NewsBits for June 27, 2003 sponsored by, Southeast Cybercrime Institute - www.cybercrime.kennesaw.edu ************************************************************ Four Convicted in $100 Million Fraud Four associates of a brokerage house were convicted Friday of cheating investors of more than $100 million in a fraud exposed after the World Trade Center attacks. A federal jury found Polina Sirotina, Mamed Mekhtiev, Albert Guglielmo and Philip Levenson guilty of conspiracy, money laundering and mail fraud. Each faces up to 30 years in prisonat sentencing Sept. 26. http://channels.netscape.com/ns/news/story.jsp?floc=NW_1-T&oldflok=FF-APO-1110&idq=/ff/story/0001%2F20030627%2F145383869.htm=1110 - - - - - - - - - - Reporter accesses student info through district's open wireless network School administrators in the heart of Silicon Valley learned a recent lesson about the insecurity of wireless Internet networks. Armed only with a laptop and a wireless connection card, a reporter for the Palo Alto Weekly succeeded last week in accessing the Palo Alto Unified School District's insecure Wi-Fi network. Rachel Metz, the newspaper's education reporter, obtained some students' grades, phone numbers, addresses, medical information, psychological evaluations and even photos of the kids. http://www.siliconvalley.com/mld/siliconvalley/news/editorial/6184495.htm - - - - - - - - - - Justice man gets 10 years A Justice man snared in a nationwide child pornography sting was sentenced Wednesday to more than 10 years in prison after admitting he made illicit videotapes with two boys he met through a child-mentoring job. Philip Kaszynski, of the 7300 block of Blackstone Ave., had pleaded guilty to one count of producing and distributing child pornography. Kaszynski, 37, was a caseworker with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Metropolitan Chicago until his arrest in March 2002 in a federal bust dubbed "Operation Candyman." The FBI shut down an Internet site that allowed members to swap sexually explicit pictures and movies of kids. http://www.dailysouthtown.com/southtown/yrtwn/seast/268seyt1.htm - - - - - - - - - - Former Kent teacher gets prison term for child porn A former Kent School District special education teacher was sentenced in U.S. District Court in Tacoma to a 30-month prison term for possessing an image of child pornography. Dale Shearon, 55, is now in prison at Lompoc Federal Correctional Institution in Lompoc, Calif. Shearon, who lived in Sumner, posted images depicting ``numerous pre-pubescent girls in lascivious poses,'' according to the Western Washington district of the United States Attorney's Office. Posting such images is a violation of federal law. http://www.kingcountyjournal.com/sited/story/html/135739 - - - - - - - - - - Father sent to jail over child porn A DIVORCED Whitley father has been jailed for a year after being caught with images of adults having sex with children downloaded onto his computer. Paul Slinger, of Brixham Road, had saved 200 pornographic pictures from the internet but was traced when American police officers launched an inquiry into the US website he got them from. The site was found to have had links to a number of child pornography sites and Slinger used his credit card to subscribe to it. The 44-year-old father-of-one's details were passed to Scotland Yard and police seized his computer and found the images stored on the hard drive. Prosecutor Danny Robinson told the Old Bailey: "There were approximately 200 pornographic images of children on the hard drive of the computer. http://icberkshire.icnetwork.co.uk/0100news/0300reading/content_objectid=13113194_method=full_siteid=50102_headline=-Father-sent-to-jail-over-child-porn-name_page.html - - - - - - - - - - 38-Year-Old Accused Of Impregnating Girl Ray Edward Mota is accused of having sex with a 14-year- old girl he met in an Internet chat room. Detectives say Mota was having sexual intercourse with the girl on and off for more than a year. Her father reported him after learning that his daughter, now 15, is pregnant. Police seized Mota's computer and allegedly found pornographic material involving young girls. They also found names, phone numbers, addresses and e-mail addresses of several girls in at least four states. They are talking with another possible victim, a Vancouver, Wash., girl whose name was found among Mota's possessions. http://www.koin.com/webnews/20032/20030626_rape.shtml - - - - - - - - - - FBI says man sought sex with boy, 15 The flash of an FBI badge, three quick