Tiny Sensors Have Security Applications; E-Voting Machines Face Questions; Microsoft Takes Action Against Spam-Friendly Host; Cybersecurity Legislation Stalls in Congress

Tiny Sensors Have Security Applications

“Smart dust” senors, battery-operated wireless sensors are about to take off, according to a story in the Washington Post. The micro-sensor market is expected to reach about $10 million this year, but could balloon to billions by the end of the decade, according to the Post. For instance, Dust Networks just signed a deal with San Diego defense contractor Science Applications International to use the sensors for perimeter security. The sensors are smaller than a deck of cards and have wide applications (from photography to monitoring the air). Said Craig Mathias, an analyst at Fairpoint Group, “Homeland security is going to be a big part of it, but there are so many other applications.” Some believe that the sensors will be used to link refrigerators, computers, car keys and so on, so they these devices may be monitored remotely by a person or another machine.

For more details, read the full article in the Washington Post.

E-Voting Machines Face Questions

As the Nov. 2 election nears, several states are grappling with problems caused by electronic voting machines. Chief concerns include the lack of a papertrail backup and the potential for hackers to influence the results. A story in the Los Angeles Times looks at how some states are regretting the fact that they have bought into the system. In one case, Palm Beach County (Fla.) Commissioner Addie Green, 61, who helped get 5,000 electronic voting machines deployed throughout the county, is now recommending that voters turn in absentee ballots through the mail. “I want our votes to be counted,” Greene told the Times. “I’d rather do absentee ballots than take a chance on the machines.” Computer scientists say the answer is simple: attach printers to the machines to print reciepts that would be treated like ballots in case of a recount. But many election officials worry that it would cost too much money to print the ballots, and that poll workers would be diverted from their jobs when printers malfunction.

Read the full story in the Los Angeles Times.

Microsoft Takes Action Against Spam-Friendly Host

Microsoft has filed nine lawsuits against spammers, including a suit against a Web hosting firm that has allegedly offered spammers “bullet-proof” hosting, according to a story by Reuters and The Register. The hosting company, National Online Sales, is accused of offering to send e-mail and host sites through servers based in China.

For more details, read the full article in The Register.

Cybersecurity Legislation Stalls in Congress

New legislation that was expected to be introduced in the House Thursday that would increase the profile of the national cybersecurity director won’t be going anywhere fast, according to a story in Computerworld (a sister company to CXO Media). The bill would have created an Office of Critical Infrastructure Information Protection at the Office of Management and Budget, increasing the influence of Amit Yoran, the national director of cybersecurity within the Department of Homeland Security. Critics of the bill say it is dead on arrival and that the best move would be for DHS to give the national cybersecurity chief more power.

For more details, read the full article in Computerworld.