January 22, 2002 Bomber Was Online The man accused of trying to blow up an American Airlines plane with bombs hidden in his sneakers spent hours sending e-mails before leaving Paris, the manager of a cybercafe said yesterday. Richard C. Reid, 28, visited the Happy Call cybercafe twice two days before boarding a Paris-Miami flight, he said. Days later, police confiscated the hard drives from eight computers at the cafe, said the manager. http://www.canoe.ca/OttawaNews/os.os-01-22-0015.html - - - - - - - - Imaginary Crime Yields Real Time Man accused of using Net to entice fictitious boy into sex ends up serving a not-so- fictitious sentence. John Weisser, one of the first suspects accused of online sexual enticement of a child to use the "fantasy defense" when he was tried last year, is now receiving a sentence that is no fantasy. Weisser was first accused of using the Internet to lure a 12-year-old boy into a sexual encounter in a New York hotel room when he was arrested in April of 2000. Now he will serve more than 17 years in prison for his crime. http://www.techtv.com/cybercrime/viceonline/story/0,23008,3367361,00.html Virtually Illegal http://www.techtv.com/cybercrime/digitaldisputes/story/0,23008,3322163,00.html - - - - - - - - Accused Ebay Hacker To Defend Himself From Jail A 22-year-old computer expert accused of hacking into Ebay and other companies has fired his lawyer and will represent himself in court, his father said today. Facing 26 counts of computer hacking, Jerome Heckenkamp, formerly a computer network engineer at Los Alamos National Laboratory, has lost confidence in his attorney, noted computer crime defense lawyer Jennifer Granick, according to Thomas Heckenkamp. http://www.newsbytes.com/news/02/173831.html - - - - - - - - 17-year-old hacker penetrated DND network The leader of an international hacker group that penetrated over a Department of National Defence computer system in 1999 was a 17-year old high school student who gained access to the security network in 10 minutes from his mother's kitchen table. Russell Sanford, now 19 and serving two years in a Texas prison, designed complex software that exploited one of Canada's military networks via its Website intermittently for three days. http://www.nationalpost.com/news/national/story.html?f=/stories/20020119/1180544.html - - - - - - - - German hacker turned millionaire faces probe A flamboyant German millionaire who offered a $10 million reward for information leading to the arrest of Osama bin Laden is himself hunted for fraud, his lawyer and prosecutors said on Monday. They said Kim Schmitz, a 28 year-old former hacker who made millions by advising on computer security, was detained at Bangkok airport on Saturday at the request of German authorities in connection with 11 counts of insider dealing. http://www.siliconvalley.com/docs/news/tech/011161.htm http://news.zdnet.co.uk/story/0,,t269-s2102914,00.html http://news.com.com/2100-1001-820141.html - - - - - - - - Alert preceded Indian trust hacker breach Three months before a computer hacker broke into Indian trust records maintained on a Denver computer system, Interior Secretary Gale Norton was warned that her department's major computer system, also based in the Colorado capital, was vulnerable to outsiders. That warning, from the General Accounting Office, was greeted by promises to make quick changes - a promise that one Interior official has since conceded may have been incorrect. http://www.denverpost.com/Stories/0,1002,53%257E342624,00.html - - - - - - - - Net paedophile investigation breaks new ground A British police officer has become the first to covertly catch an Internet paedophile using existing UK legislation. The ground breaking case questions the need for new "grooming" laws as proposed by the Home Office. Detective inspector Darren Brookes at the West Midlands paedophile unit used covert tactics to investigate a public complaint about an Internet paedophile. He posed as a fictitious teenager within an Internet chatroom to gather evidence on the suspect's sexually explicit dialogue. http://news.zdnet.co.uk/story/0,,t269-s2102908,00.html - - - - - - - - Data Firm Exposes Records Online Choicepoint, a database firm that sells information about individuals and companies to clients, including the FBI and insurance firms, left an internal corporate database viewable to anyone with a Web browser, the company confirmed. A Choicepoint spokesman characterized the exposed databases as "administrative" and said that data gathered on behalf of Choicepoint's clients -- such as background screens, pre-employment drug tests, military history checks and insurance fraud investigations -- were never exposed during the security gaffe. http://www.wired.com/news/privacy/0,1848,49893,00.html - - - - - - - - MS Refocuses on Software Pirates Software pirates, long ignored by everyone but the software industry and those in search of cheap or free software, are increasingly coming under the scrutiny of government and law enforcement officials. Software pirates are now being arrested en masse. Pirates are also accused of using the proceeds of their software sales to fund terrorist organizations and organized crime, and of impairing their home countries' ability to participate in foreign trade and investment markets. http://www.wired.com/news/business/0,1367,49856,00.html - - - - - - - - Enron Workers Fired for Online Complaints The Enron Corporation terminated the employment of at least two of its workers for using online message boards to post complaints and information about the scandal-plagued company, news sources reported Tuesday. According to published information, an unnamed Enron employee posted information on Yahoo! stating that Enron had