June 2015

Government passwords scattered across the Web, study finds

Login credentials for websites linked to nearly 50 government agencies have been found scattered across the Internet, according to a new report from Recorded Future. The credentials -- usually consisting of a government e-mail account linked to a password -- showed up on numerous public so-called paste sites, such as Pastebin, according to the findings from the threat intelligence company. The company said those sites tend to be a dumping ground for passwords acquired through various cyberattacks.

More worrisome, according to the report, is that some of the government agencies did not require two-factor verification, which would make the credentials much more valuable. “The presence of these credentials on the open Web leaves these agencies vulnerable to espionage, socially engineered attacks, and tailored spear-phishing attacks against their workforce,” according to the report. The analysis was conducted between November 2013 and November 2014. During that time, the Department of Energy had the most exposure, followed by the Commerce Department, Interior, Heath and Human Services, Homeland Security, Justice and Treasury.

Noncoms Ask FCC to Axe U-to-V Auction Discount

In a meeting with Federal Communications Commission Chairman Tom Wheeler and key members of his incentive auction team, representatives of CPB, PBS and the Association of Public Television Stations said the FCC should pay stations who are moving from a UHF to a VHF just as much to get off that spectrum as if they were giving it up entirely to get out of the business or share channels, according to a filing at the FCC. The FCC is proposing to pay U-to-V movers only about two-thirds of what it pays for stations vacating and exiting or vacating and sharing. But the noncommercial broadcasters told Chairman Wheeler a discount for moving to the VHF band -- most noncoms are UHF -- was "inconsistent with the purpose of the auction, which is to use market mechanisms to determine the value that a broadcaster is willing to accept to relinquish its current channel."

They said the FCC should get rid of the discount and let competition for spectrum set the price for relinquishment. The discount is because movers, rather than sharers, will still take up 6 MHz of spectrum, albeit in the VHF band. But since that is where stations are being repacked, the more free spectrum there is in the VHF band, the more stations that can be moved from the UHF band and repacked there, and the more spectrum freed up. But if the FCC decides not to ditch the discount -- and it is expected to stick with the pricing differential -- the noncoms said it should give them a bidding credit, similar to the credit being offered small businesses in the forward auction of reclaimed spectrum for wireless.

NAB Seeks Hill Help on Relocation Costs

Apparently, broadcasters -- and specifically the National Association of Broadcasters -- have been looking for some help from Congress on the broadcast incentive auction, including on getting a little more money for the broadcast relocation fund. That is the fund that will cover expenses for broadcasters giving up spectrum to get out of the business or share with another station, plus some for cable operator expenses in repositioning their headends. In the incentive auction legislation, Congress earmarked $1.75 billion for the fund. The Federal Communications Commission has rebuffed broadcaster efforts to make that a budget rather than a cap. Broadcasters wanted the FCC only to reclaim as much spectrum from TV stations as it could relocate within that $1.75 billion, but the FCC has signaled it will not hold itself to that figure, though it will take steps to minimize expenses to try and keep within it.

But NAB is not taking any chances, said one source, looking to appropriations committees, for one, to try and get language freeing up some more money, particularly given that an earlier spectrum auction -- AWS-3, which raised over $40 billion -- has essentially paid for all the items -- R&D, an interoperable first responder broadband network (FirstNet) -- FCC spectrum auctions were required to cover out of their proceeds per the legislation, with plenty left over to pay down debt. "We have been warning members of Congress for months that the $1.75 B repacking reimbursement fund will be inadequate," said NAB spokesman Dennis Wharton, "particularly with the FCC projecting it may repack more than 1,000 TV stations." "We don't believe members of Congress intended for broadcasters to pay out of pocket as much as $1 billion just to stay in business. NAB estimates that total repacking costs could top $2.6B. "We've had numerous conversations with members of Congress on both sides of the aisle," said Wharton, "and we believe we are making progress in our education efforts."

Remarks of Commissioner Pai Chief of Staff Matthew Berry at the Florida Association of Broadcasters

Throughout the incentive auction proceeding, Commissioner [Ajit] Pai has fought for the Federal Communications Commission to treat broadcasters fairly. What dose that mean? To begin with, the FCC should do everything that it can to hold harmless those broadcasters who either do not participate in the reverse auction or whose bids in the reverse auction are not accepted. Congress created a fund of $1.75 billion to reimburse broadcasters for their relocation expenses following the incentive auction. The FCC's goal therefore should be to implement a repacking plan that will cost no more than $1.75 billion.

It would be unfair for the FCC to require televisions ratios receiving no befit from the auction to pay for relocation expenses out of there own pockets. That is not what Congress intended. Additionally, the FCC should ensure that following the incentive auction television broadcasters receive top priority in the portion of the UHF band primarily allocated for broadcast television....These are just a few of the issues of concern to broadcasters that are on the FCC's plate. And as we move forward with these and other matters, please don't hesitate to contact our office and share your suggestions. We have found that there is no substitute for direct dialogue with those who are required to comply with the FCC's rules on a daily basis. Our door is always open to you.

Senators Urge GAO to Study Internet of Things

A bipartisan group of Senators that has been urging lawmakers to pay more attention to the Internet of Things is now pushing the Government Accountability Office to study the phenomenon. Sens Brian Schatz (D-HI), Deb Fischer (R-NE), Cory Booker (D-NJ), and Kelly Ayotte (R-NH) co-signed a letter to Comptroller General Gene Dodaro, requesting a GAO study on the Internet of Things -- a term for a network of mobile devices, sensors and other technology.

