August 16, 2002 FBI agent charged with hacking Russia alleges agent broke law by downloading evidence. In a first in the rapidly evolving field of cyberspace law, Russias counterintelligence service on Thursday filed criminal charges against an FBI agent it says lured two Russian hackers to the United States, then illegally seized evidence against them by downloading data from their computers in Chelyabinsk, Russia. http://www.msnbc.com/news/563379.asp http://news.com.com/2100-1001-950719.html http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/55/26715.html - - - - - - - - Audit Shows More PCs At the IRS Are Missing The Internal Revenue Service has lost to thieves or has misplaced another batch of computers, adding to the thousands already missing from that and other government agencies. In the latest case, there are fears that some of the missing machines might carry private taxpayer information and Social Security numbers. http://online.securityfocus.com/news/583 http://www.gcn.com/vol1_no1/daily-updates/19682-1.html http://www.newsfactor.com/perl/story/19058.html - - - - - - - - U.S. tries to keep computers secure Novice consultants able to invade military PCs with ease. Security consultants entered scores of confidential military and government computers without approval this summer, exposing vulnerabilities that specialists say open the networks to electronic attacks and spying. http://www.msnbc.com/news/794885.asp http://online.securityfocus.com/news/581 http://zdnet.com.com/2100-1105-950226.html http://news.com.com/2100-1001-954179.html http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/computersecurity/2002-08-16-military-hack_x.htm http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A24191-2002Aug15.html - - - - - - - - FBI warns about wireless craze Some FBI agents are worried about warchalking Well-meaning wireless activists have caught the attention of the US Federal Bureau of Investigation. One of its agents has issued a warning about the popular practice of using chalk marks to show the location of wireless networks. The marks, or "warchalks", are cropping up in cities and suburbs across the world. The FBI is now telling companies that, if they see the chalk marks outside their offices, they should check the security of wireless networks and ensure they remain closed to outsiders. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/2197252.stm - - - - - - - - Defense chief outlines challenges of information age warfare The increasing availability of commercial, off-the- shelf technology to terrorist groups and enemy states is creating new challenges for the U.S. military, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said Thursday in his annual report to the president and Congress. "Maintaining the U.S. technological edge has become even more difficult as advanced technology has become readily available on the world market," Rumsfeld wrote. "Technologies for sensors, information processing, communications, precision guidance, and many other areas are rapidly advancing and are available to potential adversaries." http://www.govexec.com/dailyfed/0802/081602td1.htm - - - - - - - - Tories want chat room clamp down Call for 'anti-paedophile' legislation. Conservative politicians have called for tough new laws which they claim will make it more difficult for paedophiles to use internet chat rooms to target children. Shadow home secretary Oliver Letwin said he believes the case for new legislation has already been made. He also wants increased penalties for paedophiles who refuse to unlock encrypted information being stored on the internet. http://www.vnunet.com/News/1134417 - - - - - - - - NIPC seeks cyberalert support The National Infrastructure Protection Center this week issued a request for quotations to get contractor support for its Analysis and Warning Section the group that provides cybersecurity alerts and advice to the public and private sectors. The statement of work outlines several requirements the NIPC is looking for a contractor to fill, including: * Supporting the center's ability to identify and predict security threats and trends. * Performing analysis and assessment of threat information. * Providing historical incident data. * Distributing the information to partners and the general public. http://www.fcw.com/fcw/articles/2002/0812/web-nipc-08-16-02.asp http://www.newsfactor.com/perl/story/19059.html - - - - - - - - FBI shifts technology executives FBI director Robert S. Mueller III yesterday appointed two officials to key technology jobs as part of a management overhaul that brought nine officials to new positions. Keith L. Lourdeau is now chief of the Cyber Crime Section in the Cyber Division. Since February 2001, he had been in charge of the FBIs St. Louis office. Lourdeau previously was detailed to the CIA to target organized crime. Lourdeau joined the FBI in 1986 and has worked in the Chicago and Little Rock, Ark., field offices. http://www.gcn.com/vol1_no1/daily-updates/19659-1.html