GoDaddy President & COO Warren Adelman, Personal Blog

Time to Update the Field Security Manual!

2010-03-07T23:40:00Z

I often see status updates on Facebook that make me scratch my head. They range from the mind numbingly banal to the shockingly candid. But last week a soldier in the Israel Defense Forces (for which I have fond memories) took the prize.

This Israeli soldiers particular update was covered widely in the Israeli press as well as international media. What did it entail? He updated his friends on Facebook via his cellphone that a force from his elite battalion was expected to be moving in to a particular village to apprehend suspected terrorists. Here's the update:

“On Wednesday, we are cleaning out [the name of the village] – today an arrest operation, tomorrow an arrest operation and then, please God, home by Thursday.”

The battalion's Information Security Officer caught wind of the post and notified Command (kudos on the Information Leakage catch!). Fearing that the force was put at risk, the commander called off the mission.

The soldier's fate? Tried and incarcerated for 10 days and kicked out of his unit.

This was not a lone example of such breaches of operational security in the IDF via the Internet. A number of other incidents led the IDF to engage in a wide educational campaign among soldiers on the dangers of information leakage on the Internet. The IDF brass has admitted it is a daunting challenge to monitor the flow of information and the information posted on Internet sites and social networks. They hope education and stiff penalties will help deter the dissemination of classified or sensitive information by the troops.

Maybe the IDF needs to have the soldiers uninstall Facebook and Twitter apps from their cellphones?

Remember men: "loose social networks, sink ships."

The Trojan Wars

2010-02-21T23:01:00Z

It has quite some time since I last posted. Not for lack of interest but rather I've been too busy with all of the things that fill normal day-to-day life. Then I read a story that I felt deserved to be shared. In some ways it hearkened back to earlier posts on the self-aware evil networks of SkyNet or the various episodes of cybercrime. The story was about the Kill Zeus feature of Spy Eye Toolkit.

Kill Zeus is new functionality within a Trojan Horse program that not only has the data theft characteristics of many malware programs but also has its sights on another Trojan. It's goal, displace its larger competitor, Zeus. With Kill Zeus enabled, the Zeus program is removed leaving Spy Eye to gather sensitive PC owner info alone.

Both Zeus and Spy Eye are toolkits designed to make the creation of a Botnet user friendly. According to the FBI, these two programs have already been responsible for over $100 million in losses primarily by stealing online banking account information and moving funds out of accounts and offshore.

This is a fascinating story of the adaptability of crime networks to the new digital reality. This is like an old time Mafia squabble over who controls a particular region. The Spy Eye criminals knew the Zeus program was making good money so they decided to muscle in. Think Capone and alcohol in Prohibition-era Chicago. (it is also a striking cautionary tale on the level of security we all apply to our online banking activities).

The real question is, when will the Trojan itself decide the criminals are unnecessary middlemen?

According to reports, Spy Eye sells for approximately $500 on the digital black market. Any budding entrepreneurs out there? I sure hope not.

You can read more from Symantec here.

The nostalgic idea of walking in to the bank to manage your account is beginning to sound good.

Warren

Twittering Away Time

2009-08-15T20:52:00Z

A new study from Pear Analytics reveals that some 40% of tweets are "Pointless Babble." Anyone in the least surprised?

I am a big fan of Twitter and a user: @asocialcontract But I have written in the past of the banality of tweets. Here are some examples from today:

Ethanjames5: My roomate is frying bacon naked...hope he does not burn his weiner.

Jewlery2TheSea: Picking my ears for earwax...

And the most insightful of all:

rasheedparker: the rate of my tweets illustrates my boredom

I myself berated a colleague at GoDaddy.com for tweeting about tasty broccoli!

That being said, I have been tweeting and blogging today which perhaps provides a view into my life

Thankfully my few tweets did not focus on food or bodily functions. In fact, I thought tweeting about the launch of a Wordpress URL shortner using wp.me was quite cool.

Resident Evil 6?

2009-08-08T15:01:00Z

I have written before about the perils of Internet addiction. Online games continue to be a hot spot of addictive behavior. I myself experienced a mild version years ago with StarCraft and still have a soft spot for Kerrigan:

Who wouldn't!

Asia continues to be the epicenter of online game addiction and the problem took a grim turn for the worse recently. A 16 year old sent to one of a growing number of camps for Internet addicts was beaten to death within hours of arriving. You can read the full story here.

