iPhone 5 TouchID broken by Chaos Computer Club

As reported by the Register: Well, that lasted a long time: the Chaos Computer Club has already broken Apple's TouchID fingerprint lock, and warns owners against using biometric ID to protect their data.

As the group explains here, it seems that the main advance in Cupertino's biometrics was that it uses a high resolution fingerprint scan. The post states:A lot of bogus speculation about the marvels of the new technology and how hard to defeat it supposedly is had dominated the international technology press for days.

"In reality, Apple's sensor has just a higher resolution compared to the sensors so far. So we only needed to ramp up the resolution of our fake", said the hacker with the nickname Starbug, who performed the critical experiments that led to the successful circumvention of the fingerprint locking.

All the CCC needed to defeat the scanner was an image of a user's fingerprint at 2,400 dpi resolution. That scan was “cleaned up”, inverted, and printed into a transparent sheet. The image of the print is then lifted from the sheet using latex milk or woodglue.

“After it cures, the thin latex sheet is lifted from the sheet, breathed on to make it a tiny bit moist and then placed onto the sensor to unlock the phone,” the post states, adding that this technique can be used against “the vast majority” of fingerprint scanners.

At the time of writing, the CCC hadn't announced whether it will claim any of the prizes on offer for a successful attack.

A YouTube video of how to break the fingerprint scan can be found here.

Why Taxi Cab Drivers Cannot Put Down Their Smartphones

As reported by Euro2Day: The New York minicab service I used to favor communicated in code. When you rang and gave your address, the radio dispatcher would reply "five minutes" and hang up. This meant a cab would arrive at any time from one to 10 minutes later. "Seven minutes" meant 20, and "10 minutes" meant that anything, or nothing, could happen.

This week, when I wanted a ride to London's Heathrow airport, I used a computer account with Addison Lee, the biggest London service. The software told me when the car would come, showed me the likely route and deducted the fare from a credit card. A clean Ford Galaxy van arrived early and took me there smoothly - at twice the price of my former, less predictable journey to John F Kennedy International.

The revolution in the 400-year-old industry - from standing on the pavement to hail a taxi to summoning it by smartphone - is not cheap. But the cab-hiring applications, from Hailo to Uber, that challenge global tradition (Hailo launched last Thursday in Japan) are having a profound impact.

It is often possible to imagine what technology might achieve years ahead of it happening in practice. Think of the services in the dotcom boom that only worked properly when broadband came. A similar turning point has finally arrived in mobile, through a combination of smartphone apps, digital mapping and location tracking.

Every Silicon Valley buzz-phrase - the app economy, the sharing economy, social networking, the internet of things - has converged on the taxi industry. It has upset as many drivers and regulators as the invention of the hackney-coach in 17th-century London ("They have undone my poor trade, whereof I am a member," lamented John Taylor, the Thames ferryman-poet), but is a boon for passengers.

If you include all the world's cities, the taxi industry is big - Uber, the Silicon Valley limousine-hiring app, gained a $3.5bn valuation when Google and the private equity group TPG invested in August - and the competition is going global. As importantly, it illustrates how other local services could be transformed.

The industry is ripe for disruption because it is highly regulated, based on principles reaching back several centuries, and bespoke. Most cities divide cabs into licensed taxis - the only kind that are allowed to "ply for hire" by stopping in the street when hailed by a passenger - and minicabs that must be booked.

The tradition is that licensed taxis are of higher quality, especially in London, where drivers study for three or four years to gain "the Knowledge" of its streets and must go to any destination a passenger wants. In return, they gain privileges that go with their official status, such as the right to use London bus lanes (much to Addison Lee's annoyance).

Mobile technology undermines this. The passenger can now "e-hail" either a taxi or a minicab by pressing a button on an app and waiting for the vehicle to arrive, which weakens the "ply for hire" privilege. "It has been fantastic for private hire because our cars can be hailed like taxis," says Liam Griffin, Addison Lee's managing director.

Meanwhile, satellite navigation is reducing the Knowledge barrier; a machine can guide a driver who lacks it. No satnav device fully matches human expertise - an experienced driver will often reach the destination faster - but London is an unusually skilled market (take a New York taxi driver off Manhattan's grid and see what happens) and technology keeps improving.

It is not all bad for licensed taxis. A set of technology companies, such as Hailo, Easy Taxi and GetTaxi, have offered apps to taxi drivers that allow passengers to book without making eye contact. "This is one of the first truly mobile app technologies that is functional and useful, not a game or a fad," says Ron Zeghibe, Hailo's chairman.

