September 5, 2002 Internet child porn king jailed for four years A man who ran an international child porn club and had the biggest collection of computer child porn images ever detected in Australia was jailed for four years today. Robert Stephen Keating, 43, a boilermaker, of Walkerston, 15km west of Mackay in northern Queensland, pleaded guilty in the Mackay District Court today to eight child pornography related counts. The court was told Keating had 226,500 porn images on his computer. More than 180,000 of those were child abuse material while the remainder was adult pornography. http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2002/08/30/1030508121294.html - - - - - - - - Klez set to return--but may backfire A minor variant of the Klez virus is set to go into action Friday, erasing a host of files on infected hard drives. But the attack may also wipe out the attacker. The 8-month-old mass- mailing computer virus called Klez.E triggers its payload on the sixth day of March, May, September and November, erasing 14 different types of files, including Word documents and HTML files. http://zdnet.com.com/2100-1105-956740.html - - - - - - - - Sex.com Domain Thief Struck Again The man who once claimed ownership of the domain name Sex.com has failed to persuade a federal appeals court to reconsider his case. In an unpublished decision, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco curtly tossed out the appeal by Steven Michael Cohen, the former operator of the Sex.com site, citing his decision to flee the country to avoid criminal prosecution. http://www.wired.com/news/business/0,1367,54962,00.html - - - - - - - - Teenangels make cybersafety a number one priority As if sexual predators and computer viruses weren't enough for the youngest set of Web surfers to worry about, they also have to be on the lookout for their peers. That's the view of one teenaged expert on security issues involving younger computer users. Hackers and predators are considered the biggest threats, but some dangers are to be found closer to home, this expert says. "Parents always think it's pornography. Actually it's other people," said 17-year-old Tyler of Hortonville, Wis., who asked that his last name not be used. http://www.usatoday.com/tech/webguide/internetlife/2002-09-05-teenangels_x.htm http://zdnet.com.com/2110-1105-956670.html - - - - - - - - Government pushes for tougher IT security A new set of guidelines aim to make businesses better defended against risks such as hackers and computer viruses. E-commerce minister Stephen Timms on Thursday launched tough new security guidelines, which the government claims could make businesses much more secure against computer viruses and malicious hackers. http://news.zdnet.co.uk/story/0,,t269-s2121809,00.html - - - - - - - - Computer Security Standards Ready In a high-tech, high-powered version of a neighborhood watch, a group of government agencies and private businesses plan to announce today a common set of standards and software to fight computer hacking. The Pentagon, the National Security Agency, the National Institute of Standards and Technology, and other agencies are joining forces with such corporations as Intel Corp., Allstate Insurance Co., First Union Corp., Visa and Pacific Gas & Electric Co. to agree on technical actions to stem computer fraud and theft. http://online.securityfocus.com/news/609 - - - - - - - - BT slams 'scandalous' phone hacking claims A former BT engineer claims that phone hacking is a "disease" within BT and that the telco is failing to protect its customers from premium rate phone scams. Whistlebower Bob Godsiff was featured earlier this week on a Meridian TV show Cheatlines, in which he claimed that BT was ignoring the growing problem of phone hacking. http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/5/26971.html - - - - - - - - Deadbeat bidders dog eBay sellers Auction winners who dont pay up are a growing trend. Its the quiet fear behind anyone whos ever sold anything on an auction Web site. What if the winning bidder doesnt pay? Sellers offering up pricey Cisco Systems hardware on eBay recently know what that feels like. Well over $1 million in Cisco auctions have been ruined by bidders who simply disappear after the auction has ended. Some say its an elaborate fraud orchestrated by the Cisco Raider. Others think its just vandalism. http://www.msnbc.com/news/803449.asp - - - - - - - - Anonymous $1m grant to test copyright laws An anonymous gift of $1 million to Duke University in the US will be used to finance a new centre conducting research into curtailing recent extensions of copyright law. James Boyle, a Duke law professor, said the centre is likely to take a close and critical look at laws like America's highly-controversial Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA). http://www.theregus.com/content/6/26213.html http://news.zdnet.co.uk/story/0,,t269-s2121817,00.html - - - - - - - - Americans back taking data off Net But study finds public evenly divided on e-mail monitoring. More than