As one of my last projects while obtaining my Computer Engineering degree at the University of Alberta, my group created a card security system. Basically, we got a card reader from the department, attached it to an MC68000 (damn, or was it some other microcontroller? and this was just last year...) and programmed it to read/output information based on the input from the cardreader. For this project, we used the University of Alberta's OneCards (student cards).
This project turned out to be laughably simple. There were two key components:
1. Configuring the card reader to the correct output type so we could decode the input from the OneCards. This took some tinkering.
2. Discovering the slightly illicit document detailing the standards of how magnetic card information is stored.
Once we managed to decode the information from the OneCards, it was simple. We went and talked to the OneCard office (basement of Cameron Library) with regards to our project, and we found out that there is no particular security or encryption on our cards. Our student numbers and other information is just stored as plain text (assuming you can decode the information). As for security, the actual funds/personal information is stored at a central database server. Given the simplicity of the cards themselves, however, I wouldn't put much stock in the effectiveness of security there.
It would seem to me that the security of our OneCard system is based on obscurity. As long as people don't know how it's done, it's safe! And if people start talking about how it's done, shut them up! I would suspect that this issue will become more pertinent once the UofA implements more conveniences/services that use the OneCard (such as the new vending machines that use OneCards).
I would post the specifics of my project, but I don't have them here at work...
the move to Canada should be considered a BENEFIT! a PERK!
no honestly, Edmonton is a great city, and anyone who manages to snag this incredible job opportunity will enjoy their time there. unless they're adverse to extreme weather. but the last few winters have been fairly mild...
Netscape has been way behind since IE 5.0 came out. And they haven't recovered. I haven't even considered trying new ones, because I've become so accustomed to the speed and ease of use of Microsoft's web browser.
The question remains, how can Netscape revive itself? They must release a new, standards-compliant and bug-free browser. And it must be better than Internet Explorer. Sounds absurdly simple, but why haven't they done it yet? What's going on over there? Netscape needs a good kick in the ass, and hopefully this letter will be the one to get them moving.
This is a really stupid comment. Bear with me, I'm just starting out...:)
As it is now, we have free reign. the internet is a virtual playground. no one has any idea how to control it. great. this proposed change to music distribution won't make a difference until the internet is policed/stifled/censored/etc. after all, what difference does it make it to release a new way to buy music if we can still get it for free? as for concerns about technological snafus (backward compatibility, costly software/hardware upgrades, etc), I don't know how they should handle it. in the past, it was your tough luck. if you bought a vinyl, you had a vinyl. you don't get a free upgrade to a CD just because technology jumped ahead. the argument here is, how should they handle the fact that a digital medium in this day and age can become obsolete within a matter of months?
towards pacifying and improving the internet speed for people without access to high-speed connections. Let's face it, not everyone lives in a city with cable or DSL hookups. This is a much-needed upgrade to basic phone service until broadband solutions are more widely available.
Putting a program like this into place is like organizing a huge witch hunt. By offering rewards for "helping" depressed and "possibly dangerous" individuals, you simply make the problem worse. What's to prevent kids from faking symptoms in some sort of scam to get the rewards? And how does this actually encourage kids who actually DO have problems to come forward? If anything, they will become more withdrawn and try to repress what they really are so that they won't be singled out as one of those "dangerous" kids. It's just a stupid, stupid idea. I challenge Pinkerton to come up with a real situation where this would be beneficial, and then show that these benefits will outweigh the myriad of negative effects this sort of campaign will produce.
Has anyone else ever heard of I-Gear by URLabs? Excellent piece of filtering software. Jamie is a horrible author. The article meanders all over with no direction and no clear purpose. It seems obvious that we're against filtering, but specifically why? or are we just making fun of the people who are so naive as to think that filtering the internet really makes a difference? This article needs some moderating...
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Hello fellow University of Alberta student!
As one of my last projects while obtaining my Computer Engineering degree at the University of Alberta, my group created a card security system. Basically, we got a card reader from the department, attached it to an MC68000 (damn, or was it some other microcontroller? and this was just last year...) and programmed it to read/output information based on the input from the cardreader. For this project, we used the University of Alberta's OneCards (student cards).
This project turned out to be laughably simple. There were two key components:
1. Configuring the card reader to the correct output type so we could decode the input from the OneCards. This took some tinkering.
2. Discovering the slightly illicit document detailing the standards of how magnetic card information is stored.
Once we managed to decode the information from the OneCards, it was simple. We went and talked to the OneCard office (basement of Cameron Library) with regards to our project, and we found out that there is no particular security or encryption on our cards. Our student numbers and other information is just stored as plain text (assuming you can decode the information). As for security, the actual funds/personal information is stored at a central database server. Given the simplicity of the cards themselves, however, I wouldn't put much stock in the effectiveness of security there.
It would seem to me that the security of our OneCard system is based on obscurity. As long as people don't know how it's done, it's safe! And if people start talking about how it's done, shut them up! I would suspect that this issue will become more pertinent once the UofA implements more conveniences/services that use the OneCard (such as the new vending machines that use OneCards).
I would post the specifics of my project, but I don't have them here at work...
the move to Canada should be considered a BENEFIT! a PERK! no honestly, Edmonton is a great city, and anyone who manages to snag this incredible job opportunity will enjoy their time there. unless they're adverse to extreme weather. but the last few winters have been fairly mild...
The question remains, how can Netscape revive itself? They must release a new, standards-compliant and bug-free browser. And it must be better than Internet Explorer. Sounds absurdly simple, but why haven't they done it yet? What's going on over there? Netscape needs a good kick in the ass, and hopefully this letter will be the one to get them moving.
This is a really stupid comment. Bear with me, I'm just starting out... :)
As it is now, we have free reign. the internet is a virtual playground. no one has any idea how to control it. great. this proposed change to music distribution won't make a difference until the internet is policed/stifled/censored/etc. after all, what difference does it make it to release a new way to buy music if we can still get it for free? as for concerns about technological snafus (backward compatibility, costly software/hardware upgrades, etc), I don't know how they should handle it. in the past, it was your tough luck. if you bought a vinyl, you had a vinyl. you don't get a free upgrade to a CD just because technology jumped ahead. the argument here is, how should they handle the fact that a digital medium in this day and age can become obsolete within a matter of months?
towards pacifying and improving the internet speed for people without access to high-speed connections. Let's face it, not everyone lives in a city with cable or DSL hookups. This is a much-needed upgrade to basic phone service until broadband solutions are more widely available.
Putting a program like this into place is like organizing a huge witch hunt. By offering rewards for "helping" depressed and "possibly dangerous" individuals, you simply make the problem worse. What's to prevent kids from faking symptoms in some sort of scam to get the rewards? And how does this actually encourage kids who actually DO have problems to come forward? If anything, they will become more withdrawn and try to repress what they really are so that they won't be singled out as one of those "dangerous" kids. It's just a stupid, stupid idea. I challenge Pinkerton to come up with a real situation where this would be beneficial, and then show that these benefits will outweigh the myriad of negative effects this sort of campaign will produce.
Has anyone else ever heard of I-Gear by URLabs? Excellent piece of filtering software. Jamie is a horrible author. The article meanders all over with no direction and no clear purpose. It seems obvious that we're against filtering, but specifically why? or are we just making fun of the people who are so naive as to think that filtering the internet really makes a difference? This article needs some moderating...