Came across a cool tool today for Linux firewall admins: cutter. Heard of it? It allows you to "cut" internet connections on a firewall. Something like:

# cutter 192.168.2.55 3400

That kills all network connections from 192.268.2.55 using port 3400. A simple tool, but something I could use several times a week. Link - via digg.

On an unrelated note, I hope to transition this feed over to the main site, under a specific article category. I recommend subscribing to the new feed now so you don't miss the switch.
posted by mt at 23:10

This report seems to be generating a lot of buzz, I'm not sure why. I guess most don't understand the cellular infrastructure enough to know this has been going on for years. Certainly real time tracking is possible, but I'd be more curious to see the log retention policies of the large wireless companies. Since most people leave their cells on 24/7 (thanks to extended batteries), it's quite possible that a company w/ a 6 or 12 month archive could create an amazingly accurate map of your life. I'll have to research the technical aspects of the 3rd generation wireless rollouts happening now (EVDO, EDGE, etc) - but my initial guess would be that these require more towers creating a denser coverage map. This increase certainly generates an even more accurate tracking model.
posted by mt at 15:24