In their letter, the Senators ask GAO to assess how the government could benefit from greater connectivity, as well as the associated challenges. "Given the growth in [the Internet of Things] as well as the way new technologies are being embedded in millions of everyday products, a more robust analysis of the challenges and opportunities associated with the [Internet of Things] is needed," the lawmakers wrote.

6 reasons why we’re underhyping the Internet of Things

[Commentary] Just when you thought the Internet of Things couldn’t possibly live up to its hype, along comes a blockbuster, 142-page report from McKinsey Global Institute that says, if anything, we’re underestimating the potential economic impact of the Internet of Things. By 2025, says McKinsey, the potential economic impact of having “sensors and actuators connected by networks to computing systems” (McKinsey’s definition of the Internet of Things) could be more than $11 trillion annually. According to McKinsey, there are six reasons we may be underhyping the Internet of Things.

We’re only using 1 percent of all data
We’re not getting the big picture by focusing only on industries
We’re forgetting about the B2B opportunity
We’re ignoring that “interoperability” could be the new “synergy”
We’re underestimating the impact on developing economies
We’re forgetting about the new business models that will be created

[Dominic Basulto is a futurist and blogger based in New York City]

Millennials love media on smartphones, shun live TV

The Millennials lead other age groups in media consumption on smartphones but watch the least amount of live television, according to new data from Nielsen. Reflecting the trend that has kept TV executives awake at night, US adults between the ages of 18 to 34 watched on average only 22 hours of TV a week, according to Nielsen's Q1 2015 Total Audience Report. TV still remains more popular than other devices in hours spent, but the Millennials' consumption pales in comparison to 36 hours spent a week in front of the tube by all adults.

The Millennial set spends "nearly as much time using digital devices as a whole as they do watching TV," the study said. Perhaps owing to its ubiquity in cars, radio remains the most widely used device, with 93 percent of adults saying they listen to it each week. It was followed by TVs (87 percent), smartphones (70 percent), personal computers (54 percent) and tablets (35 percent). Underscoring the stereotype of the neck-bent-forward twentysomethings, they also love their smartphones, spending 9 1/2 hours a week on the device. For all adults, the average is 5 1/2 hours a week.

Analysts: Sprint unlikely to change unlimited plans until network improves

Sprint CEO Marcelo Claure said the carrier might raise the pricing of its unlimited smartphone data plans later in 2015 and could eventually get rid of the option altogether. Financial and industry analysts say Sprint is unlikely to remove the unlimited option until it significantly improves its network quality, though analysts are split on how such a move would impact Sprint's subscriber base. Analysts say that Sprint's unlimited plans remain one of its most compelling selling points. "The reason that unlimited is important at Sprint, and really it comes down to value, is because its network is not as strong as its peers," Credit Suisse analyst Joseph Mastrogiovanni said, adding that it might make more sense to change unlimited pricing in 2016 when the network is expected to be in better shape.

Mastrogiovanni said that if Sprint were to improve its network quality to get it at parity with its rivals it would have more flexibility to increase the pricing of its unlimited plans or eventually eliminate the unlimited option. He also said Sprint could take other steps to rejigger its pricing so it still was the value-leader in the market. That would mitigate any negative effects that might occur if Sprint eliminated unlimited plans. Moreover, Sprint would likely grandfather in customers who already have unlimited plans.

Remarks of Commissioner Rosenworcel Before Women in Consumer Electronics

The number of women I see in technical fields is simply too few. There are three times as many job opportunities in STEM fields than in any other field. Ye the Bureau of Labor Statistics tells us that while women hold half the jobs in this country, they hold less than a quarter of all jobs in STEM fields.

Here are three ways to change that. First, to bring more women to the table we need more math. And by math, I mean more than calculus, statistics, and building a STEM pipeline. I mean organizations and institutions need to start counting. Second, to bring more women to the table we need to do it ourselves. At my metaphorical table, there is always room for more women. Third, to bring more women to the table we need to commit resources. It means supporting the services and products of companies with women in their senior ranks. It means investing in a women-owned start-up or female entrepreneur. It means showing up and joining the line-up at programs for girls that give them a glimpse of a technical career. That's how we start the process of changing a world where talent is equally distributed but opportunity is not.

Silicon Valley's Gender Balance Woes Start Before People Are Even Hired

Internships are a great window into hiring trends, and those trends don't look so good for Silicon Valley's efforts to recruit more women. Looksmart is the company behind InternMatch, a platform for students and recent graduates to find internship opportunities. Looksmart recently released a report on the "state of college hiring." One of the most striking findings is the divide along gender lines for preference in industry. According to the report, more than 36 percent of men would prefer an internship in technology, while less than 13 percent of women would.

At a time when Silicon Valley has come under increased scrutiny for the lack of diversity in its employees, this finding should be alarming. It could show that there is something endemic to the tech sector that is unappealing to women, perhaps even just its perception of being a boy's club. It could also be that fewer women feel they are qualified for an internship in tech. Their data shows that over half of students - 63 percent of males and 46.5 percent of females -- have taken computer science classes explicitly to increase their job prospects. Clearly students recognize the importance of technology skills, even if they aren't interested in careers in the field. This also suggests that the remedy can't be as easy as getting more women to take computer science courses. Meanwhile, fields heavily preferred by women over men including marketing and public relations (42 percent for women to 28 percent for men) and health care (21 percent to 15 percent). Government is the field most evenly split, with about a quarter of both men and women saying they would pursue an internship in the field.

Benton

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