January 6, 2003 Suspect could be still luring teens in chat rooms Police fear suspect could still be luring teens over Internet chat rooms. Police released this sketch of a sex assault suspect who allegedly posed as a teen on the Internet to lure his victim. A young Calgary girl was recently released from a psychiatric ward where she spent more than two months after being sexually assaulted in her home by a stranger she met on the Internet. Now police, armed with little more than a physical description of the attacker, are warning parents the predator might try to strike again before they are able to identify and arrest him. http://canada.com/national/storyasp?id=%7BC15AAFB0-12F2-4A0B-8F23-1D8E856175CF%7D - - - - - - - - Pa. man faces charges in Internet sex case A 24-year-old Pennsylvania man tried to meet a minor over the Internet so he could have sex with the child, according to authorities. The mans identity is being withheld until formal charges are filed. Hes in the Tuscarawas County Jail. Agents from the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, the Tuscarawas County Sheriffs Department and the FBI took the man into custody late Saturday afternoon. He faces federal charges. http://www.cantonrep.com/index.php?Category=15&ID=78984 - - - - - - - - NTL in alleged hack probe NTL has launched an internal investigation following allegations that a Web site critical of the company was hacked by someone from within the cableco. The alleged incident, which took place on New Year's Eve, resulted in subscribers of ntlhell.co.uk receiving an email containing the phrase "ntlhell.co.uk is shitntlhell.co.uk" repeated almost 300 times. http://online.securityfocus.com/news/1981 - - - - - - - - White House trims upcoming cyber-security plan The Bush administration has reduced by nearly half its initiatives to tighten security for vital computer networks, giving more responsibility to the new Homeland Security Department and eliminating an earlier plan to consult regularly with privacy experts. An internal draft of the administration's upcoming plan also eliminates a number of voluntary proposals for America's corporations to improve security, focusing instead on suggestions for U.S. government agencies, such as a broad new study assessing risks. http://www.siliconvalley.com/mld/siliconvalley/news/editorial/4887829.htm http://online.securityfocus.com/news/1985 http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A18662-2003Jan6.html http://www.nandotimes.com/technology/story/704714p-5202610c.html National cybersecurity plan omits industry mandates http://www.govexec.com/dailyfed/0103/010603td1.htm - - - - - - - - Cyberthreats not to be dismissed, warns Clarke The U.S. has ignored warning signs before: two attempts by al-Qaeda in 1994 to use airplanes as weapons, as well as public statements in 2000 about terrorists being trained as pilots. Now Richard Clarke, chairman of the President's Critical Infrastructure Protection Board, is trying to prevent new warning signs from being ignored -- signs that al-Qaeda's brand of terrorism has a growing cyber element and that the nation's economy is at risk. http://www.computerworld.com/securitytopics/security/cybercrime/story/0,10801,77238,00.html - - - - - - - - Firm says stolen software helped bin Laden plot 9/11 The head of a computer firm wants the independent commission named to investigate September 11 intelligence failures to review accusations that his software-tracking program, which he says the Justice Department stole, was diverted to Osama bin Laden. William H. Hamilton, president of Inslaw Inc., said the commission headed by former New Jersey Gov. David H. Kean should focus on he validity of published reports saying bin Laden penetrated classified computer files before the attacks to evade detection and monitor the activities of U.S. law enforcement and intelligence agencies. http://www.washtimes.com/national/20030106-75579570.htm - - - - - - - - Wife Speaks Out After Turning Husband In On Child Porn Charges A Tucson wife speaks out after turning her husband in on child pornography charges. Sue Slinger says she had no choice but to call authorities after she learned two of her children found the photos on their father's home computer. Slinger says, "I was angry at the deceit. I was angry at my children's exposure to the material...and the impact it could have on them." Slinger says she found the photos in November. She later discovered two of her teenage children saw them as well. She says the pictures show children being physically and sexually abused. http://www.kold.com/global/story.asp?s=1071203 - - - - - - - - Watch out! There's a chatroom paedophile about The Home Office today announced a PS1m advertising campaign to warn children and their parents of the dangers of chat-room paedophiles, "without demonising the Internet". The government web site www.thinkuknow.co.uk has been redeveloped and updated with information and advice for young people who use the Internet. The Home Office advertising campaign includes TV spots in January, supported by radio and online advertising. http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/6/28737.html http://www.cnn.com/2003/TECH/internet/01/06/chatroom.warning/index.html http://www.vnunet.com/News/1137825 http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/2629611.stm Government denies it is demonising the Web The Home Office insists that new guidelines and a PS1m campaign will keep children safe without creating a climate of fear. Home Office minister Hilary Benn has denied that the government's new campaign warning of the dangers of online paedophiles is an attempt to demonise the Internet. http://news.zdnet.co.uk/story/0,,t269-s2128226,00.html - - - - - - - - Experts See Vulnerability as Outsiders Code Software As American companies increasingly move their software development tasks out of their own offices to computer programming companies here and abroad, new concerns are being raised about the security risks involved. Some of these concerns over the practice, known as outsourcing, are being raised by people with an obvious self-interest for example, programmers who have seen their livelihoods shift to less expensive operations overseas. (NY Times article, free registration required) http://www.nytimes.com/2003/01/06/technology/06OUTS.html - - - - - - - - California disclosure law has national reach So warned Scott Pink, deputy chair of the American Bar Association's Cybersecurity Task Force, in a conference call Monday organized by an industry trade group and attended by approximately 50 representatives of technology companies and law firms concerned about the scope of the new law, which will take effect on July 1st of this year. http://online.securityfocus.com/news/1984 - - - - - - - - Help Wanted: Steal This Database