November 12, 2002 U.S. cracks case of military networks hacker Federal authorities have cracked the case of an international hacker who broke into roughly 100 unclassified U.S.military networks over the past year, officials said Monday. Officials declined to identify the hacker, a British citizen, but said he could be indicted as early as Tuesday in federal courts in northern Virginia and New Jersey. Those U.S. court jurisdictions include the Pentagon in Virginia and Picatiny Arsenal in New Jersey, one of the Army's premier research facilities. http://www.timesdispatch.com/news/vaapwire/MGBND200F8D.html http://www.latimes.com/technology/la-na-briefs12.5nov12,0,1335980.story http://www.siliconvalley.com/mld/siliconvalley/news/editorial/4502170.htm http://www.wired.com/news/politics/0,1283,56332,00.html http://www.msnbc.com/news/833723.asp http://www.nandotimes.com/technology/story/616620p-4745697c.html http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/55/28055.html http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/computersecurity/2002-11-12-hacker-case_x.htm - - - - - - - - Sweden expels two Russian diplomats for Ericsson spying Sweden has expelled two Russian diplomats in connection with a spying scandal at telecoms equipment maker Ericsson, the Foreign Ministry said on Monday. ``The Foreign Ministry has informed representatives of the Russian embassy that two its employees have been declared persona non grata on grounds of activities which are incompatible with their diplomatic status,'' a spokeswoman said. ``The two have already left Sweden.'' http://www.siliconvalley.com/mld/siliconvalley/news/editorial/4493503.htm http://www.nandotimes.com/technology/story/615524p-4738959c.html - - - - - - - - Suspect Had Computer Access to Bets Software engineer, who has not been charged in Breeders' Cup pick six dispute, was 'trusted fellow' cleared to review wagers nationwide. On a day when federal authorities formally joined the investigation into a suspicious bet worth more than $3 million placed during Breeders' Cup races last month, more details emerged about the software engineer at the center of the inquiry. http://www.latimes.com/technology/la-sp-picksix9nov09,0,3190640.story?coll=la%2Dheadlines%2Dtechnology http://www.wired.com/news/politics/0,1283,56328,00.html - - - - - - - - Net pirates poach Harry Potter film Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets apparently isnt such a secret any more. The sequel to last years record-setting blockbuster fantasy film, perhaps the years most-anticipated movie, is scheduled for U.S. release Friday. But Internet movie pirates have once again jumped the gun and illegal copies of the film started to make their way around the Net on Monday. Such Internet pre-releases are becoming so commonplace that both pirates and movie studios are beginning to expect them. http://www.msnbc.com/news/834107.asp - - - - - - - - Supreme Court agrees to review challenge of filtering software at libraries The Supreme Court said Tuesday it will decide if public libraries can be forced to install software blocking sexually explicit Web sites. Congress has struggled to find ways to protect children from Internet pornography without infringing on free speech rights for Web site operators. Lawmakers have passed three laws since 1996, but the Supreme Court struck down the first and blocked the second from taking effect. http://www.siliconvalley.com/mld/siliconvalley/news/editorial/4502224.htm http://zdnet.com.com/2100-1105-965434.html http://news.com.com/2100-1023-965434.html http://www.wired.com/news/politics/0,1283,56330,00.html http://www.msnbc.com/news/833969.asp http://www.cnn.com/2002/LAW/11/12/online.porn.ap/index.html http://www.nandotimes.com/technology/story/616704p-4745904c.html http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/techpolicy/2002-11-12-net-filtering_x.htm - - - - - - - - Scam artist stole her photo, used it in fake personals Dont put your picture online was a common warning in the early days of the Internet. Sound paranoid in the era of online dating? Dont tell that to Laura, who 18 months ago put up an online personals ad for one month. Since then, her photo has been stolen and used in dozens of fake personals ads soliciting hard-core sex and pornography. You have no control, she said. Whats hardest is you have no idea whos seen it. What if someone really believes those things? http://www.msnbc.com/news/832518.asp - - - - - - - - UK Govt warns of e-scams The mollycoddling UK Government has warned punters to be on their guard against e-mail, text and fax scams run by unscrupulous operators. Thank goodness for that. And here's me thinking that poor widow from Nigeria really does want to hand me a slice of her $3m inheritance just so long as I cough up $2,000 to get the cash out of the country. http://online.securityfocus.com/news/1626 http://news.zdnet.co.uk/story/0,,t269-s2125791,00.html http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/2446363.stm - - - - - - - - Cyber Crime Fighters Escape Funding Cut Thousands of high-tech crimes confront law enforcement, including an intrusion into the state controller's computer. California's computer crime force was on the chopping block. It was May, and state budget cutters were threatening the five regional investigative squads with a 30% slash in funding. Then came disclosure of a high-tech crime close to home at Sacramento's Teale Data Center: A hacker had accessed the state controller's computer, which holds the Social Security numbers of 265,000 state employees, including Gov. Gray Davis. http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-cyber10nov10.story http://online.securityfocus.com/news/1618 - - - - - - - - Big Bucks for Cybersecurity Congress approved $903 million in grants Tuesday to spur federal agencies, industry and universities to devote more energy to cybersecurity research. "For too long, cybersecurity has just not been a research priority," said Rep. Sherwood Boehlert, R-N.Y., chairman of the House Science Committee and sponsor of the legislation. "In an age of terrorism, such willful ignorance about cybersecurity has got to come to an end. http://www.wired.com/news/business/0,1367,56329,00.html http://www.nandotimes.com/technology/story/617249p-4748581c.html http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/techpolicy/2002-11-12-cyber-security_x.htm - - - - - - - - Battling the net security threat Energy companies suffer a lot of tech attacks. Experts are warning that the speed with which computer criminals and vandals are dreaming up and testing out new ways to cause trouble is accelerating. The growing number of attacks give companies and consumers little time to react to new threats and patch systems to ensure vulnerabilities are not exploited. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/2386113.stm - - - - - - - - E-Cards Delivering Nasty Greetings Hackers and Marketers Tap Into Popularity of Virtual Greeting Cards. Electronic greeting cards from Yahoo!, Blue Mountain, and Egreetings have gained popularity over the years, largely because they can be delivered immediately over Internet e-mail and come with cute graphics and special messages. But now virus writers, mass marketers, and porn Web sites are taking advantage of the e-greeting trend to infiltrate computers. http://abcnews.go.com/sections/scitech/TechTV/techtv_nastyecards021111.html - - - - - - - - Acknowledging market for pirated movies, studios offer theirs online The anticipated online movies-on-demand venture formed by five major Hollywood studios was launched Monday, marking the first time a large supply of recent, popular films are available legally on the Internet. The effort, called Movielink, allows people to download films over a high-speed Internet connection. It is the industry's alternative to the distribution of pirated films over peer-to- peer computer networks - services such as Napster that threatened the music industry. (Nando Times article, free registration required) http://www.nandotimes.com/technology/story/615071p-4735974c.html - - - - - - - - Vendors Scramble To Block Security Holes Several security vendors on Monday introduced upgrades to products and services designed to help enterprises speed up protection against an array of security vulnerabilities. One addresses one of the biggest challenges that IT managers face: keeping up with software updates that guard against new vulnerabilities. http://www.techweb.com/wire/story/TWB20021111S0006 - - - - - - - - Optical antenna boosts wireless security An optical antenna that uses a geometrically shaped lens promises to bring greater security to wireless networks for businesses, according to British scientists. The new device, developed by researchers at the University of Warwick's engineering department, uses a combination of precise curvatures on the lens and a multilayered filter to achieve its goal. http://zdnet.com.com/2110-1105-965261.html - - - - - - - - Hackers beware: quantum encryption is coming Quantum encryption pioneers promise to put the world's first uncrackably secure networks online by early 2003. Based on the quantum properties of photons, quantum encryption guarantees absolutely secure optical communications. http://www.eetimes.com/at/news/OEG20021111S0036 - - - - - - - - HHS sets deal for intrusion detection service Through a new task order for security services, the Health and Human Services Department has kicked off an effort to consolidate many IT services across its bureaus. The department this month signed a five-year task order with Internet Security Systems Inc. of Atlanta for intrusion detection software, servers and vulnerability scanning services for all 12 of its bureaus. http://www.gcn.com/vol1_no1/daily-updates/20454-1.html - - - - - - - - Are Macs Virus-Proof? Mac OS X users should install an effective, configurable firewall, which comes included with a point-and-click interface in OS 10.2, also known as Jaguar. Historically, Mac OS users have had little to fear from the scourge of viruses plaguing their Windows counterparts. The operating system's "Classic" incarnation was practically impervious, Macworld editor Jason Snell told NewsFactor. http://www.newsfactor.com/perl/story/19930.html - - - - - - - - THE MYTH OF CYBERTERRORISM While computer security needs to be an everyday concern for anyone who transmits or maintains valuable data online, "cyberterrorism" is a word that has no right to exist. "There is no such thing as cyberterrorism," writes Joshua Green. There is "no instance of anyone ever having been killed by a terrorist (or anyone else) using a computer." Green's article "The Myth of Cyberterrorism" in the November 2002 Washington Monthly marks the growing skepticism about the prospects of an "electronic Pearl Harbor" and echoes a critique that has been voiced notably by George Smith of The Crypt Newsletter for years. http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/features/2001/0211.green.html - - - - - - - - NY installs biometric kiosks for probationers Low-risk offenders on probation in New York City no longer have to check in monthly with their probation officers so long as at least one of their hands is on file. Kael Goodman, the Probation Departments assistant commissioner and CIO, has installed 14 biometric-enabled kiosks at offices in several boroughs where probationers can report their whereabouts and progress. http://www.gcn.com/vol1_no1/daily-updates/20443-1.html - - - - - - - - ***** Editor's Note ***** While this isn't crime related, I think we've all been there. Enjoy! Angry Janesville Man Barbecues Slow Modem Janesville police responded to a smoke complaint around 1 a.m. Tuesday and found a man barbecuing his computer modem. The 39-year-old man told police the modem was operating too slowly, and he decided grilling it might make it dial up faster. The man's wife told police that this wasn't the first time her husband got upset with a slow modem and that he has smashed them or tossed them out the door before. Police doused the coals with water and told the man's wife to make sure he went to bed. No one was injured, but police said the modem was a total loss. http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story2&cid=300&e=17&u=/ibsys/20021108/lo_wisc/1382225 *********************************************************** 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.