http://www.fcw.com/fcw/articles/2002/0812/web-fbi-08-16-02.asp - - - - - - - - Vietnam may clamp down on Web access Vietnam, which has been policing Internet use more closely, may further fortify its Internet firewall to block out subversive material and pornography, a government official said on Friday. The Lao Dong newspaper quoted Phan An Sa, deputy chief inspector of the Culture and Information Ministry, as urging Vietnam's Internet access providers to tighten firewalls to block subversive material. Cyberspace usage in the southeast Asian country is already controlled, and some sites, such as those run by overseas dissident groups, are hard to access. http://zdnet.com.com/2110-11-950186.html http://www.nandotimes.com/technology/story/501412p-3996019c.html - - - - - - - - Piracy 'not responsible for music sales drop' Record companies have to work with the internet. Piracy is not responsible for the 15 per cent drop in music sales over the past two years and if the record industry does not embrace the internet culture it will see sales suffer even more, according to new research. Analyst Forrester says that the only way record labels can restore industry growth is by making it easier for people to find, copy and pay for music on their own terms. http://www.vnunet.com/News/1134443 - - - - - - - - Windows hack attacks on the rise Just when it looked like hack attacks on Microsoft systems might be falling, new figures have been published showing the number of successfully compromised Windows boxes is actually on the rise at an alarming rate. Although the number of successful attacks on Windows machines fell broadly through the first quarter of this year, June saw an increase of five per cent in compromised systems compared to the previous month, while successful hacks in July rose by a further 12 per cent. http://www.vnunet.com/News/1134436 - - - - - - - - MS soft-pedals SSL hole A Microsoft security PR bulletin dealing with the recent SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) certificate hole reported by Mike Benham goes out of its way to assure Windows users that there's little to be concerned about. The recent negative talk about it hasn't been properly 'balanced' (i.e., approved by the Marketing Department), apparently. "We regret any anxiety that customers may have experienced regarding this issue. Clearly, it would have been best if a balanced assessment of the issue and its risk had been available from the start," the company's PR bunnies want you to know. http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/4/26714.html - - - - - - - - Check Point secures IPv6 and P2P Check Point Software Technologies Ltd is gearing up for a new release of its Check Point VPN-1/ Firewall-1 security software, and is claiming a number of industry firsts will be delivered in the new version. The Ramat-Gan, Israel-based company is claiming to be the first vendor to secure IPv6, peer-to-peer, instant messaging and Microsoft Common Internet File System file sharing and printer services with VPN-1/Firewall-1 Next Generation Feature Pack 3, due for release in September. http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/55/26706.html - - - - - - - - The Trouble with Software Patches One way companies can wade through the swamp of patches is by considering the business impact of systems that might be vulnerable to attack if left unpatched. Despite the lessons taught by nasty viruses like Code Red and Nimda , experts say software patching continues to lag far behind discovered vulnerabilities. Analysts typically blame the lag on the sheer number of patches, which are issued with increasing frequency. Indeed, patching remains a dreaded chore in most IT departments, where a lack of resources means many companies have fallen behind. http://www.newsfactor.com/perl/story/19023.html - - - - - - - - Virtual Pentagon notice filed The Pentagon Renovation Program Office has issued the $400 million notice to bidders for its program to create a virtual Pentagon that would provide backup networks and communications so that senior officials could continue to carry out their jobs even in the event of a disaster at the building. The notice issued Aug. 14 mirrors a presolicitation notice that the Pentagon Renovation Program Office issued late last month for its Command Communications Survivability Program. http://www.fcw.com/fcw/articles/2002/0812/web-pent-08-16-02.asp - - - - - - - - Chinese teens go crackers over web porn Internet is number one source of sex 'education' More than 70 per cent of Chinese teenagers get their information about sex from internet pornography, according the country's state media. The China Daily has reported that, since there is a lack of sex education in the classroom or at home, Chinese teenagers are picking up their knowledge from adult websites. http://www.vnunet.com/News/1134416 *********************************************************** 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. 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