the data that's sent is the data that you get -- that the content is unmodified, not with messages that are woven into your data stream [from third parties]" he says in an interview.
Weinstein is a co-founder of a non-profit discussion and policy group called People for Internet Responsibility, the latest project of which is a new e-mail discussion group called the Net Neutrality Squad. The project's goal is to report on and discuss alleged incidents of discriminatory activity.
Update: Rogers vice president of communications Taanta Gupta confirmed that Rogers is experimenting with this technique as a way to communicate with its customers.
"We're trying different things, and we'll test customer response," she says.
Gupta says that the bandwidth limitations have been in place for some time now, and that the ISP currently doesn't have a standard customer notification procedure.
"This is useful information for the customer to have," she says.
Image: via Lauren Weinstein's blog
By Sarah Lai Stirland December 10, 2007 1:42:16 PMCategories: Network Neutrality
A screen shot posted to the web over the weekend seems to show that Canada's largest provider of high-speed internet access is exploring a controversial data substitution technique that lets it add its own content to the webpages customers visit.
Expect this development to become Exhibit A in the case for net neutrality legislation.
Lauren Weinstein, a technology consultant in Los Angeles and a long-time Internet activist, posted a screen-shot of a Rogers-modified Google search page this past Saturday on his blog.
The screen shot, forwarded from "a concerned reader," shows a Rogers-Yahoo branded customer service message apparently on Google's home page.
The message informs the Rogers customer that they are approaching their data cap limit for the month, and provides them with a link to information on how they would be able to upgrade their account, among other things. (Click the image to enlarge)
"Just brought to my attention today by a concerned reader who chose Google for his example, what you're looking at is reportedly an ongoing test by Rogers in Canada, scheduled for deployment to Rogers Internet customers next quarter," Weinstein wrote in his blog.
"This is what Net Neutrality is about -- it's not just making sure that data is handled in a competitive and non-discriminatory manner, but it's also that the data that's sent is the data that you get -- that the content is unmodified, not with messages that are woven into your data stream [from third parties]" he says in an interview.
Weinstein is a co-founder of a non-profit discussion and policy group called People for Internet Responsibility, the latest project of which is a new e-mail discussion group called the Net Neutrality Squad. The project's goal is to report on and discuss alleged incidents of discriminatory activity.
Update: Rogers vice president of communications Taanta Gupta confirmed that Rogers is experimenting with this technique as a way to communicate with its customers.
"We're trying different things, and we'll test customer response," she says.
Gupta says that the bandwidth limitations have been in place for some time now, and that the ISP currently doesn't have a standard customer notification procedure.
"This is useful information for the customer to have," she says.
Image: via Lauren Weinstein's blog