Hack-proofing a website is hard enough. But the task becomes gargantuan when you accidentally publish the administrator's password on one of your site's most heavily trafficked pages. Such a security gaffe may have enabled unauthorized visitors to log in and access files undetected for more than six months on a server operated by Carmichael Lynch, a public relations and advertising firm with several big-name clients. The admin password was inadvertently published on a page that contained online job postings. http://www.wired.com/news/infostructure/0,1377,57066,00.html - - - - - - - - Hackers take on MS on copyright protection for eBooks Irked at his inability to read Microsoft eBooks on his older Win CE device, UK programmer Dan Jackson has set up a project to improve file conversion tools. Jackson obtained the source code of a program called Convert Lit (or clit.exe, no sniggering at the back there) from its developers and posted it on his Web site. http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/4/28736.html - - - - - - - - Mystery man revealed in Microsoft Xbox hack contest A longtime Microsoft Corp opponent has emerged as the mystery backer and mastermind behind a contest that offers $200,000 to anyone who successfully hacks into the software giant's Xbox video game console, a top technology news website reported. Michael Robertson, a former dot-com entreprenuer and now chief executive of U.S. software company Lindows.com, revealed himself as the anonymous donor and contest's creator in an interview on Thursday with CNET News.com. http://www.forbes.com/newswire/2003/01/03/rtr836785.html PC army tackles Xbox security code http://news.com.com/2100-1040-979301.html - - - - - - - - Hacker Hopes Honest Venture Clicks As a young man, Kevin Mitnick made a name for himself by deceiving people. Now, at 39, the nation's most notorious computer hacker is taking on a very different challenge: convincing the world that he can be trusted. On Jan. 20, Mitnick will gain unsupervised access to computers and the Internet for the first time in eight years after serving a five-year prison sentence and three years of strict probation. (LA Times article, free registration required) http://www.latimes.com/technology/la-me-hacker04jan04,0,5993617.story - - - - - - - - Computer virus fighter Network Associates targets spam Computer virus fighter Network Associates Inc. picked up a new weapon Monday as the company wades into the battle against unsolicited e-mail commonly known as spam. The Santa Clara based company paid an undisclosed amount for privately held Deersoft Inc., the maker of the ``Spam Assassin'' -- software designed to stem the tide of unwanted e-mail swamping corporate computer networks. http://www.siliconvalley.com/mld/siliconvalley/news/editorial/4886202.htm http://zdnet.com.com/2100-1106-979247.html http://news.zdnet.co.uk/story/0,,t269-s2128222,00.html http://news.com.com/2100-1001-979247.html http://www.usatoday.com/tech/techinvestor/techcorporatenews/2003-01-06-na-spam_x.htm http://www.nandotimes.com/technology/story/704698p-5202554c.html - - - - - - - - Gov't spying: What's the real threat? The biggest problem with criticism of Adm. John Poindexter's massive spy proposal is not in the argument over the system being so darn creepy. Of course it's creepy. This new federal agency deliberately chose the motto "knowledge is power," crafted a logo certain to inspire conspiracy theories, and is itching to assemble a detailed computerized dossier on every American. And that a figure such as Poindexter--disgraced in the Iran-Contra scandal and with a database addiction dating back to at least 1987--is running the show is a detail worthy of a Jonathan Swift satire. http://zdnet.com.com/2100-1107-979293.html - - - - - - - - Lessons from the Laboratory Medical science's eradication of smallpox was easy compared to the Internet's efforts against nasty computer viruses. Here's why. Comparisons between computer viruses and their biological namesake constitute a pillar of almost mystical lore, a foundation of the modern anti-virus industry. One of the first books to enjoy mass circulation on the subject was entitled "Computer Viruses -- A High Tech Disease," penned by an unsuccessful anti-virus developer who didn't do his professional reputation any favors by also writing the things. http://online.securityfocus.com/columnists/133 - - - - - - - - What CIOs Need To Know About New Firewall Tech "Standard pricing is about $20,000 for an enterprise- level firewall, including hardware and software," Gartner's Richard Stiennon said. However, he noted, a firewall that enables high throughput and can serve a large network could cost $50,000 or more. As recently as a few years ago, IT personnel were trained to harden their network perimeter, barring outsiders entirely. In contrast, today's security environment is far less clear-cut -- and the role of firewalls is expanding. http://www.newsfactor.com/perl/story/20374.html - - - - - - - - Name recognition company helps FBI in search of illegal visitors Language Analysis Systems Inc., a producer of multicultural name recognition software, has given the FBI information about the names of five individuals suspected of entering the country illegally about three weeks ago. The FBI published an alert Dec. 29, saying it was seeking five individuals with Pakistani names believed to have crossed the border from Canada around Dec. 24. LAS, of Herndon, Va., provided the FBI with a list of variations of the names on Dec. 30, and published the most common variations on its Web site today. http://www.gcn.com/vol1_no1/daily-updates/20770-1.html INS proposes passenger matching http://www.fcw.com/fcw/articles/2003/0106/web-ship-01-06-03.asp - - - - - - - - Security cameras are getting smart -- and scary From wealthy private homes to military installations, security cameras are going high tech. Prompted in part by new fears after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, camera makers, security specialists, hard-disk makers and chip designers are transforming the art of video surveillance, long known for its grainy, black-and-white images and reams of tape. http://www.siliconvalley.com/mld/siliconvalley/4883623.htm - - - - - - - - Landmarks digitized in case of attack A team of architecture experts say their digitized model of the Statue of Liberty could be used to rebuild the national landmark if it is damaged or destroyed in a terrorist attack. Using a high-tech laser scanner to measure its surface from all angles, the team from Texas Tech University has been working for nearly two years to create computerized, three-dimensional drawings of the monument. http://www.cnn.com/2003/US/Northeast/01/05/lady.liberty.ap/index.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 2000-2003, NewsBits.net, Campbell, CA.