Arguably, the only real losers are the radio networks that take bookings for licensed cabs at call centers. Technology can now do the job more effectively by matching buy and sell orders on a spatial network, the cab equivalent of the automation of stock exchanges. The elimination of floor traders hurt those affected but increased the speed of trading.

At peak times, after all, there are too few licensed taxis to meet demand - London has 23,000 black cabs in a city of 8.3 million people - and the app networks draw on a bigger pool.  Outside peaks, taxi drivers can spend half their time trawling for fares, so technology helps reduce the waste of time.

It has upset incumbents, including regulators who prefer clear distinctions between hailable taxis and bookable minicabs. The District of Columbia Taxicab Commission has drafted silly new rules, such as minimum weights for "digital dispatch" cars, while New York's liveried taxi companies want to stop yellow cabs taking smartphone bookings. They will not succeed in obstructing technological advance any more than the 17th-century ferrymen of the Thames. There are good reasons for licensing of taxis - public safety and service consistency - as well as bad ones, such as the restriction of trade and giving regulators power. Drivers who meet high standards will do fine.

Indeed, a striking aspect of the taxi upheaval is that it has come at the top end of the market. There have been cheap, low-quality minicabs for years but this wave of disrupters offers services akin to licensed taxis or limousines, albeit a bit cheaper and easier to book. (Uber has added UberX, a lower-cost service, to its original luxury vehicles). Despite the commotion, the taxi business has not fallen apart. To this passenger, it feels like an improvement.

Soldier Smartphones: Army Presses Ahead with Ambitious Technology Program

As reported by the Washington Times: he U.S. Army wants to press ahead with an ambitious program to bring the capabilities of the smartphone and the tablet computer to soldiers on the move in battle, despite problems identified in testing, according to briefing slides for a high level Pentagon panel.

The Defense Acquisition Board decides this week whether to push ahead with full production of the program: the Warfighter Information Network — Tactical, Increment 2, or WIN-T Inc 2.

The $5 billion program was rolled out to several combat brigades in Afghanistan last month. The system is built on a truck-mounted mobile network backbone but also includes smartphone and tablet-like handsets, called “End User Devices,” that can transmit text messages, GPS locations and other data.

Now the Army wants to extend that to 125 combat brigades across the whole force, despite problems identified last year in testing.

“The overall WIN-T Inc 2 system is not operationally suitable and not survivable,” concluded a test last year overseen by the Pentagon’s Director of Operational Test & Evaluation J. Michael Gilmore, according to the slides.

But an Army spokesman said the system “has demonstrated significant improvement since its first operational test.”

The Army “continues to refine and simplify the system to make sure the best capabilities are delivered to the soldier throughout the program’s lifecycle,” Lt. Col. Jerome Pionk said.

But he added that the Army “will fully support” whatever decision the Defense Acquisition Board makes with respect to the program.

GPS Jammers Could Knock out Signals in a Medium Sized City

As reported by NextGov: A single well-placed GPS jammer or spoofer could disrupt signals in an entire region of the United States, an official from the Homeland Security Department told a GPS conference in Nashville, Tenn.

At the same time, the U.S. still “lacks the capability to rapidly detect and geo-locate jamming or spoofing of GPS services,” DHS program manager John Merrill told the annual meeting of the Civil Global Positioning System Service Interface Committee, a global forum that fosters interaction between the U.S. and worldwide GPS users. The U.S. developed and operates GPS.

Merrill did not define the size of a region a GPS jammer could knock out, but Jules McNeff, who spent 20 years in the Air Force working on GPS and is now vice president for strategies and programs at Overlook Systems Technologies Inc., a GPS engineering firm in Vienna, Va., estimated a [properly placed] one watt GPS jammer could blanket a medium sized city.

Logan Scott, president of a company with GPS expertise called LS Consulting, said in a May webinar run by Inside GNSS that a GPS jammer with one-tenth of a watt of transmit power has a range of 9.4 miles, a one watt jammer, 29.8 miles, and a ten watt jammer, 94.2 miles. Inside GNSS is a magazine on GPS and other satellite navigation systems operated by China, the European Union and Russia, collectively called Global Navigation Satellite Systems.

A typical Chinese GPS jamming device for using in a vehicle.
They are illegal to purchase in the USA.

Consumer jammers at these power levels can be purchased on the Internet primarily from Chinese manufacturers at prices as low as $40.

DHS and the Defense Department have worked to develop a jammer location system that picks up and feeds jammer signals to a master station run by the National Geo-Spatial Intelligence Agency since 2010, but to date the only feeds it receives are from sensors located at Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey, Merrill told the conference.

