A Peculiar Blog

I recently wrote about a Ransomware attack called GPcode that encrypts files on the victim’s computer and then offers to sell them a decryption key to get them back.
According to Kaspersky Labs, When GPcode does it’s thing, it first creates a copy of the file it’s going to encrypt. Once that encryption is done, [...]

Ok, this is happening in the UK but this particular flavor of censorship could easily be adopted by American ISP’s. There’s a joint venture between Virgin Media and BPI (the British Phonographic Industry), which represents the major record labels. (I believe it’s their version of the RIAA)
Here’s the part where you give everyone [...]

The primaries are over, the conventions are still yet to come (though I don’t see the point of having them since the outcome of each is already predetermined) and all parties are now focusing on the general election in November. Things are barely getting started and already the fear tactics have begun:
LIEBERMAN: U.S. MAY [...]

What do you do when you’re toiling away at the project of the moment and all of a sudden your monitor goes dark? There’s no clicking sounds, not a whiff of smoke or a flicker of the lights. The computer itself continues merrily along, waiting for your next input or instruction. Checking [...]

I just read a blog entry titled “Disposeable soldiers“. It’s one of those things that wakes you up and makes you ask “Can this really be happening?”. The pathetic answer is “Yes, It can.”
According to an investigation reported on Good Morning America The Veterans Administration is up to it’s eyeballs in a scandal [...]

The folks at Kaspersky Labs have run into a new variant of a nasty little bugger known as Gpcode. This virus encrypts files on the infected computer and then demands payment for a key that will allow the victim to decrypt the files and recover their data.
Thing is, this version of Gpcode is using [...]

They’ve finally gone and done it. The whole same sex marriage thing is now legal in California. No doubt there will be other states to follow.
People wonder why it seems like so many things are, to use an old expression, “going to hell in a handcar” (only these days it’s more like a [...]

A while back Simply Stating The Obvious held a contest. I entered on May 20th because, well, who wouldn’t want a prize package that included prizes like
a The Andromeda Strain t-shirt
The Andromeda Strain DVD Collection featuring both the 2008 A&E miniseries
and the Oscar-nominated 1971 film
The Andromeda Strain novel by Michael Crichton
Then on May [...]

Politics is a messy business and it’s even messier when it comes to figuring out who to vote for. Up until recently I’ve been leaning in the direction of McCain, in spite of the fact that he’s… well, not exactly in the running to be poster boy for natural acne treatment commercials.
Then I read [...]

I just got the June 6 issue of EFFector and thought I’d share this item from it for those who didn’t see it. It seems that the issue of immunity for telecoms that participated in the NSA’s illegal warrantless wiretapping program.
Now they’re trying to get the FISA court (remember, that’s the “Secret court” that [...]