Deng Senshan, pictured below, was one of a growing number of addicts among the estimated 300 million-plus Internet users in China. The Chinese have often turned to rather draconian measures in attempts to break the cycle of addiction including electro-shock therapy. This practice was recently banned by the Chinese Ministry of Health.

The whole thing reminds me of a real world Raccoon City!

Family Fun?

2009-07-05T22:11:00Z

A friend forwarded me a link to a video recently of a 2 year old child in China lighting up and smoking a cigarette. The video clip is just wrong on so many levels, And now, it is enshrined on the Internet for all eternity. You will have to find the clip as YouTube removed it.

Could he be a 40 year old dwarf in reality?

The adult onlookers seem to be having a good laugh. Will they be charged with child endangerment now that the video is widely available?

The Internet remains a treasure trove of the bizarre and disturbing-and, strangely, like the reality shows that litter TV, humans seem to relish being the featured stars.

The Mob (No Not That One)

2009-05-17T19:52:18Z

More than a year ago I wrote about how the anonymity of the Internet often drags open online discourse into the gutter. Well sadly not much has changed!

I've been a user of Twitter for quite some time. You can do a lot in 140 characters (sometimes!). But here are 8 characters I would love to see disappear from the Twitter lexicon:

SUCKS ASS

I don't really understand why people want to express their innermost feelings publicly, but so be it. They also want to comment on an event, a product or service or a celebrity, politician, friend or enemy on Twitter. But why must they use these choice 8 characters to do it?

SUCKS ASS

Is our educational system so dysfunctional that those who Twitter cannot come up with a better level of commentary? Have social norms been so degraded that

SUCKS ASS

is now an acceptable way to communicate?

Do a search on twitter for

SUCKS ASS

Just in the last hour this descriptive has been used many times. Apparently ESPN's Jeff Van Gundy sucks ass. Many think school sucks ass...That is an age old complaint of students! Breakfast, work, sunburns and cramps all suck ass. A rapper named Kobe sucks ass compared to Eminem according to one person. Another twitterer thinks the baseball player Mariano Rivera sucks ass.

I'm so tired of hearing those two words from the Internet Mob.

Recommended alternatives to sucks ass are welcome!

Whom The Gods Will Destroy They First Make Mad

2009-02-15T19:40:00Z

This cautionary tale of cellphone use is now a few months old but worth relating nonetheless. It revolves around the magic trio of cellphone, nude pictures and McDonalds. Think of it as a new kind of combo meal......

In Fayetteville, Arkansas a Phil Sherman left his cellphone at a local McDonalds. That is always a bummer but for Phil it was a little more problematic. It turns out that Phil had a collection of nude photos of his wife, Tina, stored on his cellphone. Doh!

The phone was apparently picked up by someone at the McDonalds and it wasn't long before those pictures of Tina made their way to the Internet. Phil was apparently not familiar with the password/lock function of his phone (a really good thing to use if you store nude pictures of your wife or anyone else on your mobile device.)

So what happened next? In grand American litigious style, Tina and Phil filed suit against McDonald's Corp, the franchise owner and the restaurant manager. The couple is seeking a jury trial and $3 million in damages for suffering, embarrassment and the cost of having to move to a new home?

Why I Still Belong to Netflix

2009-01-10T18:21:00Z

I first started blogging in December of 2007 after an experience with an inconsiderate cellphone user at the movie theater. Luckily violence was averted. Not so in Philadelphia this past Christmas season. When I read this story below. I just had to share it. I'm, of course, not justifying the shooter's action. It is simply another example of the decay of social behavior (no cellphone involved.)

Man Allegedly Shoots Talker at Movies

By MARYCLAIRE DALE

PHILADELPHIA (Dec. 27, 2009) — A man enraged by a noisy family sitting near him in a movie theater on Christmas night shot the father of the family in the arm, police said.

James Joseph Cialella, 29, of Philadelphia, faces six charges that include attempted murder and aggravated assault. He remained in custody.

Philadelphia Police Department

Police said James Joseph Cialella, 29, was carrying a .380-caliber handgun when he was arrested for allegedly shooting a man in a Philadelphia movie theater.

Police said Cialella told the man's family to be quiet, then threw popcorn at the man's son. The victim, whom television reports identified as Woffard Lomax, told police that Cialella was walking toward his family when he stood up and was shot.

Detectives called to the United Artists Riverview Stadium theater in South Philadelphia found Cialella carrying the weapon, a .380-caliber handgun, in his waistband, police said.