The Federal Aviation Administration and the Federal Communications Commission spent two years -- from March 2009 to April 2011 -- locating just one GPS jammer used on the New Jersey Turnpike. That jammer interfered with an FAA system that provides enhanced navigation signals to aircraft in the vicinity of the airport for precision approach, departure procedures and terminal area operations.

McNeff called the jammer location system a “concept,” not an operational countrywide system.

The FAA plans to place heavy reliance on GPS between now and 2030, with the satellite system as the core of its Next Generation Air Transportation System, and plans to decommission its ground based VHF omnidirectional radio, or VOR, by then.

Jammers can affect GPS as well as other GNSS systems. In September 2012, the FAA set up a GNSS Intentional Interference and Spoofing Study Team to “identify technical, political, legal, and operational ways to mitigate the impact of GPS spoofing and jamming.”

Deborah Lawrence, manager of FAA's navigation programs, told the conference that the study team will, by the end of September, provide the agency with “specific, actionable recommendations” on how to counteract spoofing and jamming.

Long-Term Trucking Impact Seen From Colorado Flooding

As reported by FleetOwner: Bridges and roads in the northeastern and eastern parts of Colorado washed out by flooding from torrential rains over the past week will hamper trucking operations in the area for some time to come, despite an ongoing “full-press” effort by numerous Colorado agencies to reopen access to numerous communities isolated by severe flooding throughout those regions.

“A lot of these areas experienced a year’s worth of rainfall in just three days; it’s created an unbelievable challenge for our members,” Greg Fulton, president of the Colorado Motor Carriers Association (CMCA), told Fleet Owner. “The only saving grace is that this is not happening during winter, for the amount of rain we've seen would translate to roughly 10 or 12 feet of snow.”

Since last week, the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) said it remains focused on rescue efforts in Larimer, Boulder and Weld counties and across the northeastern plains. While the flooding continues in eastern Colorado, the water is subsiding in many areas and CDOT said it is expediting repairs in several areas.

CDOT is also in the process of obtaining three response teams to help construct the temporary roads for U.S. 36 and State Highway 7 between Boulder and Estes Park, U.S. 34 between Loveland and Estes Park, SH 72 between U.S. 93 and SH 119 and for impacted highways in eastern Colorado.

“With winter on our heels, we need to focus on restoring routes to communities that currently have limited access,” said CDOT Executive Director Don Hunt in a statement. “The work will be conducted by CDOT staff, emergency contractors and National Guard where possible to remove debris, make necessary repairs and begin building temporary roads to improve access to as many impacted routes as possible.”

CMCA’s Fulton added that a “window” for hours of service (HOS) waivers remains open as trucking companies find they need travel much longer distances to circumvent flooded areas in order to resupply communities with food, potable water, and other goods.

Currently, CDOT estimates approximately 30 bridges have been destroyed by flooding, with 20 sporting serious damage, while the status of other major roadways and bridges remains unknown.

“It’s making it extremely difficult to get into certain locations, and the secondary roads that are still accessible are not for the faint of heart,” added CMCA’s Fulton. “But the good thing is the major interstates seem intact at this point.”

The Colorado National Guard (CONG) reports that as of this week, a total of 754 troops, 19 helicopters, 200 vehicles, plus 20 ground search-and-rescue teams are currently involved in rescue and evacuation operations. Also, nearly 18.5 tons of cargo, including critical food, water and clothing and transportation and engineering supplies have been transported via military helicopters since flood operations began, with 209 CONG members currently manning 67 checkpoints in Fort Collins, Longmont, Greeley, Milliken/Evans, and Boulder, in order to ensure public safety and protect property.

President Barack Obama has also declared a major disaster exists in Colorado and ordered federal aid to supplement state and local recovery efforts in the area affected by severe storms, flooding, landslides and mudslides. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) reports that damage surveys are continuing in other areas, and more counties and additional forms of assistance may be designated after the assessments are fully completed.

Yet CMCA’s Fulton cautioned that one of trucking’s biggest challenges in the days and weeks ahead will be hauling oversized loads of gear to help restart many natural gas wells shut down by the flooding.

“If it turns out wells are damaged by all the flooding, it’s going to be really hard to move in the heavy equipment and supplies needed to repair and restart them.” Fulton said. “That’s going to take a while to sort out. CDOT is looking to get things back up and running quickly and there’s been great support from the state and federal government, but there’s no easy silver bullet to solve all of this. It will just take a lot of time.” 

Qatar: Intelligent Transportation Systems

As reported by the Peninsula: Qatar aims to overcome challenges it faces in implementing safe transport networks by learning best practices in other countries, says an expert.