paid its executives US$55 million in retention bonuses just days before the company filed for bankruptcy protection on December 2nd. http://www.newsfactor.com/perl/story/15933.html - - - - - - - - 27% Of U.S., Canadian Banking Databases Breached Twelve percent of online corporate databases suffered security breaches in 2001, and those of banking and financial institutions were most commonly targeted, a survey of database developers has found. More than one fourth - 27 percent - of banking and financial services databases were breached, according to an Evans Data Corp. survey of 750 database developers in the U.S. and Canada conducted in December. http://www.newsbytes.com/news/02/173832.html - - - - - - - - Best Buy Tackles Online Payment Fraud Seven percent of online sales are rejected for fraud, but just 1.13 percent are actually fraudulent. The ClearCommerce engine can minimize the number of valid transactions that are rejected, Gartner analyst Avivah Litan told the E-Commerce Times. Shoppers who make a purchase on BestBuy.com will encounter a new payment engine designed to speed the sales process and minimize fraud. http://www.ecommercetimes.com/perl/story/15920.html - - - - - - - - Prepare for Cyber-Terror Terrorists have attacked Americans on airplanes, in buildings, and even those simply trying to open their mail. And as the war against the al Queda terror network in Afghanistan appears to be winding down, where could the terrorists strike next? Perhaps, cyberspace. http://abcnews.go.com/sections/scitech/DailyNews/cybershake020121.html - - - - - - - - Despite more security spending, Internet vulnerable. Spending on Internet security continues to grow, yet the worldwide supernetwork remains more vulnerable than ever to viruses, break- ins and terrorism. Simply put, hackers are getting smarter, and computer networks are getting more complex and difficult to keep safe. http://www.siliconvalley.com/docs/news/tech/012705.htm http://www.cnn.com/2002/TECH/internet/01/21/internet.insecurity.ap/index.html Data on Internet threats still out cold http://news.com.com/2100-1001-819521.html Security: What's going on? http://zdnet.com.com/2100-1105-819713.html - - - - - - - - Homeland security bills await Congress' return When members of Congress return to Washington this week, they are likely to turn their attention to several homeland security initiatives that were not finished late last year, including bills addressing bioterrorism, border security, terrorism insurance, and seaport security. In addition, Homeland Security Director Tom Ridge plans to offer new proposals to provide resources for local fire, police, and medical teams and to boost border security, bioterrorism preparedness, and intelligence-sharing. http://www.govexec.com/dailyfed/0102/012202nj2.htm - - - - - - - - Intell info-sharing net gains support After the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks broadsided the intelligence community, top officials believe they have the impetus needed to link the 14 intelligence agencies into an information-sharing system originally proposed more than a year ago. The plan, put together by the executive board of the Intelligence Community Chief Information Office at the end of 2000, calls for the development during the next two years of a network- or Web- based system that brings together all of the information intelligence agencies collect. http://www.fcw.com/fcw/articles/2002/0121/news-share-01-21-02.asp - - - - - - - - Mobile Viruses Loom US carriers say cellphones not vulnerable to malicious code. The next time you download a pirated ringtone from the Internet, your cellphone could be infected by a virus. "While today we're largely talking about ringtones and graphics, it's clear over time we'll see little applications and applets being downloadable to the device," said Jason Conyard, director of mobile products for antivirus software maker Symantec. "As that occurs people need to be sensitive in the same way people should be concerned about files they download to their desktop." http://www.techtv.com/news/security/story/0,24195,3368938,00.html - - - - - - - - Port 12345: Hacker haven or Net X-File? Increased activity on TCP port 12345 -- best known as both the NetBus Trojan's default port and the port used for a Trend Micro antivirus product -- has the security community arguing about who is responsible. Is it Trend Micro customers who have yet to patch known vulnerabilities, script kiddies looking for an easy hit, or an Internet X-file? http://zdnet.com.com/2100-1105-819807.html http://news.zdnet.co.uk/story/0,,t269-s2102922,00.html - - - - - - - - The Incredibly Vulnerable Online Shopper Despite frequent server upgrades, e-commerce sites remain as open to hacking as ever -- as witnessed by the continuous stream of headline-making viruses hitting the Internet. Online merchants often use marketing strategies to ease consumer fears, but it is ultimately technology that beats security threats. http://www.newsfactor.com/perl/story/15894.html - - - - - - - - German government employees get electronic signatures Germany's federal government is introducing electronic signatures for its employees, a step it hopes will help make the security procedure generally accepted in the country. More than 200,000 employees of ministries and agencies will be able to sign electronic documents using a chip card with an encrypted key, giving them the same legal weight as paper documents with a handwritten signature, the federal Cabinet said in a statement Thursday. http://www.idg.net/go.cgi?id=629560 - - - - - - - - Windows wipe utilities fail to shift stubborn data stains Several Windows file-wiping utilities fail to completely wipe some files on Windows NT, Windows 2000 or