Lt. Frank Vanore called the incident "scary that it gets to that level of violence from being too noisy during a movie."

Lomax, 31, of Yeadon, was released from a hospital after the shooting. He declined to comment when contacted by phone Saturday.

It was not immediately known whether Cialella had a lawyer or whether bail had been set. A woman who answered a call to his home number Saturday declined to comment.

Police could not confirm what movie was playing in the theater, but The Philadelphia Inquirer reported that it was "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button."

Does he look like the type that would have been seeing Benjamin Button?

Darkseekers beware!

Blackberryphilia

2008-11-23T17:58:00Z

Blackberry addiction is once again in the news. President-elect Obama is a heavy Blackberry user and a variety of government rules appear to have the device destined to the sock drawer for a few years. (I recently had a conversation with a German about this who advised me that the Chancellor of Germany, Angela Merkel, is a total SMS addict and had the law adapted to her digital needs.).

While Im sure the President-elect is going to have MUCH bigger issues to deal with, I would support a change that allows SMS and mobile mail to be used by the Pres. Why stand in the way of societal technology trends?

But, of course, there are always people who give the Blackberry a bad name. (No-- I am not talking about myself despite the pictures below from Europe which my wife took).

Enjoying Paris:

And Berlin:

A fairly recent study conducted by that bastion of scientific research, Sheraton Hotels, fond that a whopping 35% of executives would chose their Blackberry over their spouse. " I can't live without it," was a common refrain.

The study, which included some 6500 executives, also noted that 87% of those polled bring their device (smartphone) into the bedroom. 84% check their mail just before they go to sleep. And, in one stat I had to read more than once, 85% check their email once in the middle of the night!

These people are really sick. I feel comparatively healthy and normal. I've printed out the whole study to show my wife how well adjusted I am compared to these sickos!

Yes, I think the Blackberry is a great productivity tool (in addition to being an electronic ball and chain). Yes, I think it is great that, when necessary, you can be connected anywhere, anytime. But there are limits.

One psychologist's comment on the study's findings: "Turn it off...Have a real relationship with a living human being." Or as Bob Parsons would say, "We're not here for a long time; We're here for a good time."

Does facebook Think I'm Fat?

2008-09-28T23:55:00Z

I was on my facebook page today and noticed the two interesting display ads on the page.

The first ad, as you can see below, is for the Simon Pegg film Run Fatboy Run. It is a movie with a few chuckles but I would never rent ANYTHING from Blockbuster. I'm still angry for the $35 dollars they charged me years ago for a film I absolutely returned.

The second ad (also below) is for a liposuction clinic here in Arizona. You get to watch a real liposuction procedure. What fun!

Should I assume that facebook thinks I am fat. I don't think I am fat. My friends on facebook have not posted about me being fat.

The other possibility is that facebook thought I would like to watch Run Fatboy Run. Not a terrible assumption. Then I assume their ad system decided to match the second ad with the first. Run Fatboy Run equals liposuction. More fat to go around. You can check out the great video (lipo porn?) here.

I'm going to go with scenario two (and maybe layoff on some high calorie snacks just to be safe).

Advertise

Run Fatboy Run

Have Run Fatboy Run delivered to your door. Check out Blockbuster by Mail for only $3.99/month.

Watch live liposuction

Tumescent liposuction Is fast, safe and affordable. Arizona's only lipo specialty clinic

The Stuff of Creation

2008-09-12T02:05:00Z

Day Two and all is well at CERN with the Collider. Phew!

All of the news, and concern, around the First Beam jarred my memory. I recalled that famous interview with Robert Oppenheimer where he reflected on the feelings among the scientists as the first atomic bomb was tested in the New Mexico desert. Here it is:

Chilling.

The ultimate collision of technology and human nature.

Engaged

2008-09-11T02:22:00Z

Follow-Up: The first beam in the Large Hadron Collider at CERN was successfully steered around the full 27 kilometers of the world’s most powerful particle accelerator this morning. We survived!

The people at CERN are thrilled:

Engage

2008-09-08T03:52:00Z

On April 12th, I wrote about the Large Hadron Collider being developed by CERN--the European Organization for Nuclear Research. At the time, some voices were heard expressing concern over the potential safety hazards of creating the conditions that existed at the time of the creation of the universe.

