Whereas the current fingerprinting technique is fairly cumbersome and gives results that are not always clear and reproducible, this new method developed by a team of scientists at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel, will give clearer pictures in a shorter time. With the pseudo-science all too often depicted in the highly popular “CSI” series currently running on television all around the globe, it was about time to see a real advancement in forensic science.

Hidden fingerprints can now be revealed quickly and reliably thanks to two developments in nanotechnology.

Source: Chemical Communications, via The Royal Society Of Chemistry

Who would have thought that the trusty old photocopier would become the next biggest identity theft tool?  With companies equipping hard drives into them, there is no telling how your information will be used after you run of a few copies of maybe your drivers license, your passport, maybe even a credit card.  Remember the Xmas party where you photocopied your ass?  Whoops!

At issue are the hard drives embedded in most copiers and intelligent printers manufactured in the past five years. Data is stored on the drive before a document is copied or printed; unless security provisions are in place, the data is stored unencrypted and remains there until the drive is full and new data overwrites old.

Source:  Computer World

An Atlanta-based computer company has performed security tests that showed that 56% of the US area computers were open targets for hackers. The warning was issued following the RSA Conference in San Francisco last February and recommended the greatest caution, along with the use of advanced security packages when using wireless networks.

Source: United Press International

Thanks to Third Eye Inc., employers will be able to monitor their staff using a non-invasive wrist-mounted device that reports heart-rate fluctuations. When an employee engages in stressful activity — such as dealing with a threat or illegal behavior — the abnormal fluctuations in the heart rate will be reported wirelessly to a central monitoring unit and alert the relevant personnel. Coupled to a video surveillance system, it will also trigger cameras to zoom in on the bearer of the incriminated wrist unit to determine the cause of the anomaly. This new apparatus will be particularly useful in banks, casinos, or any other shops dealing with the public to both prevent possible illegal activities and ensure the safety of the employees.

Source: Gizmag

Microsoft silently released a patch that closes off holes in the tamper protection mechanism in its Xbox 360. This mechanism prevents users from running their own applications and alternative OSes like LINUX, but was defeated in December at a hacker conference.

The update was pushed out via Xbox Live, Microsoft’s online gaming service. Any game coming out after February 20 will ship with the fix, which is also available for download on the Xbox Web site, the representative said.

However, Microsoft doesn’t describe the Xbox update as a security fix. Instead, on its Web site it lists an “operating system update” for download, without stating what the update does.

Source: CNET News