NewsBits for June 19, 2003 sponsored by, Southeast Cybercrime Institute - www.cybercrime.kennesaw.edu ************************************************************ E-mail scam makes Best Buy scramble Best Buy moved on Thursday to limit damage from an e-mail scam that sent potential victims to a look-alike Web site in an attempt to persuade them to give up their credit-card information. The Minneapolis-based electronics and consumer- goodschain consulted with both the Federal Trade Commission's identity-theft group and federal and state law enforcement to try and track down those responsible for an e-mail message that apparently started circulating Wednesday. http://news.com.com/2100-1002_3-1019192.html http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/2003-06-19-bestbuy-scam-email_x.htm Experts warn against criminals posing as online companies We're already inundated with high-tech jargon, but here's a new term to digest: "Phishers." Phishers are criminals who send out e-mails "phishing" for personal information from unsuspecting Internet users. Here's an example that surfaced in the past few days: A message purporting to be from "Sean Wright" with "Earthlink Billing Department" asks its recipient to connect to a Web site to supply personal information -- information that is "temporaly" unavailable. Misspellings like this are often a tip-off to these schemes, security experts say. http://www.dallasnews.com/localnews/stories/061903dnmetphishers.523a6ed.html - - - - - - - - - - Net fraudster nailed - in East Ham Members of the scheme to warn UK retailers about credit card fraud have been commended by the Metropolitan Police for their part in assisting the arrest and conviction of a serious Internet fraudster. Information from Early Warning members allowed police to link the fraudulent order of around PS18,000 worth of goods 'bought' over the Internet to addresses in East Ham, London, and an address in Walsall in the West Midlands. http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/67/31317.html - - - - - - - - - - Nintendo claims major antipiracy victory Japanese game maker Nintendo says it has won one of its "most significant antipiracy judgments ever" against a Hong Kong company that sold devices capable of copying its games and putting them on the Net for limitless downloading. In the recent ruling, a Hong Kong judge ordered Lik-Sang International to pay an interim amount of $641,000 (5 million Hong Kong dollars) in damages, Nintendo said Thursday. A Lik-Sang representative could not immediately be reached for comment. Kyoto-based Nintendo had sought $20 million in damages in its original complaint for lost revenue in 2001 and 2002, in a case that underscored the problem of rampant software piracy in China and adjacent Hong Kong. http://zdnet.com.com/2110-1104_2-1019018.html http://www.msnbc.com/news/928752.asp http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/54/31326.html - - - - - - - - - - New Trojan in the wild - 'Mystri-A' spies on your PC The government's Unified Incident Reporting and Alert Scheme (UNIRAS) has warned antivirus companies that a new Trojan is on the loose. 'Mystri-A' uses a relatively simple monitoring program that tracks all traffic from port 6000 and sends it to an unknown email address. http://www.vnunet.com/News/1141730 - - - - - - - - - - Trojan Picks Up Steam, Baffles Experts A new Trojan that has been making its way around the Internet in recent weeks continues to baffle security experts, who have been unable to get a good handle on its behavior. The Trojan apparently made its first appearance around May 16 and began randomly scanning Internet-connected machines. The scanning was slow at first but has begun to pick up speed in recent days as more machines have become infected. Researchers at Internet Security Systems Inc. in Atlanta have been seeing nearly 3,000 scans an hour on Tuesday across the entire address space that the company monitors. http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,3959,1130759,00.asp - - - - - - - - - - SoBig.D only small so far, says CA The latest SoBig varient has been over-hyped by a 'virus hungry' media, according to Computer Associates. The newest variant of the SoBig worm, SoBig.D, doesn't represent a serious threat, despite claims to the contrary, according to Computer Associates' manager of virus research Jakub Kaminski. While he concedes that "you never know what will happen in the next few days," the researcher says the worm is getting way too much attention from a "virus hungry" media that antivirus companies are playing up to. http://news.zdnet.co.uk/story/0,,t269-s2136261,00.html - - - - - - - - - - File-Sharing Network Users Are Told to Stop The Recording Industry Assn. of America said it has sent cease-and-desist letters to five users of online file- sharing networks, demanding that they stop offering free music for others to download. A U.S. appeals court ruling earlier this month compelled Verizon Communications Inc. to give the RIAA the names of four