Researchers crack code in cell phones; weakened encryption raises security concern

Article Abstract:

The world's most popular encryption method for digital cellular telephones has been cracked by University of California at Berkeley researchers, who believe the Groupe Speciale Mobile (GSM) standard was deliberately weakened to allow Government surveillance. Successful hackers could use a phone's number under GSM encryption and use it in another phone to fraudulently bill calls. Such cloning is far more remote than the threat to analog cellular phones, according to the researchers and cellular telephone company officials. About 80 million worldwide cellular phones worldwide, including two million US phones, use the GSM standard. The two researchers said they used a computer for nearly 10 hours to identify a secret identity number stored inside the phone's Subscriber Identity Module (SIM), which is a credit cardlike device. The researchers also said cracking the A5 digital key could have allowed Government agencies to decode voice conversations fairly quickly.

Cellular Mobile Tel Equip, Standards, Research, Cellular telephones, Wireless telephones, Encryption, Data encryption, Computer hackers, Smart phone, Smart phones, Digital communications, GSM, Hacker, University of California, Berkeley, Digital communication, GSM (Global System for Mobile Communications)

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Oracle in talks to offer video news service

Article Abstract:

Oracle Corp is involved in talks discussing the development of a national digital video service that would allow PC users to customize video newscasts and do online research from video news archives. The companies involved in the talks include Intel, AT&T, MCI, Reuters and CNN among others. The proposed service would allow users to have much more control over video broadcasts than current services from Dow Jones and Bloomberg Business News now offer. News clips would be digitally stored on a network server, allowing users to search the clips according to subject matter and retrieve the clips in any order, the method now used by users to search text-based data base systems. NBC has similar plans to develop a video service called NBC Desktop Video, which would allow corporate users to receive broadcasts that could then be distributed or stored on a network.

Digital Video Processors, Computer software industry, Software industry, Oracle Corp., ORCL, Digital television equipment, Digital video, Technology Information

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Zenith to market a TV with a modem and Ethernet link

Article Abstract:

Zenith Electronics Corp announces a partnership with Diba Inc that will result in a Zenith television that will let viewers access the Internet via the built-in modem and Ethernet link. The first product of this partnership, a $889 27-inch television, is scheduled for a fall 1996 release. Diba is a Silicon Valley start-up that designs software and hardware that allows users to access the Internet through televisions. The Diba announcement comes only days after Zenith, the 2nd-ranked television manufacturer in the US, began discussing its plans for Internet access via television cable networks. In the six days since these discussions began, Zenith's stock rose $16.75, or 273 percent. The Zenith-Diba product will compete with Gateway 2000 Inc's new Gateway Web TV personal computer, which costs between $3,500 and $4,000 and features a 31-inch monitor.

Electronic computers, Radio & TV Broadcast Equip, Microcomputers, Product information, Network computers, Network computer, Television equipment industry, Company product planning, Television, Zenith Electronics Corp., ZE, Diba Inc.

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