July 16, 2002 S. Korean activists plan cyber attack against USA Activists threatened on Tuesday to launch cyber attacks on the White House, U.S. Embassy and military Web sites to protest the deaths of two South Korean girls fatally struck by a U.S. armored vehicle. The South Korean activists planned to try to incapacitate the Web servers by flooding them with a massive number of simultaneous "hits" or visits of the sites on Wednesday. http://www.usatoday.com/life/cyber/tech/2002/07/16/south-korea-cyber-attack.htm - - - - - - - - Frethem.k worm variant wants to give you a password A worm from the Frethem family is doing the rounds via email, promising to reveal secret information with a password. An email message that promises to reveal secret information with a password is a variant from the pesky Frethem worm family. Frethem.k, technically known as w32.frethem.k@mm, also called Frethem.l by some vendors, is a more robust version of Frethem.e, which uses its own SMTP engine to send email using addresses obtained from infected systems. http://news.zdnet.co.uk/story/0,,t269-s2119173,00.html http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/56/26225.html http://www.vnunet.com/News/1133593 - - - - - - - - HP suspends 100+UK staff in email porn probe HP has suspended more than 100 employees on full pay in the UK and Ireland pending an investigation into the misuse of its corporate email system to circulate pornographic material. Fifteen people dismissed this morning for gross misconduct, according to sources. Suspects were escorted from the building and those with laptops had them taken away for investigation. http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/6/26227.html - - - - - - - - Israel Blocks Palestinian ISP For hundreds of thousands of Palestinians, getting to work, school or the market has been virtually impossible since Israel's latest anti-terror campaign began. Now, they won't be able to get online, either. Early Monday morning, Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) troops took over the offices of Palnet, the leading Palestinian Internet service provider, shutting down the firm's operations. The move -- part of Israel's 3-week-old "Operation Determined Path," which has kept seven of the eight major Palestinian cities under strict curfew -- reduced Internet access to a trickle in the West Bank and Gaza. http://www.wired.com/news/politics/0,1283,53873,00.html - - - - - - - - House Backs Stiffer Cyber-Crime Penalties The House voted yesterday to increase penalties for computer crimes and make it easier for Internet service providers to disclose dangerous material to government agencies. The legislation also states that immediate threats to national security should be included among emergency instances where law enforcement can tap into computer communications. It passed 385 to 3. Many think of cyber-crime as a form of vandalism, but "it can devastate our businesses, economy or national infrastructure," said Rep. Lamar S. Smith (R-Tex.), the chief sponsor. "A mouse can be just as dangerous as a bullet or a bomb." http://zdnet.com.com/2100-1105-944067.html http://news.zdnet.co.uk/story/0,,t269-s2119206,00.html http://online.securityfocus.com/news/537 http://online.securityfocus.com/news/536 http://www.nandotimes.com/technology/story/467704p-3740091c.html http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/55/26217.html http://www.vnunet.com/News/1133587 http://www.wired.com/news/politics/0,1283,53884,00.html - - - - - - - - Blue Ridge team nabs pedophiles Sheriff's Lt. Mike Harmony is often mistaken for a 13-year-old girl. It's an unlikely description for the veteran law enforcement officer and former military policeman, but then, he works on it. And the hundreds of suspected pedophiles nationwide who have sought to "date" him after a chat on the Internet could tell you that he's very good at his job. Lt. Harmony is a key member of what Bedford County Sheriff Michael Brown calls "Operation Blue Ridge Thunder," a unique law enforcement cyber- program aimed at catching and prosecuting sexual predators who troll the Internet for young boys and girls. http://www.washtimes.com/metro/20020715-46758880.htm - - - - - - - - Informants go online to help snag pedophiles The informant has soft, blue eyes, which she focuses intently on the computer screen, frowning in concentration. She tucks a stray strand of hair behind her ear and continues her typed conversations with three men she's met in a pedophile chat room. To them, she is 13-year-old "Amber" from California, a virgin interested in meeting older men. They introduce themselves by telling her, in explicit terms, what they would like to do to her. "R u a good little obedient girl?" one queries in his opening salutation. http://www.nandotimes.com/technology/story/467856p-3741089c.html - - - - - - - - CERT: Security flaw reports increasing The number of reported computer system security flaws has increased dramatically, according to the CERT Coordination Centre. A dramatic increase in the number of reported computer system vulnerabilities has the global IT industry spooked, but the world's leading security authority said there is an upside to this threat. Larry Rogers, a senior member of the technical staff at the US-based CERT Coordination Centre, told ZDNet Australia that for the 2001 calendar year, there were 2437 vulnerabilities reported. This compares with 1090 reported in 2000. http://news.zdnet.co.uk/story/0,,t269-s2119219,00.html http://zdnet.com.com/2100-1105-944117.html - - - - - - - - Government devises computer security standards Creating a ``Good Housekeeping'' approval seal of sorts, the government is releasing standards and a software program that will help computer users configure their systems for maximum security against hackers and thieves. The program will be made available free to anyone and mandated for some federal agencies. http://www.siliconvalley.com/mld/siliconvalley/news/editorial/3674640.htm http://news.com.com/2100-1001-944308.html http://www.nandotimes.com/technology/story/468176p-3742873c.html http://www.wired.com/news/politics/0,1283,53901,00.html http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A15910-2002Jul16.html - - - - - - - - Universal hires anti-piracy honcho Universal Music Group has created a new full- time position to help it combat piracy. Lawyer and former music-television producer David Benjamin will fill the role as UMG's new senior vice president of anti-piracy. UMG said Benjamin would work with industry trade groups as well as the company's artists, songwriters, and publishing divisions to prevent unauthorized copying and distribution of the labels' music. http://zdnet.com.com/2110-1106-944257.html - - - - - - - - O2 security bubble pricked O2 has plugged a serious security hole which left its customers' account and billing details open to attack. Users logging onto O2's (formerly Genie's) Web site are led to believe that their user name and password are sent securely using HTTPS. However, Paul Mutton (aka Jibble) yesterday created a Web page which provides evidence to the contrary. User name and passwords are sent in clear text over the Internet, screenshots on the page show. http://online.securityfocus.com/news/535 - - - - - - - - Apple updates core OS security Following Apple's security gaffe last week, the firm has taken some advice on board and beefed up security at the core of its operating system. It was crunch time last week when security experts warned that the lack of authentication in the Mac OS X automatic software update system made it a doddle for hackers to introduce bogus software to Apple users. http://www.vnunet.com/News/1133604 - - - - - - - - Microsoft squashes Windows 2000 bugs Microsoft is putting the finishing touches on the third collection of Windows 2000 bug fixes, which is nearly ready for release after a protracted period of testing, sources said. The update, Windows 2000 Service Pack 3, contains vital security updates and hundreds of fixes to bugs plaguing the operating system that Microsoft released in February 2000. Service Pack 3 could be important for many businesses, as not all of the included security fixes are available as separate downloads. http://zdnet.com.com/2100-1104-944292.html - - - - - - - - Sun's ID software gets a Liberty face-lift Sun Microsystems unveiled new server software Tuesday to boost an effort to create a universal online identification system that serves as an alternative to Microsoft's Passport service. Sun released software that supports new technology by the Liberty Alliance Project, which on Monday released an online identification standard that lets people surf the Web without having to constantly re-enter passwords, names and other data at different sites. http://zdnet.com.com/2100-1104-944295.html http://news.zdnet.co.uk/story/0,,t269-s2119209,00.html http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/4/26210.html Microsoft to up Exchange security http://news.zdnet.co.uk/story/0,,t269-s2119211,00.html http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/4/26211.html - - - - - - - - Gweeds gets killed My recent item entitled "Security industry's hacker-pimping slammed" has generated damn few page hits but a vast flood of e-mail. What I reported, essentially, is that my boy Gweeds stood up at H2K2 this past weekend and excoriated the security establishment for selling out 'old- fashioned' (possibly fictional) hacker ethics for a quick buck. http://online.securityfocus.com/news/534 - - - - - - - - Assessing Internet Security Risk, Part Two: an Internet Assessment Methodology This article is the second in a series that is designed to help readers to assess the risk that their Internet-connected systems are exposed to. In the first installment, we established the reasons for doing a technical risk assessment. In this installment, we'll start discussing the methodology that we follow in performing this kind of assessment. http://online.securityfocus.com/infocus/1607 Assessing Internet Security Risk, Part One: http://online.securityfocus.com/infocus/1591 - - - - - - - - Snouts in the honeypot [SCENE: A small but elegant office. Vivaldi's "Four Seasons" plays softly in the background. A man in a red power tie sits behind a solid oak desk, gently rubbing the top of a Montblanc pen across his upper lip while peering intently at his computer. The early afternoon peace is broken by heavy footsteps. A highly agitated man wearing a t-shirt reading "Windows Blows" barges into the office.] http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/55/26229.html - - - - - - - - FBI says it's making progress on technology upgrade The FBI is nearing completion on two of three major steps to improve its information infrastructure, FBI project management executive Sherry Higgins said in written testimony at a Tuesday hearing of the Senate Judiciary Administrative Oversight Subcommittee. The agency has purchased new printers, scanners and workstations, and updated Microsoft Office software at all field offices as the first part of its "Trilogy" program, Higgins said. http://www.govexec.com/dailyfed/0702/071602td2.htm - - - - - - - - Unplugged: FBI CIO Darwin John At 64, an age when most people are contemplating retirement, Darwin John is about to make a major change in his life. The managing director of information and communications systems for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints will be sworn in today as the new CIO of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. After 12 years at the Church and previous stints at Scott Paper and General Mills, John has established credentials as CIO, but transforming the FBIs antiquated technology infrastructure is a challenge of a different sort. http://techupdate.zdnet.com/techupdate/stories/main/0,14179,2874158,00.html - - - - - - - - We don't need no stinking ID cards On July 3, the Home Office began a six-month consultation (PDF) on whether or not ID cards should return to the UK. So, come December, we can expect the consultees to conclude that there is overwhelming support in the country for the introduction of ID cards, or entitlement cards, in govspeak. The Register is agin it, four man and square. But then we have lots to hide. http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/6/26224.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.