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Long Range Shooting with Lloyd Hill – Long Range Shooting Shop June 27, 2012

Posted by Chris Mark in weapons and tactics.
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I rarely, if ever, endorse products on this blog.  A few months ago I had a chance to meet Lloyd Hill of Long Range Shooting Shop (Plano, Tx) at a range outside of Dallas when I was doing some shooting for charity. He also has a blog at www.MaxAccuracy.com. I also had a chance to shoot one of his custom 7mm Remington Mags…if you are in the market for long range shooting instruction or custom long range rifles…Lloyd is the person to speak with.  As a former Marine Scout/Sniper, I am not easily impressed on the range.  Lloyd impressed the hell out of me. Not only does he understand long range shooting, but he practices what he preaches. (he is a nice guy, as well with some great stories:)  He spent years “overseas” and is an avid hunter.  This guy does not build “Brandy Gun” (an overly expensive gun that the owner cannot shoot…he only pulls it out to show is other rich friends when they are drinking brandy from a snifter).  Lloyd builds custom, long range rifles.  As a testament to his skill in making a rifle, I put two rounds in less than 2 inches at 500 yards with the 7mm.  For you shooting enthusiasts that is less than 1/2 MOA at 500 yards…on a rifle I had never shot.  Here is a video of Lloyd.

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“This is the American Express Fraud Department” – Two Dozen Carders Arrested on 4 Continents June 26, 2012

Posted by Chris Mark in cybersecurity, Industry News.
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Lnight my wife received an email about a suspcious transaction on our Amex card.  Turns out it was a fraudulent transaction and my wife’s card had been stolen.  I was writing a blog post on this very subject when a Google alert informs me of this article on Foxnews.  “Two Dozen Arrested in Online Financial Fraud Sting”.  According to the article:  “Two dozen people on four continents have been arrested in an elaborate sting  targeting a black market for online financial fraud, federal officials in New  York said Tuesday.

U.S. officials called the crackdown in United States, Europe, Asia and  Australia the largest enforcement effort ever against hackers who steal credit  card, bank and other information on the Internet — a practice known as  “carding.”   The officials claimed the two-year FBI sting protected more than 400,000  potential victims and prevented losses of around $205 million.”

On that note, I recommend that you take a look at the book “Fatal System Error”…gives very good insight into the underworld of Carding.

“Pinky and the Brain” – Chris & Heather Mark’s Articles in Transaction World Magazine June 21, 2012

Posted by Chris Mark in cybersecurity, Industry News, InfoSec & Privacy.
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I heard yesterday from the EIC of Transaction World Magazine that they will be publishing one of my articles in their August 2012 issue.  Stay tuned!  I have written for TW numerous times over the past 7 years or so and Heather has written for them consistently since about 2005.  You can read her current article here and see archives of Heather’s articles at this link.  If you are not in the payments industry and want to know about the exciting world of credit card issues, check out TransactionWorld.  It has great articles covering everything from compliance, to security, interchange, and more.  Here are two links to a couple of my previous TW articles..1) Why Regulation Cannot Prevent CyberCrime and 2) Lessons from the Heartland Breach…clearly in this relationship Heather is the Brain and I am Pinky 😉

“Al Qeada’s Arab Spring”- Guest Post by Charlie Jacobs June 19, 2012

Posted by Chris Mark in Uncategorized.
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Inspire (Fifth Edition)This is a guest post by Charlie Jacobs.  Charlie is completing his Master’s Dissertation and he had commented on a previous post. He has some interesting information and insight so I have invited him to publish a post. He has a brand new blog you can read here.  Enjoy!

In the Fifth Edition of its English-language online magazine released in March 2011 al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula decided to discuss the Arab Spring. The main areas of discussion were the events of the Arab Spring, the Western view of ‘al-Qaeda’s Arab Spring’ and where the revolutions should head next.

The Tsumani of Change

“The friends of America and Israel are being mopped out one after the other.” Al-Qaeda’s view of the Arab Spring is viewed through the trans national prism of defeating the influence of its enemies within the Islamic world. The fall of Mubarak was historic for the region but was also “a day that exposed America’s two-faced policy on democracy.” (more…)

“Proxy Wars 101” – Russian Attack Helicopters Caught Bound for Syria June 19, 2012

Posted by Chris Mark in News.
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According to a story on MSNBC, a ship carrying military attack helicopters and missiles from Russia to Syria was stopped off the coast of the UK yesterday.  The insurers cancelled the coverage of the ship forcing it to turn back.  The interesting part of this scenario is the fact that the ship was carrying Russian Mi25 (HIND) attack helicopters to Syria.  Thee Mi25 is one of the most noticeable and lethal attack helicopters in history.  It was highlighted in numerous movies including Red Dawn and Rambo 3.  It is very effective at ground support.  For those  who have been living in a cave for the past few months, Syria is currently engaged in a revolution and the government has been accused of a brutal crackdown on the revolt with the indiscriminate killing of civilians.  The international community has nearly universally condemned Assad’s actions….nearly.  Russia and China appear to in support of the Assad regime.  Syria and Russia have a long standing relationship extending to the days of the Soviet Union. You can read more about it here. (more…)