two-thirds of Americans say its OK for government agencies to remove public information from the Internet, even though many didnt believe it would make a difference in fighting terrorism, a new study finds. But Americans were evenly divided on whether governments should be able to monitor e-mail and Web activities, with 47 percent opposed and 45 percent in support. http://www.msnbc.com/news/804093.asp Internet suffers amid fewer freedoms, media rights group says http://www.nandotimes.com/technology/story/524094p-4156324c.html Rights Group Decries Internet Guerilla Warfare http://www.newsfactor.com/perl/story/19308.html - - - - - - - - Britain 'leads way' in eroding privacy INDIVIDUAL privacy is being eroded in Britain to a far greater extent than in other developed countries, according to an international study of state surveillance in the year since September 11. Many states have rushed through restrictive anti-terrorism and security laws in response to last years terrorist attacks, but the Blair Government is singled out for an anti-privacy pathology that the report claims is leading to mass surveillance of the population. http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,3-404768,00.html - - - - - - - - Heard of drive-by hacking? Meet drive-by spamming 'Warspammers' are taking advantage of unprotected wireless LANs to send out millions of junk emails. The proliferation of insecure corporate wireless networks is fuelling the growth of drive-by spamming, a security expert warned on Thursday. http://news.zdnet.co.uk/story/0,,t269-s2121857,00.html - - - - - - - - Windows flaw enables credit fraud Critical flaw could let hackers gain unauthorized access. Microsoft late Wednesday said that a flaw in its Windows operating system could allow hackers to gain unauthorized access to thousands of computers. Microsoft issued a security alert, calling the flaw critical. The flaw affects how more than a dozen Microsoft products, including programs for Windows and the Macintosh, handle digital certificates, which are used to certify the authenticity of a Web site or of software code. http://www.msnbc.com/news/804071.asp - - - - - - - - DNS vulnerability 'critical' Nominum Inc says a recently discovered flaw in the dominant domain name server on the internet is far more serious than originally thought, and could allow crackers to crash or even take control of any internet-connected application running on Unix, Kevin Murphy writes. "We know for sure we can use this bug to crash any application," said Richard Probst, VP of product management at Nominum, which has released a product that fixes the problem. "And we think we know how to use it to hijack any application, but we haven't seen an exploit yet." http://www.theregus.com/content/55/26206.html - - - - - - - - Windows 2000 hit by mysterious attacks Microsoft security experts floored. A rash of attacks on Windows 2000 servers has left Microsoft security experts baffled. The software giant issued a security warning about the attacks, which seem to be based around Trojan horse programs, but unusually the firm has yet to suggest any protective measures. But more recent missives on the firm's website seem to indicate that the attacks are more likely to be the work of hackers rather than passive worm attacks. http://www.vnunet.com/News/1134816 http://zdnet.com.com/2100-1105-956647.html http://zdnet.com.com/2100-1104-956729.html MS patches bogus certificate hole on NT, XP http://www.theregus.com/content/55/26209.html - - - - - - - - Cisco Warns Its Popular VPNs At Risk Yankee Group analyst Matthew Kovar said the VPN series affected by these vulnerabilities is a popular one, used to provide remote access for a large number of enterprises. Networking giant Cisco has warned of several security holes in its VPN (virtual private network) 3000 series, which is widely deployed by corporations and telecommunications carriers. http://www.newsfactor.com/perl/story/19321.html - - - - - - - - PBS purges Web content on Israeli disapproval The US Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is airing a documentary film this week by affiliate WNET in New York, called "Caught in the Crossfire: Arab-Americans in Wartime," which considers the predicament of Arab-Americans since the 9/11 atrocity. In addition to the film is a companion Web site offering background material for curious viewers. http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/6/26979.html - - - - - - - - U.S. privacy officer: Listen up! Over the summer, the Bush Administration revealed plans to appoint the first-ever U.S. chief privacy officer as part of the proposed Department of Homeland Security. This is significant because our government has generally resisted appointing a privacy officer. I am happy you're going to be on the job. The appointment of a national chief privacy officer makes public sense. But we need a system of checks and balances to ensure that issues of confidentiality, data collection and the secure handling of personal information always weigh heavily in the office's