Police had no idea that one SIM card could be used simultaneously from two handsets before the detention of Nazir Ahmed for interrogation. Nazir was picked up from Morigaon after an SMS from his mobile number in the name of ISF-IM claimed responsibility for Thursday's blasts in Assam.

Nazir had a Reliance connection and an Eve handset. Each handset of this particular model has a unique International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) number. Cops found that two IMEI numbers were using the same SIM. Accordingly there were two record sheets of calls and SMSes from Nazir's mobile number. The record of the SMS to the media was found in only one sheet, which forced police to believe that Nazir's SIM might have been cloned and someone else was using the duplicate card, with or without the owner's knowledge.

"We stumbled upon this technological surprise that Nazir Ahmed's SIM card was used in two handsets," Assam IG (Law and Order) Bhaskarjyoti Mahanta said.

So far, not that interesting. There are lots of vulnerabilities in technological systems, and it's generally a race between the good guys and the bad guys to see who finds them first. It's the last sentence of this article that's significant:

The experts said no one has actually done any research on SIM card cloning because the activity is illegal in the country.

If the good guys can't even participate, the bad guys will always win.

"There is no research guideline. There is no validated protocol for this. There's not even a clear set of indications for when this is to be used except when people are agitated. By saying that it's done by the emergency medical personnel, they basically are trying to have it both ways. That is, they’re trying to use a medical protocol that is not validated, not for a police function, arrest and detention," Miles said. "The decision to administer Versed is based purely on a paramedic decision, not a police decision," Slovis said. It's up to the officer to call an ambulance and determine if a person is in a condition called excited delirium. "I don't know if I would use the word diagnosing, but they are assessing the situation and saying, 'This person is not acting rationally. This is something I've been trained to recognize, this seems like excited delirium.' I don't view delirium in the field as a police function. It is a medical emergency. We're giving the drug Versed that's routinely used in thousands of health care settings across the country in the field by trained paramedics. I view what we're doing as the best possible medical practice to a medical emergency," Slovis said.

Being commanded about by the child-monster has slowed down my news consumption. So, big thanks to Portswigger for the heads up. Apparently the UK gov’t wants to set the new detention limit without charges to 42 days. This has triggered a firestorm.

From BBC:

Shadow home secretary David Davis has resigned as an MP.

He is to force a by-election in his Haltemprice and Howden constituency which he will fight on the issue of the new 42-day terror detention limit.

Mr Davis told reporters outside the House of Commons he believed his move was a “noble endeavour” to stop the erosion of British civil liberties.

The 59-year-old is one of the best known Tory MPs and his resignation came as a complete surprise in Westminster.

He told reporters outside the Commons: “I will argue in this by-election against the slow strangulation of fundamental British freedoms by this government.”

BBC Political Editor Nick Robinson said it was an extraordinary move which was almost without precedent in British politics.

Read on.

Article Link

Now slap yourself and head back into the detention hall. Dumbass.

From the Houston Chronicle:

George Bush High School’s valedictorian is among a group of Fort Bend Independent School District seniors who will not be allowed to take part in graduation ceremonies because of an investigation into tampering with the district’s computer network.

Khurrum Khan, 18, is the only valedictorian involved in the computer tampering incidents, which also occurred at Hightower and Elkins high schools, district spokeswoman Mary Ann Simpson said Tuesday.

The speech at the Bush graduation ceremonies will be given by the class salutatorian Saturday.

I recall this one. I wrote about this a while ago. But this part still amazes me,

The case is a potential a felony because investigators estimated the financial loss to the school district at a minimum of $190,000.

Sure block them from the grad ceremony, fair enough. But, 190K? Bite me.

Article Link

Sorry for the lack of content yesterday. Due to a PBCAK failure to pay attention I neglected to publish write yesterday’s article. So, they’ll trickle out over the next couple days I’ll try to do better while Dave takes some time off to work on a personal project. Thanks to all of our new subscribers that joined us yesterday. Welcome!

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And now, the news…

1. The Science behind 3-1-1 Mental Note - When flying this weekend, do not play the part of a vain astronaut.
2. DeCSS is now illegal in Finland Quick - jam the inflatable boat back into the travel pouch — Hurry!
3. Microsoft Whitepaper: Comparing Features - Windows XP SP3 and Vista SP1 smell the slow burn of a sweaty Ballmer
4. CFP (Computers Freedom and Privacy) Conference Roundup from Wired’s 27B/6 MmmmMmmmm… Cyberdyne me baby
5. RIM will not give Blackberry Keys to India Ahhh yes, but to which national governments (besides the Mennonites) have the boyz in Waterloo given the keys?
6. Elevator disables UAC on a per-application basis Do you want to Allow or Cancel?
7. Nottingham University Student Detained DWB (Downloading While Brown) from the US Gov’t - Go Directly to Secret Detention
8. President Bush Signs Landmark Genetic Nondiscrimination Information Act Into Law Gattaca… Gattaca… Gattaca…

More as I process it all (seriously, where the hell does Dave find the time for this every.single.day?)

Tags: News, Daily Links, Security Blog, Information Security, Security News