Users of Linux-based routers are being warned of a new worm in the wild which attempts to take control and add their device to a growing botnet. As reported over on vnunet.com on March 25, the ‘psyb0t’ worm was first spotted by security research group DroneBL recently, but may have been spreading since the start of the year.

Designed to brute-force the password of routers running Linux compiled for the RISC-based MIPS chip, including ones running custom OpenWRT and DD-WRT firmwares, the worm takes control of poorly secured devices and joins a botnet which the DroneBL group estimates may have grown to as large as 100,000 compromised devices so far.

Government investigators testing the nation’s food tracing system were able to follow only five out of 40 foods all the way through the supply chain, according to a report released. 

An investigation by the Health and Human Services inspector general’s office found that the records many companies keep are not detailed enough. And one-quarter of the company managers were totally unaware of record keeping requirements. The inspector general recommended that the FDA consider seeking stronger legal powers to improve the tracing of food.

An Energy Department investigation has alleviated fears that a significant amount of plutonium was missing from a national laboratory, but it has also heightened concerns about flaws in the system for controlling the U.S. stockpile of weapons materials. The investigation began in February, shortly after a routine inventory at Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico found a plutonium shortage estimated at 2.2 pounds, setting off a frantic national effort to determine what happened to the material.

With China’s economy cooling down, some of the country’s IT professionals are turning to cybercrime, according to a Beijing-based security expert. Speaking at the CanSecWest security conference last week, the CEO of Knownsec, a Beijing security company, said that while many Chinese workers may be feeling hard times, business is still booming in the country’s cybercrime industry.

Phishing expeditions business and personal data are rising to record levels, with fake anti-malware campaigns alone increasing by 225 percent in the last six months of 2008. Password-stealing Web sites jumped 827 percent IN 2008. The reason is the phishers are investing in automation. A new report from the Anti-Pjhshing Working Group (APWG) gives a sense of just how aggressive the phishers and malware makers are becoming in search of one’s business (and personal) data.

Dear Senator Cornyn and Senator Hutchison,

Free speech is the most basic element of democracy. Diversity of opinion is the crucible by which ideas are measured. A free press is one protected even when the speech is not agreeable. In the absence of diversity, bad ideas are never challenged. There is no democracy without free speech. 

I am horrified by the repeated attempts of the FCC to lift media ownership limits. It is happening again! The FCC has become an enemy of the people. Our own trustees have betrayed us. Consolidation of media resources dilutes opinion and shouts down diversity.

Proposition 9, S.R.J 29 is a bad bill and I'll tell you why. Below is the relevant section containing the proposed changes to the Texas State Constitution. I have copied it here; however, you are free to go to the source. Texas State Legislature 80R Bill Text S.R.J 29 or you can skip right to read more for the analysis.

Vote No on Proposition 9.

...because it's an insult to iberty and the veterans that sacrificed to insure it.

At a time when raising any child is challenging, educating a special needs child is particularly difficult. The federal government has passed laws governing education without thoughtfully funding the measures. As a consequence local school districts are breaking their backs and banks trying to satisfy these federal mandates.

Why is our federal government not fully funding their mandates?

Is it possible for scientists and mathematicians to understand or appreciate philosophy? Do they lack a neccessary nimbleness to discern philosophical questions or the impact of such answers? For many (most) among the "harder" sciences, philosophy shares a stage with religion, art, or fantastic child-like whimsy.

Why is this?

Mike Alder (a mathematician) explains why practicioners of hard science don’t like philosophy but discretely pursue it anyway. He offers explination to explain why scientists and mathematicians are inclined to be dismissive of the subject. Additionally, Mr. Alder explains how and why they still explore philosophy pseudonymously.

Have we forgotten how to experience the excitement that first-class literature was meant to instill? I stumbled upon this article. It's not earth shaking. The principle isn't revolutionary. The people are completely unknown to me. But it asks a question.

Can the lovesick violence of Wuthering Heights or the raw adventure of Moby Dick really make the heart beat faster?

It's a question that comparative literature student Paul Sopcak is exploring, using an intriguing mix of hard science and the arts. Who is Paul Sopcak? Does it matter? The German PhD student, studying at the University of Alberta, is researching the connection between literature and emotions in personal and moral development.

In this era of evolving awareness, a groundbreaking study resurfaces, shedding new light on the importance of workplace depression screening and enhanced treatment. Published in the esteemed Journal of the American Medical Association, this study, backed by the illustrious National Institutes of Health's National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), brings forth a poignant narrative that intertwines employee health, productivity, and employer costs.

Researchers show that even in humdrum nonpolitical decisions, liberals and conservatives literally think differently. Exploring the neurobiology of politics, scientists have found that liberals tolerate ambiguity and conflict better than conservatives because of how their brains work.

In a simple experiment reported today in the journal Nature Neuroscience, scientists at New York University and UCLA show that political orientation is related to differences in how the brain processes information. Previous psychological studies have found that conservatives tend to be more structured and persistent in their judgments whereas liberals are more open to new experiences.