China rejects Gmail spying claims

According to BBC News:

China has rejected allegations of involvement in a cyber-spying campaign targeting the Google e-mail accounts of top US officials, military personnel and journalists.

A foreign ministry spokesman said it was "unacceptable" to blame China.

Google has not blamed the Chinese government directly, but says the hacking campaign originated in Jinan.

The US company said its security was not breached but indicated individuals' passwords were obtained through fraud.

Chinese political activists and officials in other Asian countries were also targeted, Google said.
Washington investigation

It is extremely difficult for analysts to determine whether governments or individuals are responsible for such attacks, says the BBC's Adam Brookes in Washington.

But the fact that the victims were people with access to sensitive - even secret - information raises the possibility that this was cyber-espionage rather than cyber-crime, adds our correspondent.

However, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Hong Lei told a news briefing: "Blaming these misdeeds on China is unacceptable.

"Hacking is an international problem and China is also a victim. The claims of so-called support for hacking are completely unfounded and have ulterior motives."

On Wednesday, Google said it had "detected and has disrupted" a campaign to take users' passwords and monitor their emails.

"We have notified victims and secured their accounts," said the company. "In addition, we have notified relevant government authorities."

The e-mail scam uses a practice known as "spear phishing" in which specific e-mail users are tricked into divulging their login credentials to a web page that resembles Google's Gmail web service (or which appears related to the target's work) but is in fact run by hackers.

Having obtained the user's e-mail login and password, the hackers then tell Gmail's service to forward incoming e-mail to another account set up by the hacker.

The White House said it was investigating the reports but did not believe official US government e-mail accounts had been breached.

US Pentagon to treat cyber-attacks as 'acts of war'

According to BBC News:

The US is set to publish plans that will categorise cyber-attacks as acts of war, the Pentagon says.

In future, a US president could consider economic sanctions, cyber-retaliation or a military strike if key US computer systems were attacked, officials have said recently.

The planning was given added urgency by a cyber-attack last month on the defence contractor, Lockheed Martin.

A new report from the Pentagon is due out in a matter of weeks.

"A response to a cyber-incident or attack on the US would not necessarily be a cyber-response. All appropriate options would be on the table," Pentagon spokesman Col Dave Lapan told reporters on Tuesday.

Col Lapan confirmed the Pentagon was drawing up a cyber defence strategy, which would be ready in two to three weeks.

Cyber-attacks from foreign nations that threaten widespread US civilian casualties, like cutting off power supplies or shutting down emergency-responder networks, could be treated as an act of aggression under the new policy.

But the plan does not mention how the US may respond to cyber-attackers, such as terrorists, who are not acting for a nation state.
'All necessary means'

The Pentagon's planning follows an international strategy statement on cyber-security, issued by the White House on 16 May.

The US would "respond to hostile acts in cyberspace as we would to any other threat to our country", stated the White House in plain terms.

"We reserve the right to use all necessary means - diplomatic, informational, military, and economic - as appropriate and consistent with applicable international law, in order to defend our nation, our allies, our partners and our interests."

The Wall Street Journal quoted a military official as saying: "If you shut down our power grid, maybe we will put a missile down one of your smokestacks."

White House officials said consideration of a military response to a cyber-attack would constitute a "last resort", after other efforts to deter an attack had failed, the New York Times newspaper reported.
Sophistication of hackers

One of the difficulties strategists are grappling with is how to track down reliably the cyber-attackers who deliberately obscure the origin of their incursions.

The sophistication of hackers and frequency of the attacks came back into focus after an attack on arms-maker Lockheed Martin on 21 May.

Lockheed said the "tenacious" cyber-attack on its network was part of a pattern of attacks on it from around the world.

The worst cyber-attack against the US military occurred in 2008, when malicious software on a flash drive commandeered computers at US Central Command.

The US defence department estimates that more than 100 foreign intelligence organizations have attempted to break into American networks.

The US is also accused of using cyber warfare against other nations. In 2010 Iran accused the US of helping to develop Stuxnet, a software worm aimed at controlling systems in Iranian nuclear plants.

Google Gmail accounts hacked from China; US officals targeted

According to Mercury News:

Google (GOOG) disclosed Wednesday that hundreds of Gmail accounts, including those of senior U.S. officials and Chinese political activists, were targeted in a concerted hacking campaign originating from Jinan, China.