In anticipation of go-live (or FIRST BEAM as it is called) on September 10th, CERN published a new paper touting the safety of the Collider. Here is an excerpt:

The LHC, like other particle accelerators, recreates the natural phenomena of cosmic rays under controlled laboratory conditions, enabling them to be studied in more detail. Cosmic rays are particles produced in outer space, some of which are accelerated to energies far exceeding those of the LHC. The energy and the rate at which they reach the Earth’s atmosphere have been measured in experiments for some 70 years. Over the past billions of years, Nature has already generated on Earth as many collisions as about a million LHC experiments – and the planet still exists. Astronomers observe an enormous number of larger astronomical bodies throughout the Universe, all of which are also struck by cosmic rays. The Universe as a whole conducts more than 10 million million LHC-like experiments per second. The possibility of any dangerous consequences contradicts what astronomers see - stars and galaxies still exist.

You can read the full text here.

Let's hope they get it right.

If not we can all be very angry with this CERN scientist and his colleagues:

By the way, CERN chose Russian parts for triggers for the Quench Protection System pictured here:

Hope that works out.

Lets check in on September 10th

P.S. Sorry for the long absence.

Goodbye Mr. Bond continued

2008-07-10T04:51:00Z

More pictures of China's recent anti-terror exercises pre-Olympics can be found at this link.

Seems that Segways did indeed feature prominently in the exercises called Great Wall 5.

One photo that caught my eye follows here:

This photo, released by the official Xinhau news agency, show an anti-terror police officer using a flame thrower.

Holy Smokes. Is that the most targeted way to interdict terrorists? It seems positively pre-Industrial compared to the cool and stylish Segway masters.

Goodbye Mr. Bond

2008-07-07T00:02:00Z

A colleague of mine shared a story about a Chinese anti-terror unit practicing for the upcoming Olympics--on Segways. I suspect the founder of Segway, Dean Kamen, didn't have this in mind when he launched the company, but money is money. Now they have a whole Police and Government unit.

When I saw this photo only one thing came to mind--a quote from Ernst Stavro Blofeld, James Bond's nemesis:

"Goodbye, Mr. Bond"

But in all seriousness, I have no doubt that these Chinese troopers are indeed accurate, efficient and deadly. Now if we could just replace human legs with wheels.

A Win for Technology

2008-06-28T09:16:12Z

I have a son away at summer camp presently. He didn't want
to bother with contacts so decided to wear glasses. He doesn't
really like his glasses so we reinforced how important it was to wear them for his eyesight.

A couple of days after he got to camp we checked their website for
photos of our son. Within a few clicks we found him--sans glasses.

Busted!

A quick call to the camp director remedied the situation. Score one for the tyranny of parents and the power of the Internet.

Blogs That I Like

2008-06-16T04:38:00Z

Recently one of my readers asked me to list a few of the blogs that I read. Here are a couple I often peruse. When you have taken a look, let me know what you think.

Why Does Everything Suck

Rough Type

TechCrunch (who doesn't!)

Ill-advised Tour (He has not been posting for a long time but still worth a read for historical travels).

Paleo-Future

The Oil Drum

Brand Autopsy

and, of course,

Hot Points with Bob Parsons

Testing 1-2-3

2008-06-15T14:57:11Z

As I prepare for a trip to an ICANN meeting, I'm prepping for email blogging
for asocialcontract.com on GoDaddy's QuickBlogcast service. This is just
a test as I work on further tethering my life to the Internet

Warren Adelman
Sent from Blackberry using GoDaddy MobileMail

Cellphone to the Rescue?

2008-06-04T01:19:00Z

One of my colleagues shared this story with me tonight from a news station in Orem, Utah:

Automatic car features are supposed to make life easier for motorists, but they may be leaving some people without the know-how to do things the old-fashioned way. That’s what happened to a driver in Utah County who became trapped inside her own car.

A woman called Orem police Friday afternoon needing help because her battery died and she was locked inside her car.

When police arrived, they found the woman sitting in the car, unable to get herself out. She couldn’t hear the officers instructions through the rolled-up windows so she motioned to them to call her on her cell phone, according to police.

Once officers were able to talk to the woman on the phone, they were able to tell her how to manually operate the slide lock mechanism on the inside door panel to open the door and free herself.

“I'm just glad she had a cell phone to call for help,” an officer said.

Should she really be behind the wheel of a car? Should they charge her for the rescue? Notice her name does not appear in the story.

All in all, not quite as dramatic as the soldier who called in artillery support via a collect, long distance call during Operation Urgent Fury in Grenada.