In the months since we last wrote about InGrid’s DIY monitored security system, I’ve neither been burgled nor vigorously fleeced across the cobbles; however home security does remain close to my anxious heart. The company has now updated their range with a number of accessory units ideal for the perpetually paranoid, spanning from live-view IP cameras, through flood detectors and all the way to cellular gateways should felons cut your ADSL.
With fingerprint scanners so mainstream that most new notebooks have them as at least an option, together with stories that they can be fooled with a Gummi Bear, any security-obsessed person wanting to stay one step ahead may need to pay a call to LG-Hitachi. Their latest security scanner, Vein ID, uses sub-dermal vein patterns – themselves unique and normally invisible - to identify users.
Anyone who frequents the world of Azeroth is likely familiar with the danger of your account being hacked. Those that would do harm against your account have a variety of methods, most of which cannot be completely defended against. Common sense about passwords and not downloading unfamiliar add-ons helps a lot, however, if you’re still worried about your account being accessed by someone else, then you might want to get your hands on the Blizzard Authenticator.
For those that can’t just peak out the front door to find out who is out there without getting caught, this little gadget might come in handy. It can spy who is outside by kicking on through a motion sensor and from somewhere else in your home you can find out if it’s someone you actually want to see.
If you’re wanting to keep your documents secret, this tiny GoldKey is definitely the way to do it. It’s tiny enough to keep on a keyring and extremely durable.
Being something of a geek, I actually quite enjoy checking out what notebooks people are unpacking when waiting to go through airport security. However, I’d happily trade that for a quicker check-in, so hearing that the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) are working with laptop bag manufacturers including Targus and Scooba Design to create X-ray friendly carry-cases is, in today’s security-obsessed times, welcome news. The new bags would exempt owners from needing to unsheathe their notebooks when going through airport screening, and would have be free of image obscuring padding, straps or electronics.
You don’t have to be as paranoid as I am about security to see the sense in fitting a decent alarm system. However, definitions of “decent” vary; it strikes me that all the sensors, sirens and flashing lights in the world aren’t much use if you’re out of hearing distance (how many neighbours actually check out your home when the alarm goes off, and how many just curse it as noise pollution?) And, since we’re united in our geekery, we can admit that it’s nice, too, when there’s a slick interface too. uControl are relatively fresh to the home security scene; they’ve spent the last year developing a platform called SMA (Security, Monitoring and Automation) and a TouchScreen control panel which not only works as a fresh system install but can also integrate with an existing alarm.
If you’re partial to surreptitiously-acquired videos of amorous couples, bu have ever been frustrated at the poor quality of the dodgy CCTV footage currently available, Arecont Vision have some good news [pdf link] for you. The video camera company have unveiled a new set of IP cameras that feature the company’s own proprietary implementation of H.264 compression. That means, for instance, that a 3-megapixel video stream at 20fps can need as little bandwidth as 2Mbps.
For some reason, this Micro Orb spy camera makes me think of Columbo-star Peter Falk. Perhaps if the TV detective had been fitted with a 1.5-inch sphere capturing 30fps MPEG-4 video (with sound), gathering evidence might’ve been even easier. On sale in mid-May, the video camera has a three hour rechargeable battery and can record up to six hours of footage onto a 2GB microSD card.
Check out the videos of the Micro Orb spy camera after the cut
Microsoft has revealed that, since June 2007, multiple law enforcement agencies have been using a forensic device it has developed that can bypass security on a Windows-powered machine and extract data for use in criminal investigations. Called COFEE – Computer Online Forensic Evidence Extractor – the gadget is apparently a USB thumb-drive onto which Microsoft have loaded 150 ‘commands’ that can, among other things, decrypt passwords, display internet activity, and uncover all data stored on the computer. Most importantly, it can do this on-site, rather than an investigator needing to remove a machine during a search or raid and send it to a lab for analysis.
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