Micro-"Spore" Swarms Pose Risks
Phil Jones, reporting. Researchers at McCafee Labs have warned that a swarm of microspores (tiny, lighter than air sensors which self-organize collective behavior via short-range radio) can be programmed to triangulate and follow the movement of the active nibs of pens used on commonplace Workpad and Lifepad devices. After the movement is captured, the swarm can relay everything written to an outside recipient.
The attack works in any enclosed space (office, school, home) but the cloud disperses in the open air. And researchers suspect that powerful fans or air-conditioning may also prevent the cloud forming a sufficiently stable structure to actually track pens.
Microspores were banned in Europe as a health hazard earlier this year, but legislation to ban their deployment in the United States has been stalled due to the ongoing federal crisis. Many states have introduced local bans, with varying penalties and levels of control. McCafee Labs notes that no cases of microspore swarms tracking pens have been discovered "in the wild," but argue that 75% of security attacks discovered in the lab are eventually found to have already been in common (criminal) use. (Originally reported at http://www.superstructgame.net/StoryView/562 )