Unlike a series of cyberattacks from China last year, Google said the goal this time was not its own central systems, but the individual accounts of users of its email service. The attacks, which Google said also targeted government officials in South Korea and other Asian nations, military personnel and journalists, were likely the result of "phishing" attempts, in which the attacker dupes users into sharing passwords.

There were no indications Wednesday that the latest round of attacks would prompt any change in Google's operations in China. Nor was there evidence of Chinese government involvement, although some analysts speculated Chinese officials could be indirectly involved.

"We have more than 500 employees and hundreds of partners in China and we plan to continue to work there," Google said in a written statement provided to this newspaper.

Google said the latest attacks, which gained access to an undisclosed number of accounts before they were detected, intended to spy on the private email conversations of U.S. and foreign government officials, political dissidents,
journalists and others. The phishing campaign is being investigated by the FBI and other federal agencies.

"We are working with Google and other U.S. government agencies to review this matter further to identify the origin of this campaign and to see what information may have been compromised," the FBI said in a written statement released Wednesday. Neither Google nor an FBI spokeswoman would comment on which senior U.S. officials were targeted.

Some of the same targets of last year's Gmail attacks may have been targeted again. Tenzin Seldon, a Stanford student and Tibetan activist, said she noticed that someone improperly commandeered her email account in March and managed to send messages under her name to other Tibetan leaders.

This particular attack used a method called "spear phishing," in which the attacker uses small bits of real information to trick someone into sharing access to their email account. In this case, government officials received a message in their personal Gmail account that appeared to come from the address of a close associate or collaborating government agency, according to an analysis cited by Google as one way it discovered the latest Chinese attacks.

The messages were crafted to appear as though they had an attachment with links such as "View Download" and a name of the supposed attachment. However, the bogus link led to a fake Gmail login page, which the cybercriminals used to obtain passwords.

Google "did their own extensive investigation," said Mila Parkour, who wrote the malicious software analysis cited by Google. "The attack started probably a year before if not longer."

Google said in a posting to its official blog Wednesday afternoon that it had detected and disrupted "this campaign to take users' passwords and monitor their emails," and had already "notified victims and secured their accounts," as well as alerting authorities.

"The goal of this effort seems to have been to monitor the contents of these users' emails, with the perpetrators apparently using stolen passwords" to gain access to Gmail accounts, the company said in its post. Google said it was not accusing the Chinese government: "We can't say for sure who is responsible," a Google spokesman said.

Last year's cyberattacks broke into Google's computer security infrastructure and resulted in the theft of the company's intellectual property, allowing the attackers to gain access to the Gmail accounts of Chinese activists in the U.S. and other countries.

According to an investigation by The New York Times, the attacks originated in several schools in Jinan province. That intrusion helped precipitate Google's decision that it would no longer comply with the Chinese government's rules that it censor politically sensitive results from its Internet search results. It moved its search service to Hong Kong.

Chinese government officials have vehemently denied involvement in earlier attacks.

Security experts who specialize in protection against cyberattacks that originate in other countries said that even though the latest attacks targeted political activists, it may be impossible to ever prove whether the Chinese government played any role in the latest attacks.

In some cases, said Larry Ponemon of the Ponemon Institute, a Michigan-based computer security consulting company, the governments of China and other nations may shelter cybercriminals in exchange for the information they steal from U.S. networks or individual accounts. While many phishing campaigns target large groups in hopes of finding a few victims, these attacks targeted specific high-value targets.

"It could be a dark alliance where the syndicate is allowed to operate, reminiscent of the (historical) privateers that became pirates," Ponemon said. "China is pretty bold. They are actually educating people to be really good hackers, to be really good cybercriminals."

Typically, Ponemon said, people may be slightly less guarded about their personal email accounts.

"They are going after people of consequence whose information might be valuable. That's the scary part. "

Parkour also believes it is likely the Chinese government was involved.

The same people "are after sensitive corporate, military and government data," she said in an email message. "They might be foreign government sponsored directly, on payroll, or indirectly, selling what they find to willing buyers."

Google on Wednesday urged its users to take safety precautions such as using its two-step verification feature for Gmail, and to use a password that they would not use for any other account but Gmail.