The three-day second Annual Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS) and Road Safety Forum Qatar 2013 which began earlier this week in Doha would help learn about proven practices, said Jalal Yousef Salhi, Director of Infrastructure Affairs, Qatar Public Works Authority (Ashghal). 

“Qatar is facing challenges as it develops safe and efficient transport networks. I’m confident the forum will help Qatar and neighbouring countries to overcome challenges and deliver a world-leading, safe, fully integrated, multi-model transportation network in the region,” he told the forum at St Regis Hotel. 

The forum is organised by Ashghal in partnership with the Ministry of Interior and the National Traffic Safety Committee.

Salhi said Qatar aims to implement ITS all over the country in line with Qatar National Vision 2030 and that Qatar has started implementing initiatives. 

“This will without doubt enable Qatar to be fully prepared to host world-class international events in the next few years. The strategic and integrated ITS master plan will provide a framework to adopt ITS technologies and services that safely and efficiently serve Qatar’s citizens and communities,” he added. 

The annual event will see discussions between ITS and road safety engineers, managers, consultants, contractors and suppliers.

Imad Nassereddine, Adviser, Roads Operations and Maintenance Department, Ashghal, said there are 15 key initiatives and ‘Keep Doha Moving’ is one of the important projects. 

“This includes managing traffic along the Corniche by implementing an effective ITS strategy as quickly as possible. 

“We have issued our pre-qualification document for procurement of ITS equipment, available to download from the Ashghal website.

“We’re looking forward to a high participation from the industry,” Nassereddine added. 

Sessions over the next two days will focus on integrating ITS solutions to improve road safety, reduce fatalities and monitor progress, understanding driver behaviour and the most common distractions. 

It will also focus on actions that can be taken, including education and technology, and obtaining stakeholder outreach and participation when implementing ITS.

Bipartisan Support for the FCC to Require Wireless Carriers to Unlock Mobile Devices

As reported by the Washington Post: Several months after calling for legislation to unlock cellphones, the White House filed a petition with the Federal Communications Commission on Tuesday asking that all wireless carriers be required to unlock all mobile devices so that users can easily switch between carriers.

The proposal from the administration’s tech policy arm follows up on President Obama’s response last spring to furious complaints from online activists after the Library of Congress made the practice illegal in January when an exemption to the Digital Millennium Copyright Act expired. The activists posted their complaint on the White House’s protest forum and collected over 114,000 signatures on their petition to overturn the Library of Congress decision.

In March, the Obama administration said that consumers should be allowed to own “unlocked” phones, which spurred new bill proposals and committee discussions about the issue. The FCC also said it supported cellphone unlocking.

But, while there have been small steps toward making cellphone unlocking standard, the idea had lost some momentum, and the administration appears to be trying to bring it back into the legislative arena.

Some argue that making it legal to unlock cellphones could make it too easy for consumers to take copyrighted software between carriers. But in Tuesday’s petition to the FCC, the National Telecommunications and Information Administration said that allowing unlocked devices would increase competition and consumer choice, while also putting the burden of changing networks on companies rather than consumers.

“Americans should be able to use their mobile devices on whatever networks they choose and have their devices unlocked without hassle,” said Lawrence Strickling, assistant secretary of the NTIA.

Politicians and advocacy groups were swift to commend the NTIA for its action.

“This is an issue of consumer choice and flexibility, plain and simple. We are appreciative of the support of groups like NTIA and we will all continue working to see that this issue of significant importance to most Americans is addressed,” said Reps. Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.), John Conyers (D-Mich.), Howard Coble (R-N.C.), Mel Watt (D-N.C.) and Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah).

George Slover, senior policy counsel for Consumers Union, said that the NTIA proposal was particularly notable because it extends unlocking privileges to tablets, as well as cellphones.

“This proposal is encouraging because it seeks to expand unlocking capabilities to more consumers and more wireless devices -- including tablets -- something Consumers Union has also called for, Slover said. “Consumers need a solution to this problem, and we hope that lawmakers and regulators can work to solve this important consumer issue.”

Public Knowledge, a D.C.-based public interest group, said that it took the White House’s action as a sign that the administration continues to support cellphone unlocking, but noted that there must be larger changes to copyright law as a whole.

“While new rules along the lines of those suggested by the petition can do a lot to alleviate the unlocking problem, we still face a copyright system that requires agencies and industries entirely unrelated to copyright to jump through hoops just to reach commonsense results. This doesn't just suggest that FCC rules need to change; it suggest that copyright law must change as well.”