Computer-Related Injuries Soar

Small but significant number of cases vulnerable

(NEWSER) - Oops. Now that millions of people have downloaded encrypted information like credit card and bank account numbers onto the Internet, a team of mathematicians and cryptographers have located a crucial flaw in online encryption. The flaw concerns the way the system generates random numbers to create a code critical to protecting digital information. In the system, randomly-generated prime numbers are used to create a public "key," which is used in a formula to encrypt information. The original, randomly generated numbers are kept secret. But in a small but significant number of cases, the random-number key generation system failed to work properly. The researchers found in certain cases that numbers were not truly random, making it possible to determine the secret keys used to generate the public key. The problem can only be fixed by software and Internet operations, not consumers. More»

Our keyboards need that tweak and a few others

(NEWSER) - The computer keyboard may be an essential tool of daily life, but everybody is driven nuts by at least one aspect of it, writes Matthew J.X. Malady at Slate . He offers some suggested tweaks: More»

Grab a bike helmet if one is coming, say Alabama researchers

(NEWSER) - A cheap, practical, and easy way exists to reduce injuries during a tornado, say researchers at the University of Alabama: Wear a helmet. Strapping on a motorcycle, bicycle, or football helmet in a pinch could provide crucial protection, especially considering that head injuries are such a common cause of tornado deaths, the researchers write at the UAB website . They want the CDC to begin incorporating the advice into its preparedness warnings, reports the Birmingham News . More»

Official campaign warns of amputations, mangled hands

(NEWSER) - Officials in the Philippines tried to curb the usual tide of injuries this New Year's Eve and even had some success, the New York Times reports. Hundreds of people are injured there every New Year's by fireworks, fighting, and celebratory gunfire—so officials recently mounted a campaign, running off posters of mangled hands and having a doctor appear on television to warn of the inevitable amputations. One official even danced onstage to offer people a new way to celebrate. More»

Once again: 'Password' is not a good choice to beat hackers

(NEWSER) - Lots of people are still lousy at choosing computer passwords. Mashable picks up on the annual list of most-hacked passwords from SplashData. The usual suspects are still at the top:

1. password
2. 123456
3. 12345678
4. qwerty
5. abc123
6. monkey
7. 1234567
8. letmein
9. trustno1
10. dragon