subscribers accused of violating copyrights by offering songs on file-sharing networks. The fifth name was supplied by EarthLink Inc., which had balked at complying with an RIAA subpoena until the appeals court rejected Verizon's request for a delay. http://www.siliconvalley.com/mld/siliconvalley/news/editorial/6122013.htm http://www.latimes.com/technology/la-fi-rup19.9jun19,1,2545425.story http://zdnet.com.com/2110-1105_2-1019083.html http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A12441-2003Jun19.html http://www.wired.com/news/digiwood/0,1412,59309,00.html http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/6/31315.html Senate to Examine Online Copyright Dispute http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A13578-2003Jun19.html http://www.wired.com/news/business/0,1367,59320,00.html http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/techpolicy/2003-06-19-mccain-copyright_x.htm - - - - - - - - - - Another antispam bill debuts in House Five members of the U.S. House of Representatives said on Wednesday that they had introduced yet another antispam bill, making it at least the eighth proposal that's circulating on Capitol Hill this year. The "Anti-Spam Act of 2003" would require commercial e-mail senders to let recipients decline future messages and impose labeling requirements on sexually explicit e-mail, according to a summary of the legislation. http://zdnet.com.com/2110-1105_2-1018900.html http://news.com.com/2100-1028_3-1019430.html http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A14366-2003Jun19.html http://www.msnbc.com/news/928701.asp http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/techpolicy/2003-06-19-senate-spam_x.htm HP will pre-install spam-block software http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/2003-06-19-hp-spam-sw_x.htm - - - - - - - - - - NASD: Treat IM like e-mail Instant messages should be treated the same as e-mail messages and archived for three years, the Nasdaq Stock Market regulator told its members. Companies are being advised to keep archives of all their IM communications for at least three years. The National Association of Securities Dealers (NASD), the U.S. regulator of the Nasdaq and securities market, told its members to treat instant messages the same way they treat e-mail in response to the growing use of the technology in large companies--particularly in financial houses. http://zdnet.com.com/2100-1104_2-1018960.html http://news.zdnet.co.uk/story/0,,t269-s2136273,00.html - - - - - - - - - - Military to create units against hacking, terrorism The Defense Security Command announced yesterday that it will launch a special intelligence-protecting office to cope with the rising threat posed by North Korean computer hackers. Speaking at a press conference, Maj. Gen. Song Young-keun, the DSC commander, also said it will establish a counter-terrorism department to effectively deal with global terrorism threats. The DSC unveiled these and another 30 measures to renovate the military's top intelligence investigative agency. http://www.asiamedia.ucla.edu/Weekly2003/06.17.2003/Korea7.htm - - - - - - - - - - Probe finds 'significant misuse' Internet at IRS Internal Revenue Service employees using thousands of computers accessed prohibited Web sites that included personal e-mail, sexually explicit sites and games. To Treasury investigators, it was a sign that "significant misuse" of the Internet continues after a crackdown a year ago. "Employee abuse of the Internet is still widespread," the investigators reported. http://www.cnn.com/2003/TECH/internet/06/19/irs.internet.abuse.ap/index.html - - - - - - - - - - Oversight bringing TIA into check The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency did a poor job of planning for the privacy and civil liberties concerns that the Terrorism Information Awareness program created, but the program is now on the right path, a Defense Department official said today. Michael Wynne, the acting undersecretary of Defense for acquisition, logistics and technology, said that DARPA personnel are visionaries who must look beyond current weapons and technologies, but "in this particular case, the vision exceeded their grasp." http://www.fcw.com/fcw/articles/2003/0616/web-tia-06-19-03.asp - - - - - - - - - - VeriSign tracks buyers to fight e-fraud In a bid to beat Internet fraud, VeriSign is introducing a service for merchants that will compare credit card numbers, the names of cardholders and the Net address of buyers to spot scams. The Internet services company announced on Wednesday a new Fraud Protection Service that ties geographical information from its domain registry database--which is managed by VeriSign's Network Solutions--to timing data from its credit card clearinghouse service. The technology, which the company has tested during the last 18 months on its own business, will identify transactions that have an unacceptable probability of being fraudulent. http://zdnet.com.com/2100-1104_2-1018711.html Bill challenges ICANN, VeriSign