August 7, 2002 U.S. Internet attacks barely detected, authorities say This Internet attack apparently fizzled. The federal government said that early Tuesday it detected a series of electronic attacks against U.S. Internet providers, launched hours after the FBI alerted technology companies and others of potential trouble. The alert, sent out Monday evening and based on information from Italian authorities, cited "credible but nonspecific information that wide-scale hacker attacks" were planned against U.S. Web sites and Internet providers, "possibly emanating from Western Europe," a U.S. official said, speaking on condition of anonymity. http://www.nandotimes.com/technology/story/491601p-3922263c.html - - - - - - - - FCC seeks to fine Fax.com $5 mln for junk faxes Communications Commission Wednesday proposed fining privately held Fax.com $5.38 million for sending unsolicited advertisements via facsimile machines, the largest fine by the agency for such a violation. The Aliso Viejo, California based company faxed messages on 489 separate occasions on behalf of clients for a fee and tried to conceal its involvement, the FCC said in a statement. http://www.siliconvalley.com/mld/siliconvalley/news/editorial/3817301.htm - - - - - - - - Record execs risk arrest for MP3 hacks Will US music and movie executives risk jail time if they start hacking into file-swapping systems, as a proposed bill would allow? Maybe if they travel to Australia. Could record and music executives who take advantage of the hacking provisions of a proposed US bill face stiff penalties if they travel to countries that outlaw computer break-ins? Possibly. http://news.zdnet.co.uk/story/0,,t269-s2120452,00.html - - - - - - - - Vietnam cracks down on 'harmful' Internet use Communist-ruled Vietnam has ordered local authorities to inspect Internet usage in its two biggest cities in a crackdown on "harmful information" from cyberspace, according to officials. A spokesman at the Directorate General of Posts and Telecommunications (DGPT) told Reuters on Wednesday that the scrutiny, which started last week, would be nationwide after initially targeting the capital city Hanoi and commercial hub Ho Chi Minh City. http://zdnet.com.com/2110-1105-948761.html http://news.zdnet.co.uk/story/0,,t269-s2120460,00.html - - - - - - - - Security flaw hits Windows, Mac, Linux Security researchers have warned of a flaw in communications software that could allow attackers to take over computers running Windows, Unix-based operating systems and Mac OS X, as well as Kerberos authentication systems. The problem is widespread because it affects some implementations of XDR (external data representation) libraries, used by many applications as a way of sending data from one system process to another, regardless of the system's architecture. The affected libraries are derived from Sun Microsystems' SunRPC remote procedure call technology, which has been taken up by many vendors. http://zdnet.com.com/2100-1105-948728.html http://news.zdnet.co.uk/story/0,,t269-s2120468,00.html http://news.com.com/2100-1001-948777.html http://www.msnbc.com/news/791224.asp - - - - - - - - Microsoft flags server application flaw Microsoft announced Wednesday three new flaws had been found in the company's application for developing and managing e-business Web sites, Content Manager Server 2001. One of the three flaws found by security researcher Joao Gouveia could allow an attacker to take control of the server by exploiting a memory flaw in a feature designed to allow a Web site's owner to restrict access to certain Web pages. http://news.com.com/2100-1001-948850.html - - - - - - - - Hollywood stages piracy showdown Michael Eisner and Steve Jobs were once a model pairing of old and new media, but these days they aren't the best of friends. In an ironic twist worthy of a Hollywood screenplay, the source of their recent conflict is the precise reason for the success behind their original collaboration: digital technology. "At least one high-tech executive has described illegal pirate content as a 'killer application' that will drive consumer demand for broadband," Eisner, chief executive of Walt Disney, said in testimony before a Senate hearing on copyright violations earlier this year. "Unfortunately, other high-tech companies have simply lectured us that they have no obligation to help solve what they describe as 'our problem.'" http://zdnet.com.com/2100-1106-948719.html FCC wades into digital TV, piracy debate http://news.com.com/2100-1040-948854.html - - - - - - - - Mobile porn scam enrages Japanese 'One ring' scammers are being called a threat to Japanese society, but laws may have to be strengthened to deal with them. Enemies of society, cyberterrorists, biker gangs of the telephone world -- all those nasty names and more are being thrown at a new breed of mobile telephone scammer that has been shocking polite Japanese society. http://news.zdnet.co.uk/story/0,,t269-s2120439,00.html - - - - - - - - McAfee.com distributes SecurityCenter with p-to-p apps MCAFEE.COM IS LOOKING to take advantage of the popularity of peer-to-peer file-trading applications to spread its SecurityCenter tool, which will be distributed with a pair of such programs starting within 30 days, the company said Wednesday. The McAfee.com SecurityCenter is a security information service that gives users a real-time view into the status of Internet threats. SecurityCenter offers alerts, vulnerability checks and other security information such as McAfee.com's World Virus Map. The software is already offered as a tab in the MSN Messenger that comes bundled with Windows XP. http://www.idg.net/ic_932602_5055_1-2793.html - - - - - - - - Win32 API utterly and irredeemably broken Windows might possibly be the most insecure piece of viral code ever to infect a computer, according to Chris Paget who's found a fascinating hole in the Win32 Messaging System which he believes is irreprarable, and which he posted to the BugTraq security mailing list. The research leading to this discovery was inspired by MS Veep Jim Allchin, who testified to the effect that if flaws in the Windows Messaging System were sufficiently understood, national security would be deeply compromised, CRUISE missiles would be launched remotely, and /bin/laden would most likely find some novel way of raping your daughter with his big bad mouse. http://online.securityfocus.com/news/565 - - - - - - - - Time for Open-Source to Grow Up The OpenSSH backdoor demonstrates that the community must get pragmatic about package verification, and fast. It's time for the open-source community to grow up. For years we have acted like rowdy, self-confident teenagers demanding the keys to the car, with only occasional success. It's time for us to acknowledge the larger world, and our relationship with it. Our teenage solipsism must go if we hope to blossom into mature, respected grown-ups. http://online.securityfocus.com/columnists/101 - - - - - - - - Biometrics Unproven, Hard To Test Just how accurate are the face identification systems being rolled out around the country? It turns out, testing them is harder than it looks. James Bond technologies like face recognition, fingerprint sensors, hand geometry, and other biometric security systems may be impossible to accurately evaluate, unless researchers also measure the performance of the testers and the demographics of the subjects, a key researcher said Wednesday. http://online.securityfocus.com/news/566 - - - - - - - - New Japanese ID system reports first data leak just days after opening Personal data was leaked from Japan's new nation- wide identification system, officials said Wednesday, just two days after the program was launched amid widespread fear it would be prone to breaches of privacy. Personal information from as many as 2,584 people was sent to the wrong people, said Kaoru Okuhira, a spokesman for the Osaka regional government. He added that it was likely the first leak since Monday's kickoff of the new ID system. http://www.siliconvalley.com/mld/siliconvalley/news/editorial/3816796.htm *********************************************************** 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.