[Video] Beyonce Rehearsing “1+1″ Backstage At American Idol

Best Beach & Sport Sunscreens

That's right summertime is coming! Here is the listing of the best suncreens available, thx to EWG:
The 129 best beach & sport sunscreens
(Products sorted alphabetically.)

Product and Score
product image Alba Botanica
Sun: Mineral Sunscreen Fragrance Free, SPF 30
Sun: Mineral Sunscreen Kids, SPF 30
product image All Terrain
Aquasport Performance Sunscreen, SPF 30
TerraSport Performance Sunscreen, SPF 30
KidSport Performance Sunscreen, SPF 30
product image Aubrey Organics
Natural Sun Sport Stick Unscented Sunscreen, SPF 30
Natural Sun Unscented Sensitive Skin/Children Sunscreen, SPF 30+
Natural Sun Saving Face Sunscreen, SPF 15
product image Aveeno
Baby Natural Protection Mineral Block Face Stick, SPF 50
product image BabyGanics
Cover Up Baby Sunscreen for Face & Body, Fragrance Free, SPF 50+
Cover Up Baby Sunscreen Stick, Fragrance Free, SPF 50
product image babyUV/kidsUV inc.
kidsUV Natural Sunscreen Pink, SPF 30
product image Badger
Sunscreen, Unscented, SPF 30+
Baby Sunscreen, SPF 30+
Sunscreen, Lightly Scented Lavender, SPF 30+
Sunscreen Face Stick, Unscented, SPF 30+
Sunscreen, Lightly Scented Lavender, SPF 15
product image Beyond Coastal
Natural Clear, SPF 30
Kids Natural, SPF 30
Lip and Face Screen, SPF 30
Natural, SPF 30
product image Blue Lizard
Australian Suncream, Sensitive, SPF 30+
Baby Australian Suncream, SPF 30+
product image California Baby
No Fragrance Sunscreen Lotion, SPF 30+
No Fragrance Sunblock Stick, SPF 30+
Everyday/Year-Round Sunscreen Lotion, SPF 30+
Summer Blend Sunscreen Lotion, SPF 30+
Everyday/Year-Round Sunblock Stick, SPF 30+
No Fragrance Moisturizing Sunscreen Lotion, SPF 18
Everyday/Year-Round Moisturizing Sunscreen Lotion, SPF 18
product image Caribbean Solutions
Natural/Biodegradable SolGuard, SPF 25
Sol Kid Kare Natural Sunscreen, SPF 25
product image Climb On!
Mineral Sunblock, SPF 30
product image COOLA
MineralBaby Moisturizer Suncare, Unscented, SPF 45
Baby Unscented Natural Mineral Sunblock, SPF 45
Body Unscented Natural Mineral Sunblock, SPF 30
Sport Citrus Mimiosa Natural Mineral Sunblock, SPF 30+
Face Matte Finish Cucumber Natural Mineral Sunblock, SPF 30
product image Doctor T's Supergoop!
Quickstick, SPF 30
Sunscreen Swipes for Sensitive Skin, SPF 30
product image Earth's Best
Earth's Best: Sunblock Mineral Based, SPF 30+
product image Eco Skin Care
Eco Face, SPF 30+
Eco Baby, SPF 30+
Eco Body, SPF 30+
product image Elemental Herbs
Sunscreen Sport, SPF 20
Kids Sunscreen, SPF 20
SUNSTICK Zinc Sunscreen, Unscented, SPF 30
Sunscreen Sport, Tinted, SPF 22
SUNSTICK Zinc Sunscreen - Coconut, SPF 30
product image EltaMD
UV Clear, SPF 46
UV Sport, SPF 50
product image Epionce
Ultra Shield Lotion, SPF 50
product image Episencial
Sunny Sunscreen, SPF 35
product image Esse
Sunscreen, SPF 25
product image Fallene
Cotz Face Cotz Sensitive Skin Sunscreen, SPF 40
product image GLACIER CREME
Glacier Creme Naked Protection, SPF 30+
product image Glytone
Block Sunscreen Lotion, SPF 40
product image Goddess Garden
Baby All Natural Sunscreen, SPF 30+
Natural Sunscreen, SPF 30+
Kids Natural Sunscreen, SPF 30+
Facial Natural Sunscreen, SPF 30+
product image Healing-Scents
Live Long Sunscreen, SPF 25
product image Jason Natural Cosmetics
Sunbrellas: MINERAL Natural Sunblock, SPF 30
product image JOHN MASTERS ORGANICS
john masters organics Natural Mineral, SPF 30
product image Kabana Skin Care
Green Screen Organic Sunscreen Fragrance Free, SPF 20
Green Screen Organic Sunscreen, Skin Tone Tinted, SPF 22
