Posts by Particle in a Box

Encryption/Hashing (Conflation?)

"They were assuring us all passwords were encrypted."

According to the BBC, Ms Roberts said, "Mumsnet itself stored users' passwords in a "high strength" encrypted form, so doubted its own database had been cracked."

Assuming the quote is correct at a technical level, one question worth asking is, why were the passwords encrypted, as opposed to hashed?

Anyway, my comment here is really just an aside if XSS was used to pilfer passwords, as has been suggested elsewhere. Either way though, it still raises questions about data security policy on MumsNet*.

*Of course, it's possible (I would hope, probable) that passwords were in fact hashed and that Ms Roberts is simply confusing the two.

Re: I just dont get it !!!

"While the EU came up with targets for savings it was the Government at the time that pretended Smart Meters were the answer."

Directives 2009/72/EC* (leccy) & 2009/73/EC* (gas) and associated literature within the Official Journal of the European Union make mention that regulatory authorities shall strongly recommend smart grids and intelligent metering systems**.

*Proposed 2007

**I'm not being argumentative. I just have a different understanding drawn from EU directives and literature and, as I also note, here: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2013/07/19/feature_uk_gov_power_meter_plan/

Re: Wot! No red-shifts?

Page 54 of the Arxiv paper might assist in this regard.