Intel Automotive Security Review Board

Here is an article at tomshardware.com on Intel's new Automotive Security Review Board (ASRB).

Volkswagen Defeats Its Own Emissions Software

Here is an extremetech.com article on Volkswagen's efforts to disable its own emissions control software.

More on IoT Security

Extremetech posts here a nice summary piece on the state of IoT security.

Article on Embedded Multi-Core Performance/Power

Here is a great article from Anandtech with some experimental results on cell phone multicore architectures.  Their experiments show how many threads are at work in some typical cell phone scenarios and provide utilization and power results.

SIMON block cypher

Here is an interesting paper on a hardware design for the SIMON block cypher.  The paper comes from Patrick Schaumont's group at Virginia Tech.

Blackhat: x86 Design Flaw Enables Root Kits

This article from PC World reports on a talk at Blackhat that describes how a design flaw in a number of x86 models allows powerful root kits to be created.

New York Subway System Infrastructure

Slate provides here a link to a video on the machines used to operate the New York subway system.  Much of this equipment dates to the first half of the 20th century.  It's a great video.   I had read about some of this before but never in this much detail.

The Slate columnist refers to this equipment "delightful, sure, but also deeply baffling."  I think that this view misses a few points.  First, modern computer equipment isn't always reliable in many aspects, ranging from computer security to electromigration.  Second, much computer equipment isn't designed to last more than a few years.  Replacing computers regularly is OK for data centers but it just doesn't work for a lot of infrastructure.  Infrastructure has to be built to operate safely and reliably for years.  Unfortunately, the computer industry isn't very good at designing things that last.

I find the video's discussion of the old-fashioned signaling system to be much more important than the age of the wires and relays.  The old equipment can't identify the location of a train very accurately, which means that trains have to be spaced farther apart.  One of the important benefits of new equipment and control system---known as CBTC---will be more efficient transit thanks to better location and control.