http://news.com.com/2100-1028_3-1019438.html - - - - - - - - - - U.K. fears camera phones use by pedophiles Cellphones banned at swimming pools, gyms. Advances in cellphone technology have spurred an insidious new threat the use of the increasingly popular camera phones by pedophiles to photograph children. Across Britain, swimming pools and sports facilities have cracked down on their use while the YMCA in the Australian state of Victoria has also imposed a ban. Officials have yet to raise a clamor in the United States, where the devices have only recently become widely available. http://www.msnbc.com/news/928232.asp - - - - - - - - - - Most firms guilty of 'lax' software policy Careless tracking of software use means companies are not only paying for unused applications, but are opening themselves up to a piracy charge if licences have expired, according to a study. An international PC management survey shows that most companies have not implemented a software compliance policy, which means they could unknowingly be using unlicensed software and face prosecution. http://news.zdnet.co.uk/story/0,,t269-s2136284,00.html - - - - - - - - - - Committing information technology crimes in the banking system of Ukraine The banking system connected with accumulating, allocating and using state and private funds is the most attractive for particular criminals and organized criminal groups. This system features now many financial shady deals often made during various banking operations. The normal economy requires a reliable, stable and developed banking system that will carry out payments, give credits to their clients in a proper time, make transactions on securities and so on. The destabilized financial position of the bank can result in ruining its clients. http://www.crime-research.org/eng/library/Polivan0603eng.html - - - - - - - - - - Geek challenge: A hack-proof network It's a task that would challenge even the sharpest of computer geeks: set up a hacker-proof computer network for 190,000 government workers across the country fighting terrorism. That's the challenge facing computer experts building a new system for the Homeland Security Department while keeping the existing network operational and secure. http://www.cnn.com/2003/TECH/internet/06/19/homeland.security.ap/index.html http://www.siliconvalley.com/mld/siliconvalley/news/editorial/6121906.htm http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/techinnovations/2003-06-19-homeland-security-network_x.htm Official outlines intergovernmental efforts to bolster security http://www.govexec.com/dailyfed/0603/061903td1.htm - - - - - - - - - - International tech tests assess interoperability The annual Joint Warrior Interoperability Demonstration began this week, focusing on command, control, communications and computer systems in more than 45 tests of emerging technologies worldwide. The demonstrations, which began Monday and will last through June 26, include the testing of secure data exchange across several domains, such as Defense Department agencies and foreign parties such as Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom and NATO. http://www.gcn.com/vol1_no1/daily-updates/22507-1.html - - - - - - - - - - Orrin Hatch: Software Pirate? Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) suggested Tuesday that people who download copyright materials from the Internet should have their computers automatically destroyed. But Hatch himself is using unlicensed software on his official website, which presumably would qualify his computer to be smoked by the system he proposes. The senator's site makes extensive use of a JavaScript menu system developed by Milonic Solutions, a software company based in the United Kingdom. The copyright-protected code has not been licensed for use on Hatch's website. http://www.wired.com/news/politics/0,1283,59305,00.html http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/6/31324.html - - - - - - - - - - Sony puts the finger on passwords Sony has released a fingerprint recognition system aimed at consumers and small businesses which is designed to replace passwords. The FIU-600 Puppy fingerprint recognition device for Microsoft Windows or Mac OS X platforms is designed to provide high- access security to desktops and applications. http://www.vnunet.com/News/1141712 RSA gets into fingerprints http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/55/31310.html - - - - - - - - - - U.K. urged to hold back on open source A U.K. tech industry body has urged the U.K. government to show restraint in its use of open-source software, particularly software covered by the General Public License. Intellect, which is backed by Microsoft, IBM, Intel, BAE Systems and other high-tech heavyweights, said that the requirement of open-source licenses for software funded by the government could have a negative impact on competition for contracts, on the quality of the resulting software and even on the confidentiality of government departments. http://zdnet.com.com/2100-1104_2-1019064.html - - - - - - - - - - The Risks of Cyberterrorism The threat of cyberterrorism is causing much alarm these days. We have been told to expect attacks since 9/11; that cyberterrorists would try to cripple our power system, disable air traffic control and emergency services, open dams, or disrupt banking and communications. But so far, nothing's happened. Even during the war in Iraq, which was supposed to increase the risk dramatically, nothing happened. The impending cyberwar was a big dud. Don't congratulate our vigilant security, though; the alarm was caused by a misunderstanding of both the attackers and the attacks. http://www.crime-research.org/eng/news/2003/06/Mess1901.html - - - - - - - - - - You've got spam! Here's a new reply In the battle against spam, there's a new sheriff in town. It's called "challenge-response," an awkward name for an impressive regimen that can block almost every get-rich-quick, miracle-cure, buy-a-doctorate- degree, pornographic and other-kind-of-unwanted advertisement before it gets to your e-mail box. And it accomplishes this without using the type of filters that are the current anti-spam weapon of choice but often fallible. http://www.latimes.com/technology/la-hm-spam19jun19,1,5488920.column - - - - - - - - - - Best Firewalls for the Enterprise How important is a firewall's throughput? According to Check Point Technologies' Mark Kraynak, price performance -- the amount of throughput an enterprise gets versus the dollars it spends -- is more important than top-end throughput. The enterprise firewall market is a study in contradictions. Translation: The market is in such a state of flux that enterprises facing a buying decision have some tough choices to make and might be better off waiting until the smoke clears. But few enterprises have that luxury. http://www.newsfactor.com/perl/story/21758.html - - - - - - - - - - Government plays for time over ID cards The government is still refusing to disclose the result of its public consultation on the introduction of entitlement cards, even though the process closed over five months ago, it has emerged. Home Office minister Beverley Hughes said on Wednesday that the government believes that analysis of the responses to the consultation could take until the end of this parliamentary session, or even longer. http://news.zdnet.co.uk/story/0,,t269-s2136276,00.html - - - - - - - - - - FBI's threat center role criticized Lawmakers on June 18 criticized the direction of the Terrorist Threat Integration Center, questioning the FBI's role in what is intended to be an independent center. The center, which started in March, brought together analysts from several agencies including the FBI, the CIA and the Homeland Security Department. The center reports to the CIA director and is housed temporarily in CIA headquarters. "I thought TTIC was going to be set up to be a totally independent and coordinated effort," Rep. Frank Wolf (R-Va.) told FBI director Robert Mueller at a hearing of a House Appropriations subcommittee. "This is a CIA operation and not an FBI operation," continued Wolf, the chairman of the Subcommittee on the Departments of Commerce, Justice, State, and the Judiciary. "You are not an equal partner." http://www.fcw.com/fcw/articles/2003/0616/web-ttic-06-19-03.asp http://www.govexec.com/dailyfed/0603/061903h1.htm - - - - - - - - - - Police force making network mesh The Medford, Ore., police force has opted to replace its wireless communications network with a new system based on technology originally developed for the U.S. military. Funded in large part through grants from the Homeland Security Department, the $500,000 system is based on "mesh" networking technology that essentially uses every available client device -- computer, personal digital assistant, cell phone, etc. -- as a router and repeater, greatly extending the network's flexibility and range. http://www.fcw.com/geb/articles/2003/0616/web-oregon-06-19-03.asp - - - - - - - - - - San Francisco turns to computers to curb rise in syphilis Aiming to stem an alarming rise in syphilis, San Francisco health officials are turning to the place where they say many infected residents meet their sexual partners: the Internet. The Department of Public health launched a Web site this week where people who think they may have contracted syphilis can order confidential tests by printing out laboratory slips containing personal identification numbers instead of their names. http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/2003-06-19-sf-syphilis-net_x.htm *********************************************************** Computer Forensics Training - Online. An intense, 150 hour, instructor lead program that teaches you computer forensics and helps prepare you for the Certified Computer Examiner exam. For more information see; www.cybercrime.kennesaw.edu *********************************************************** 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. 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