product image Karen's Botanicals
Simple Sunblock Lotion, Unscented, SPF 30
product image Kasia Beautiful Health Skincare
Good Day Sunshine, SPF 30
product image KINeSYS
Sunscreen Ointment with pure Zinc oxide, SPF 30
product image Kiss My Face
100% Natural Blue Sun Stick, SPF 30
100% Natural White Sun Stick, SPF 30
100% Natural Pink Sun Stick, SPF 30
product image L'uvalla Certified Organic
Sunscreen Face/Body, SPF 20
product image La Roche-Posay
Anthelios 40 Sunscreen Cream
product image Lavera
Sunblock Baby and Children, SPF 30
product image Little Forest
Sunscreen Lotion For Babies and Kids, SPF 30+
product image Loving Naturals
Sunscreen, SPF 30+
Sunscreen Stick, SPF 30+
product image Marie Veronique Organics
Kid Safe Screen, SPF 25
product image Maui Natural Organics
Maui Naturals Natural Sunscreen Lotion, SPF 30
Surfer Honey Natural Sunscreen Lotion, SPF 30
Surfer Honey Natural Sunscreen Lotion, SPF 15
Maui Naturals Natural Sunscreen Lotion, SPF 15
product image MDSolarSciences
Broad Spectrum Mineral Sunscreen, Tinted Gel, SPF 30+
product image MelanSol®
MelanSol Natural Sunscreen for Face and Body, SPF 25
product image Mexitan Products
Sunscreen Lotion, SPF 50
Sunscreen Lotion, SPF 30
product image Miessence
Reflect Outdoor Balm, SPF 15
product image MISSION Skincare
Mission Skincare Anti-Sting Facestick Sunscreen, SPF 30+
product image Mustela
Sun Cream for Sensitive Areas, SPF 50
product image Nature's Gate
Mineral Sportblock, SPF 20
Mineral Kid's block, SPF 20
product image Neal's Yard Remedies
Lavender Sunscreen, SPF 22
product image Novena Maternal Skin Care
Organic Anti-Aging Mineral Sunblock, SPF 30
product image Own
Active Sun Ball Sunblock, SPF 30
Invisible Face and Body Block Lotion, SPF 30
product image Poofy Organics
"The" Sunscreen, SPF 30
product image Purple Prairie Botanicals
SunStuff, SPF 30
Sun Stick, SPF 30
product image Raw Elements USA
ECO STICK, SPF 30+
ECO FORMULA, SPF 30+
product image Skin QR Organics
L'air du Soleil, SPF 50
L'air du Soleil, SPF 30
product image SkinTx
Physical Facial Block, SPF 30
product image Solbar
Zinc Sun Protection Cream, SPF 38
product image Soleil Organique
Soleil Organique 100% Mineral Sunblock for Body, SPF 45
product image Sun Bunnies
100% All Natural Sunscreen Lotion, SPF 30
product image Sun Putty
Face, SPF 30
product image Sunbow
Dora the Explorer Pink Sunscreen, SPF 30
product image Suntegrity Skincare
All Natural Moisturizing Body Protection, SPF 30
product image Sweetsation Therapy
Sun'n'Berry Fun Organic Baby Sunscree,n, SPF 50+
product image The Green Beaver Company
Green Beaver Company Certified Organic Kids Non-whitening Sunscreen Lotion, SPF 30
product image thinkbaby
Safe Sunscreen, SPF 30+
product image thinksport
LIVESTRONG sunscreen , SPF 30+
product image Tropical Sands
All Natural Sunscreen, SPF 50
All Natural Face Stick, SPF 30
All Natural Sunscreen, SPF 30
product image True Natural Cosmetics
All Natural Sunscreen, SPF 40
product image Trukid
New Sunny Days Mineral All Natural Sunscreen, SPF 30+
TruKid Sunny Days Water Resistant Unscented Mineral Face & Body Stick, SPF 35+
TruKid Sunny Days Water Resistant Unscented mineral Sunscreen, SPF 30+
TruKid Sunny Days Sport Water Resistant Sunscreen, SPF 30+
TruKid Sunny Days SPORT Unscented, Water Resistant Stick, SPF 35+
Sunny Days Unscented Water Resistant Sunscreen Stick, SPF 35+
product image UV Natural
Sunscreen, SPF 15
Baby Sunscreen, SPF 30+
Sunscreen, SPF 30+
product image Vanicream
Sunscreen for Sensitive Skin, SPF 30
Sunscreen Sport, SPF 35

Shout out to Ronnie laying out "The Situtation"

TMZ says its true!

