Biometric security might sound cool, but relying on fingerprint recognition alone for securing anything more serious than your Windows password typically results in the rapid hacking, whether through flesh or software, of that protection. Well, Axxis is trying to address this problem with a new dual-factor security lock -- requiring a PIN alongside fingerprint identification -- which allows you to customize access times for each registered user and also spy on their comings and goings. Retailing for $699 per lock, alongside an entirely-not-optional $299 accessory, this is hardly a bargain bin item -- with a price like that, a burglar might be inclined to steal the locks instead of your treasured possessions.

Given the hype surrounding Apple's iPhone, we're actually surprised that we haven't seen more holes to plug over the years. In fact, the last major iPhone exploit to take the world by storm happened right around this time two years ago, and now -- thanks to OS X security expert Charlie Miller -- we're seeing yet another come to light. Over at the SyScan conference in Singapore, Mr. Miller disclosed a hole that would let attackers "run software code on the phone that is sent by SMS over a mobile operator's network in order to monitor the location of the phone using GPS, turn on the phone's microphone to eavesdrop on conversations, or make the phone join a distributed denial of service attack or a botnet." Charlie's planning to detail the vulnerability in full at the upcoming Black Hat conference, but Apple's hoping to have it all patched up by the end of this month.

[Via HotHardware]

Let's face it: no one digs long security lines at airports. But if you reckoned a healthy amount of folks would be willing to pay $128 per year in order to bypass said lines at only a few airports in the world, you'd be wrong. After launching with high hopes back in 2005, Clear has quietly folded after failing to "negotiate an agreement with its senior creditor to continue operations." There's no word on what'll happen to existing paying customers, but we get the feeling they'll be directed towards a somewhat unpleasant creek sans a paddle. Or, you know, that poorly staffed lane to the left with 384 (give or take) cantankerous, shoeless travelers.

[Image courtesy of Airliners]

It's just been a few short months since a proposed bill called for the creation of a National Cybersecurity Advisor, but it looks like there's now not one but two new positions in the offing, with both the Pentagon and President Obama himself announcing plans for some newly elevated offices charged with keeping the nation's networks secure. While a specific "Cybersecurity Czar" hasn't yet been named, the White House position will apparently be a member of both the National Security Council and National Economic Council and, in addition to coordinating U.S. response in the event of a major attack, the office will also be tasked with protecting privacy and civil liberties. Details on the new Pentagon office, on the other hand, are expectedly even less specific although, according to The New York Times, it'll be a military command that will work to coordinate efforts now scattered across the four armed services, and will apparently serve as complement to the civilian office in the White House.

Read - Reuters, "Obama to name White House cybersecurity czar"
Read - The New York Times, "Pentagon Plans New Arm to Wage Cyberspace Wars"

[Thanks, Ryan]

With all of those crazy defense contracts Lockheed Martin has goin' on, you'd think the company would have its act together as far as the need to hold down its data goes -- but according to The Daily Mail, this may not be the case. Researchers at BT's Security Research Center have found an overwhelming amount of sensitive data on hard drives purchased through computer fairs and auctions as a part of a recent study, including: bank account details, medical records, and confidential business and financial data. Although many organizations were found to be at fault, the most troubling (sensational) instance included test launch procedures for Lockheed Martin's THAAD (Terminal High Altitude Area Defense) missile defense system, found on hardware purchased from eBay. Also on the same disk were security policies, blueprints, and employees' personal info. When asked for a comment, a spokesman for the company stated that "Until Lockheed Martin can evaluate the hard drive in question, it is not possible to comment further on its potential contents or source." It looks like we're not getting to the bottom of this one any time soon, but in the meantime: if any defense contractors have any questions on the subject, we'll be happy to help.

[Via Slashdot]

It's been awhile since we've heard of any major advancements in the world of quantum cryptography, but at long last the silence is being broken by a squad of jubilant Austrian physicists. As the story goes, a team from Austria's Institute for Quantum Optics and Quantum Information (IQOQI) managed to send "entangled photons" 90 miles between the Spanish islands of Las Palmas and the Balearics. Calling the ephemeral test successful, the crew has boldly asserted that it's now feasible to send "this kind of unbreakable encrypted communication through space using satellites." Funny -- last we remember, quantum cryptography still had a few kinks to work through here beneath the stratosphere.

Windows 7 might be getting all the attention lately, but Windows XP is having a quiet little renaissance of its own -- not only have sales of the venerable OS been extended until 2010, Microsoft is selling an ultra-secure version to the Air Force. The custom build ships with over 600 settings bolted down, and a security patch turnaround of just 72 hours compared to the standard edition's 57 days -- all because Steve Ballmer personally stepped in and approved the project at the Air Force's request. The effort's to standardize and preconfigure the OS has paid off: 85 percent of previous known exploits have been blocked, support call volume has dropped 40 percent, and the USAF has saved some $100 million in costs. Nice -- but don't get your hopes up, since it doesn't seem like Microsoft has any intention of selling this version to the public.

[Via Slashdot]

You may think that the Navy's just the baby brother to the two other US Armed Forces, but its weapon development record definitely shows otherwise. Just over two years after building an 8-Megajoule railgun, the branch has penned two $7 million checks to defense contractors Boeing and Raytheon for the design and development of a free-electron laser (FEL). For what it's worth, such a device has been yearned for since a day after the dawn of time, as unlike chemical-based lasers, the FEL would be 100 percent electric and easier to move. For those unaware,this stormy petrel of a weapon would be used to blast down missiles in mid-flight, all while putting on a pretty impressive light show. 'Course, the Navy must also figure out how to build a massive energy generating ship in order to use it, but let's not get too far ahead of ourselves here, okay?

[Image courtesy of AIP]

It seems that Dell jumped the gun a wee bit by shedding some light on Samsung's forthcoming self-encrypting SSDs, but now Sammy is providing us with all the missing details... er, most of them, anyway. In conjunction with Wave Systems, Samsung is launching what it calls an industry first with its new line of solid state drives. Said devices are able to automatically encrypt information as it's saved to the drive, and they each come bundled with Wave's EMBASSY management software. At least initially, these super secure SSDs will ship in 64GB, 128GB and 256GB flavors, and while we're told that the whole lot is available now "through at least one major OEM," there's no specific mention of price. Shocker, we know. The full release is after the break.