Skype For Mac Includes Well Lubricated Back Orifice

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Lending further credence the working theory that USG.MSFT is at best avoided, a backdoor in Skype for Mac OSX was recently revealed by Trustwave SpiderLabs (archived). The hole – an authentication bypass – allows any program identifying itself as "Skype Dashbd Wdgt Plugin" to attach to the Skype Desktop API, making it trivial for the attacker to access notifications and contents of incoming messages, modify messages, create chat sessions, retrieve contacts, and log and record Skype call.

The code for this game of doppleganger is no more complicated than :

  NSDistributedNotificationCenter *defaultCenter =
        [NSDistributedNotificationCenter defaultCenter];
  [defaultCenter postNotificationName:@"SKSkypeAPIAttachRequest"
                 object:(__bridge NSString *) CFSTR("Skype Dashbd Wdgt Plugin")];

Mac OSX Skype users for versions from at least the last 5 years are affected. Users are advised to upgrade to Anything But Microsoft (™).

Ontario Standardized Test Resorts To Graphite Based Security Measures

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The Great Again : North Edition made an entirely expected about-face this week when The Education Quality and Accountability Office (EQAO) announced that the next Ontario Secondary School Literacy Test (OSSLT) will eschew their recently implemented online exam in favour of the tried and true paper format (archived). Citing a "cyberattack" during their October 20th online trial as the primary cause of the technological regression, there's no word on when EQAO will meaningfully stand behind their Q in the digital world.

Sorry for your lead.

Swedish Policy Update: "White Power" Causes Islamic Extremism

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According to Sweden's new anti-extremism czar Anna Carlstedt, much of the growing Islamic extremism in their country is driven by "the extreme right-wing white power movement". Sweden lead Europe in the export of aspiring Jihadists reporting to the Middle East for internship training in the practice of Jihad. Per Carlstedt this export is substantially fed by ethnic Swedes dissatisfied by the socialist regime and its policies rather than anything to do with the aspiring Jihadis and their motivations.

US Drug Overdose Mortality Continues To Increase In Latest Figures

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Drug overdose deaths in the United States continue to increase doubling in published figure covering the period from 2010 to 2014. This increased mortality has disproportionately affected poor "working class" whites and contributed to a decreased life expectancy in that demographic. The areas hit hardest by overdose deaths granted Donald Trump his greatest margins of victory which supports the hypothesis that hunger for The Great Again  and not outside influence (archived) led blue collar whites to abandon what was once "their party" though it continues to be supported by their union dues for the sake of Our Democracy.1 Sorry for your loss.

  1. This promotional offer is available only in select markets.  ↩

Missouri State Representative Elect Bruce Franks Robbed At Gunpoint

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Bruce Franks, elected to serve in the Missouri State General Assembly for the district including downtown Saint Louis, was robbed at gunpoint this week. The politician was sitting in his car outside the Schlafly Tap Room when two men opened his car door and relieved Franks of his own gun, his car, and his phones. Earlier this month Governor elect Grietens' wife was robbed while similarly sitting in her car on the other side of the city.

During his campaign Franks initially lost his primary race, but a new primary election was ordered after it was determined in court that operatives of the incumbent Penny Hubbard had engaged in voter fraud by abusing absentee ballots.

Local leaders had discussed in recent weeks raising tax money to build a new soccer stadium, but the Governor elect this week expressed his opposition to the plan. It remains to be seen how many more local leaders need to be robbed while sitting in their cars before the consider addressing the city's crime problem.

Three Times As Many Electors Rejected Clinton Than Trump, Colin Powell Finally Draws Votes

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The final count of Electoral votes in the United States Presidential election is TRUMP 304, Clinton 228, Colin Powell 3, John Kasich 1, Ron Paul 1, and Faith the spotted eagle 1. Several electors committed to Hillary Rodham Clinton attempted to vote for Bernie Sanders, one in Maine and a few in other states but their attempts were ruled improper and in the case of the Maine elector they changed their vote while other Sanders supporting electors were simply replaced with new electors.

Only two electors defected from Trump leading to the single votes for Ron Paul and John Kasich. All other successful defections came from the Hillary electorate including three in Washington State who voted for Colin Powell.1 It is unknown how much "Russian hacking" was required to get three times as many Hillary electors to defect then Trump electors.

  1. In the 1992, 1996, and 2000 presidential elections Powell floated as a Presidential or Vice Presidential candidate. During the 1992 election both parties courted Powell as a Vice Presidential candidate before he came out of the Republican closet. ↩

Former Flint Emergency Managers Face Felony Charges

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Former emergency financial managers of the city of Flint, Michigan face multiple felony charges each carrying a possible 20 year prison sentence relating to that time they switched the municipal water system from mineral rich lake water to mineral poor river water. Companies purporting to traffic in water systems expertise including Veolia and Lockwood, Andrews and Newman which contributed to the situation without considering the critical matter of "What happens inside pipes used to mineral rich lake water when mineral poor river water runs through?"1 face civil action.

The decision to switch water sources was made because of "costs" though the cost of replacing every component of the municipal water system was not included in the initial decision. The region still continues to suffer an apparently unrelated struggle with Legionaries disease.

  1. The answer is that the new water takes up the mineral left by the old and eventually you have water running through bare lead taking up that metal.  ↩