Windows XP that use NTFS file systems, security researcher Kurt Seifried has discovered. But computer forensic experts reckon the privacy implications of the advisory are limited, as standard packages, such as Word or Excel, do not make use of the secondary data streams - where file remnants might be left even after data has been securely deleted. http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/55/23759.html - - - - - - - - Data on Internet threats still out cold Are we winning the battle against computer viruses and security threats, or getting swamped by an epidemic? Although corporations and individuals are taking more measures to inoculate against computer viruses and online vandals, security experts disagree over whether they're stemming the tide or simply keeping heads above water in the face of a growing number of hackers and ever more virulent code. http://news.com.com/2100-1001-819521.html - - - - - - - - Secure Web services a moving target If attendees at the panel discussion on securing Web services came to be reassured that their networks and data will be safe, they left the session, held at the InfoWorld Next-Generation Web Services conference Thursday, wiser and perhaps more troubled than ever. http://www.infoworld.com/articles/hn/xml/02/01/17/020117hntarget.xml - - - - - - - - Microsoft's crucial new hire Microsoft's vision for Trustworthy Computing has generated lots of attention, both good and bad. To some, it is more Microsoft rhetoric wrapped inside a public relations campaign designed to postpone accountability for producing secure products until they can get .NET out the door. For others, they see it as a long awaited public asseveration that Microsoft has finally put security above all else, and that they are embracing the responsibility of securing today's (and tomorrow's)Internet. http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/4/23765.html - - - - - - - - Company Claims Text-Mining Technology Can Spot A Lie The software maker SAS Institute says it has developed a text-mining system that allows large quantities of text to be scanned, categorized and analyzed. And, SAS says, it can spot a lie literally from a thousand miles away. Although originally developed to allow firms to speed up the rate at which inbound e-mail and letters can be processed, SAS said it has discovered the technology also can be used to tackle a wide variety of situations in which a writer is acting fraudulently or lying. http://www.newsbytes.com/news/02/173829.html - - - - - - - - IBM, VeriSign partner on security technology International Business Machines Corp. and VeriSign Inc. have reached a broad multi-year partnership to share computer security technology and market services together, the companies said. The partnership, scheduled to be announced on Tuesday, will focus on public key infrastructure (PKI) services, which provide organizations with the ability to encrypt data and verify the identity of parties in online transactions, executives said. http://www.siliconvalley.com/docs/news/reuters_wire/1738542l.htm http://news.zdnet.co.uk/story/0,,t269-s2102928,00.html http://www.newsfactor.com/perl/story/15927.html http://www.msnbc.com/news/692078.asp - - - - - - - - Cisco readying security initiatives A Cisco official Tuesday hinted at several upcoming security initiatives, including a gigabit-speed intrusion detection appliance and an effort to enable service providers to offer new classes of VPN and voice-over-IP services. http://www.nwfusion.com/news/2002/0117cisco.html - - - - - - - - Michigan's Cybercourt hopes to shorten trial periods and attract new businesses. Can the nation's courts catch up with the speed of technology? The state of Michigan thinks so. Governor John Engler signed a bill January 9 written by State Representative Marc Shulman to create the United States' first online court. The non-jury Cybercourt, expected to open this October, can hear business and commercial complaints disputing more than $25,000. http://www.techtv.com/news/politicsandlaw/story/0,24195,3368931,00.html - - - - - - - - ND flight school to install fingerprint-scanning system Federal authorities are interested observers as the big flight school here, with 1,200 aviation students and instructors logging 85,000 air hours a year, begins installing a fingerprint-scanning system to control access to its fleet of 118 airplanes. Bio-metrics isn't just for spy movies anymore. The next show: at an airport near you. http://www.nandotimes.com/technology/story/225020p-2169079c.html - - - - - - - - Mayhem at Cybercafes Shakes a Town in California In the virtual world, brawny heroes stalk and destroy their cyber enemies in a cacophony of explosions and gunfire, their every move choreographed by youths who spend hours playing the dark, violent games in cafes and arcades equipped with dozens of computer terminals. But here the carnage on the screens has moved into the real world, the police say, with gang members descending on some cafes to exact vengeance for offenses that usually originate elsewhere. (NY Times article, free registration required) http://www.nytimes.com/2002/01/22/national/22CYBE.html *********************************************************** Search the NewsBits.net Archive at: http://www.newsbits.net/search.html *********************************************************** The source material may be copyrighted and all rights are retained by the original author/publisher. The information is provided to you for non-profit research and educational purposes. Reproduction of this text is encouraged; however copies may not be sold, and NewsBits (www.newsbits.net) should be cited as the source of the information. Copyright 2000-2002, NewsBits.net, Campbell, CA.