words and Thomas J. Burske's life took an immediate turn for the worse, maybe forever. The 15-year-old boy the Cincinnati-area man came to Bolivar to have sex with turned out to be an FBI agent. But unlike many recent cases where an undercover officer poses as a child, the suspect originally communicated with a boy. Thomas J. Burske, 49, deputy auditor of Sharonsville, a small city just northeast of Cincinnati in Hamilton County, drove to Bolivar on Thursday morning to have sex with a 15-year old boy. He got out of his car at about 9:30 a.m. and started across the parking lot of the McDonald's restaurant, anticipating meeting the boy he had met on the Internet. FBI Special Agent Jim Herman intercepted Burske, flashed his badge and said, "You're under arrest." Burske's face reddened, Herman said, but he showed no other emotion at the time. http://www.cantonrep.com/index.php?Category=15&ID=107517&r=0 - - - - - - - - - - LSU worker a fugitive in child porn An LSU public relations employee is wanted on allegations of handling pornography involving children, being a fugitive from justice and indecent behavior with a juvenile, authorities in East Baton Rouge and Livingston parishes said Thursday. Ron Brown "is a fugitive" and is now in contempt of an arrest warrant signed Thursday, LSU Police Capt. Ricky Adams said. An LSU spokesman said Thursday that the university is "moving quickly to terminate his (Brown's) employment." Brown, 58, left his Denham Springs home early Tuesday -- the same day authorities searched the home and seized two personal computers and electronic media, an arrest warrant said. Before the search at the Browns' home, investigators seized Ron Brown's office computer and Zip disks. A detailed forensic examination uncovered two deleted images of pre-pubescent girls from the hard drive and more image and video files that were encrypted to restrict access, the warrant said. http://www.2theadvocate.com/stories/062703/new_childp001.shtml - - - - - - - - - - Community College Administrator Faces Child Porn Charges A former administrator at Westmoreland County Community College is charged with possessing child pornography. Thomas Tobin, 31, who works at WCCC's Youngwood campus, was charged earlier this week. State police say Tobin, of Munhall, Allegheny County, tried to transfer video files using the school's computer network. Network administrators reported the files after noticing they had names such as "preteen" and "good daughter," police said. http://www.thepittsburghchannel.com/news/2296212/detail.html - - - - - - - - - - Man indicted on 5 charges involving child pornography A 39-year-old former Sagamore Hills man was indicted Wednesday on five charges ranging from child pornography to drug possession. Gary A. Kedzierski is charged with sending child pornography over the Internet; transporting child pornography interstate in his laptop computer; possessing child pornography; traveling from Ohio to Brazil for the purpose of having sex with a minor; and possession of 0.83 grams of methamphetamine, according to the office of Gregory A. White, U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Ohio. The travel offense allegedly occurred in May 2002; the pornography and drug incidents allegedly occurred in March and April. Kedzierski, a flight attendant, was arrested April 6 by FBI agents when he arrived at Cleveland Hopkins International Airport from Texas. He is accused of transporting pornography between Texas, Michigan and Ohio. http://www.ohio.com/mld/beaconjournal/news/local/6173221.htm - - - - - - - - - - Teen Accused In Mailbox Bombings Faces Child Porn Charges A teenager accused of bombing mailboxes and cars in Boca Raton is now also charged with possessing child pornography. Yona Rabinowitz, 17, is charged with five counts of possession of a sexual performance by a child. He surrendered at the Palm Beach County jail Wednesday and was released after posting $3,000 bond. Detectives first went to Rabinowitz's home in January to investigate the mailbox bombings. While his mother was talking to detectives, Rabinowitz went to his bedroom and deleted computer files. Court records said those files included explicit photos of children between 4 and 12 years old. The teen later gave detectives permission to search his computer. Detectives said they found the deleted child- pornography files in the "recycling bin" of the teen's computer. http://www.thewpbfchannel.com/news/2296274/detail.html - - - - - - - - - - Keene P.D. Fights Child Porn Worldwide A small city