decision- making. Several elements will need to go into the creation of any effective policy. http://zdnet.com.com/2100-1107-956687.html - - - - - - - - Taking Security Concerns Private: U.S. Appeals to IT Firms It is the common cry of the federal administrator sitting across the table from the private entrepreneur: "I do not have the staff with the technological experience to do what you do." That was how Sallie McDonald, assistant commissioner of the General Services Administration's Office of Information Assurance and Critical Infrastructure, characterized efforts to protect federal information technology systems and develop rapid national response mechanisms. http://online.securityfocus.com/news/607 - - - - - - - - Profile of the Perfect Security Guru Experts agree that penetration testing or vulnerability analysis are key to securing systems, but opinions differ on whether a background in hacking is necessary. They know how to set up and maintain firewall, antivirus and intrusion detection systems. They know how to scan the company network for holes. They are up to speed on the latest vulnerabilities -- and know whether or not software patches are available. They know what to do when the corporate servers get hacked, and they know how to stop the attack in its tracks. They also have the gumption to tell you when they cannot handle something, and they can recommend where to go for help. http://www.newsfactor.com/perl/story/19299.html - - - - - - - - TSA piloting biometric lockers The Transportation Security Administration is piloting a program at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport that uses biometrics to secure public lockers. TSA shut down lockers inside airport security checkpoints after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. Now, aiming to restore the locker service, the agency is testing a computerized lock system provided by Smarte Carte Inc. that requires a fingerprint to store or retrieve items. The new lockers have touch screens that lead customers through the rental process. http://www.fcw.com/fcw/articles/2002/0902/web-lock-09-05-02.asp - - - - - - - - Homeland Security Requires Commitment to Research and Technology To win a protracted war on terrorism, we need to recognize the critical role of scientific research and technology development. As a result of the 9/11 attacks, the nation is debating how to best secure President George W. Bush has called for the equivalent of a world war against terrorists and the nations that support them. He has also developed a National Strategy for Homeland Security, which outlines a broad road map for government agencies, private enterprise, other public and not-for-profit organizations and citizens. Finally, the president has called for a new Department of Homeland Security, consolidating more than 20 federal agencies. http://www.newsfactor.com/perl/story/19304.html - - - - - - - - U.S. Uses Internet/Satellite Images to State its Case Against Iraq The Bush Administration's attempt to build the case - at home and abroad - to oust Iraqi President Saddam Hussein includes the use of high-resolution satellite photos. An Internet web site run by the U.S. Department of State and established in the waning days of the Clinton Administration demonstrates how shot-from-space pictures are utilized to make the point that Hussein must be replaced. http://www.space.com/news/iraq_satellite_020904.html - - - - - - - - Patriot Act gag order gives libraries pause Colorado librarian Jamie LaRue jumped on the Internet on Sept. 11 when he heard that planes had hit the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. He wanted to know all he could learn about Osama bin Laden, even reading Web sites sympathetic to the apparent mastermind of the attacks. Only later did it occur to him that his research was building a record that might make him a suspect in the eyes of the government. "I just fit the profile, and all I was doing was exercising a basic American right to ask questions, to investigate, to try to understand," said LaRue, director of the Douglas Public Library District. http://www.nandotimes.com/technology/story/524355p-4158028c.html - - - - - - - - Tech keeps track of parolees A Florida county sheriff's office has begun using a new electronic system that not only tracks a parolee's whereabouts, but also plots his or her location relative to crimes committed in an area during the previous 24 hours. The Seminole County Sheriff's Office began using VeriTracks, developed by Veridian Corp., about a month ago, the first agency in the nation to implement the cutting-edge system, company officials said. Veridian landed the $675,000, three-year contract following successful testing with the state's corrections and law enforcement departments and a dozen other local agencies late last year. http://www.fcw.com/geb/articles/2002/0902/web-gps-09-05-02.asp *********************************************************** 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. 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