Cody Taylor

PL/SQL Guy writes “Hackers have repeatedly broken into the air traffic control mission-support systems of the US Federal Aviation Administration, according to an Inspector General report sent to the FAA this week, and the FAA’s increasing use of commercial software and Internet Protocol-based technologies as part of an effort to modernize the air traffic control systems poses a higher security risk to the systems than when they relied primarily on proprietary software, the report said. Intrusion detection systems (IDS) are deployed at only 11 of hundreds of air traffic control facilities. In 2008, more than 870 cyber incident alerts were issued to the organization responsible for air traffic control operations and by the end of the year 17 percent (more than 150 incidents) had not been remediated, ‘including critical incidents in which hackers may have taken over control’ of operations computers, the report said.”

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Slatterz writes “Microsoft has announced that the forthcoming Windows 7 operating system will contain a number of piracy ‘tweaks’ it says are designed to protect the interests of customers. Under the new regime users will be expected to validate their software in a much more precise way than before. Other Microsoft operating systems and anti-piracy measures, including Windows Genuine Advantage, allowed users to delay ‘activation,’ but Windows 7 will make it harder to ignore repeated messages. According to Joe Williams, general manager for Worldwide Genuine Windows at Microsoft, counterfeit software ‘delivers a poor experience and impacts customer satisfaction with our products, particularly if users do not know that their software is non-genuine.’ Williams gave the example of one piracy exploit that caused more than a million reported system crashes on machines running non-genuine Windows Vista before Microsoft was able to resolve it.”

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AlphaZeta writes “After 28 years, MS-DEBUG is finally being phased out in Windows 7. Over the years, people have been using MS-DEBUG for writing code (virus/malware, you name it) and debugging. “

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On these pages, admitting that you are a Trekkie is not a mark of shame; it’s more like admitting that you are a carbon-based life form, which is true of almost all of us. I watch every movie. I’ve seen every episode of every series. And as my wife will tell you, I scream “F*** you Rick Berman!’ during the credits every time I see it. So when JJ Abrams got a crack at a reboot, I was hopeful. The short review is that I liked it. Keep reading; I’ll keep the spoilers down to a minimum. (Continued below.)

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An anonymous reader writes in with a CNet story about the record label-backed music company Lala, which claims to have invented “Network DRM.” Lala has filed for a patent on moving DRM from a file wrapper, like Windows Media and FairPlay, to the server. Digital music veteran Michael Robertson has quotes from the patent application on his blog. (Here is the application.) Lala describes an invention that monitors every access, allows only authorized devices (so far there are none), blocks downloads, and can revoke content at the labels’ request.

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Part of the power of social networking is the ability to form communities with like-minded individuals. But what happens when those communities are offensive to others? That issue is at the heart of attempts by a Dallas, Texas, attorney to have social-networking site Facebook remove pages for Holocaust deniers.

Digg CEO Jay Adelson is this week’s guest on Press:Here, NBC Bay Area’s Sunday morning roundtable news program. Joining host Scott McGrew are Fortune’s Elizabeth Corcoran and Businessweek’s Sarah Lacy.