Supreme Court upholds order for California to release 46,000 inmates

Source LATimes:

By James Oliphant
Washington Bureau

May 23, 2011, 7:31 a.m.
Reporting from Washington—
The Supreme Court, in a narrow 5-4 decision, has an upheld an injunction by a three-judge panel ordering California to release about 46,000 inmates -- more than one-fourth the state prison population -- over the next two years to relieve overcrowding.

The decision was written by Justice Anthony Kennedy and backed by the court's liberal bloc. At issue was whether federal judges had the power to order the release of state prisoners as a necessary means of curing a constitutional violation.
A special panel of three judges ruled in 2009 that inmates in the state's 33 prisons were being denied adequate medical care as required by the Constitution. Because overcrowding was the "primary cause," they ordered the state to cap its prison population at 137% of capacity.

The court said the state's prisons had "short of minimum constitutional requirements" and "needless suffering and death" have resulted.

Kennedy noted, however, that the state had begun to reduce overcrowding and said officials deserve time to make changes. The dissenters, led by Justice Antonin Scalia, called the decision "staggering" and "absurd." It "takes the federal courts wildly beyond their institutional capacity," he wrote.

Document: Read the Supreme Court's decision

Osama Bin Laden Toilet Paper

Buy it now at GearXS:

Model: PP29108
Manufacturer: GearXS
Weight: 0.35 lbs
Today: $5.99
Now that the US Government has wiped him out, you can wipe your butt with the most notorious terrorist - Osama Bin Laden! Drop your own bombs on this former wanted fugitive. His face is printed throughout the WHOLE roll.

Repair and Recover Vegan Chia Pudding

thx OSG
Ingredients:

2 tablespoons chia seeds
1/2 cup non-dairy milk (soy, almond, hemp, rice, etc)
1/2 tablespoon cocoa
1/4 cup water
1/2 tablespoon Sweetener to taste (agave, maple syrup, brown rice syrup, etc)

Directions: Mix chia, water, and milk together and stir for about 1 minute or two. Next add in the carob or cocoa (optional) and sweetener to taste. Stir for another minute and then pop it into the fridge for about 10-15 minutes. Remove from fridge and stir for another 20-30 seconds. Now enjoy your delicious, energizing, and antioxidant packed chia pudding! You can heat it up in the microwave too. Yields about 3/4 cup.

Green Enchilada Sauce Recipe

Thx Katerina

Green Enchilada Sauce
(makes 1 1/2 cups)
Adapted from How to Cook Everything Vegetarian

6-8 medium tomatillos, husked and washed
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 mediumlarge poblano chile
1 teaspoon Mexican oregano
1/2 cup water or vegetable stock
salt and freshly ground pepper
1/4 cup cilantro
1/2 lime juiced

First roast the chiles and tomatillos: Preheat the broiler and put the chile on a baking sheet under the broiler. Broil until black and blistering on all sides, turning as needed. Remove from oven and place in a ziploc bag, or a bowl covered tightly with saran. Allow to sit for 5 minutes, then remove and peel. Discard skin, core and seeds.

Heat oven to 450F and place tomatillos on a sheet pan. Roast until lightly browned on one side (about 5 minutes), turn and roast until evenly browned and starting to blister.

Make salsa: If you want to make a chunky salsa (rather then a sauce for enchiladas), chop the tomatillos and chilies as desired. Otherwise just chop in half reserving the juices. Heat a sauce pan until medium and add oil, onion and garlic. Cook, stirring regularly for 8-10 minutes or until lightly browned. Add tomatillos, chile, oregano, water or stock, and a big pinch of salt and pepper. Bring to an easy simmer and cook for 10 to 15 minutes, or until thickened, stirring regularly. Stir in cilantro and lime. If you are planning to use for enchiladas put in a blender or food processor and give a few pulses.