MSM Monday Round-up

Anybody else fed up with passwords?

A San Jose State University professor tells us why we should be in The New York Times. It’s about time. Does anybody really think there’s a password strong enough to keep a determined intruder out? Plus, all these single-sign-on pop-ups are ticking me off.

Actually, is the Times hiding the fact that it covers hacker conventions? This story here tells us about a major Internet security hole. We meet Dan Kaminsky at a “technical conference in Las Vegas” on Wednesday. Now, DEFCON16 didn’t start until Thursday, though Kaminsky was scheduled to speak at that as well. And the Times interviews other “technical experts” which is a pretty bland title. Hackers?

The coolest thing about DEFCON? Three MIT students have managed to hack Boston’s subway fare cards. So what does the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority do? Sue the students to stop them from preventing their findings. Hey, that’s a step up from the MBTA’s average, everyday in competency.

And over at Slate, Vista just can’t catch a break.