police force in New Hampshire is playing a big role in battling child pornography all over the world. The Keene Police Department's child pornography unit -- and one high-profile detective in particular -- have been very busy lately. WNNE NewsChannel 31 reporter Elisa Burnell said Keene has helped catch people from all over the country, and in other parts of the world, who use the computer to meet kids for sex. Burnell said that with two child porn stings in Keene grabbing headlines -- and leading to charges -- last week, Detective James McLaughlin has been busy. http://www.thechamplainchannel.com/wnne/2296851/detail.html - - - - - - - - - - Xbox hackers attempt to blackmail Microsoft A group says it can run Linux on Microsoft's Xbox, and will make this technique public if Microsoft refuses to consider an official Linux boot loader. A group of Xbox-security researchers say they have found a way to run Linux on the Xbox games console without a mod chip and will go public with the technique if Microsoft won't talk to them about releasing an official Linux boot loader. http://news.zdnet.co.uk/story/0,,t271-s2136730,00.html - - - - - - - - - - Sobig.e virus spreads fast The Sobig virus' latest mutation has infected scores of PCs in the UK and US. The latest variant of the Sobig virus continued to spread on Thursday, underscoring how mass-mailing computer viruses can still be a nuisance. http://news.zdnet.co.uk/story/0,,t269-s2136675,00.html http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/computersecurity/2003-06-27-sobig-stumbler_x.htm Latest 'Sobig' e-mail virus rated medium risk http://www.siliconvalley.com/mld/siliconvalley/news/editorial/6184348.htm - - - - - - - - - - Bill to Force Data Theft Notices Senator Dianne Feinstein introduced a bill that forces companies to notify customers whenever crackers get access to sensitive information, such as social security numbers or credit cards. Under the bill, the Notification of Risk to Personal Data Act, organizations that fail to promptly notify individuals of an intrusion could face a $5,000 fine from the Federal Trade Commission and up to $25,000 in fines per day that the organization delays notification to individuals. http://www.wired.com/news/politics/0,1283,59419,00.html http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/techpolicy/2003-06-27-hack-notify-federal_x.htm - - - - - - - - - - Libraries Ponder Filtering Decision This week's Supreme Court ruling on Internet filters in public libraries raises big questions for officials across the country. Should they comply with the Children's Internet Protection Act (CIPA)? If so, how? And if not, just what impact will defiance have on public library and school budgets, given that compliance is required for several federal funding programs? http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A39883-2003Jun27.html - - - - - - - - - - Labels May Face Risk in Piracy Suits As the record industry prepares to haul thousands of alleged music pirates into court, its biggest risk may be suing the wrong people and losing the support of leading members of Congress in the process. Labels and artists are widely viewed on Capitol Hill as victims of rampant piracy by millions of users of file-sharing networks. And anonymous file sharers are easy to demonize. http://www.latimes.com/technology/la-fi-music27jun27222422,1,5959080.story - - - - - - - - - - Cybersecurity chief sees 'business approach' at DHS The atmosphere in the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is one of chaotic energy, akin to that of a dot-com, but the new agency will need a more businesslike approach to successfully fight terrorism, according to Robert Liscouski, assistant secretary of homeland security. http://computerworld.com/securitytopics/security/story/0,10801,82573,00.html - - - - - - - - - - eBay beefs up antifraud policies eBay plans to expand its new buyer-protection program and take a number of other measures to combat fraud on its site, which has become a popular target for online scam artists. Starting this fall, the online auction giant will allow PayPal sellers in good standing to offer purchasers a $500 buyer-protection plan, covering items never delivered as well as merchandise that doesn't fit the seller's description, eBay said Friday. The new plan, available to sellers in the United States and Canada, will cover about half of all listings on its site and requires no deductible, the company said. http://news.com.com/2100-1018_3-1021864.html http://www.msnbc.com/news/932145.asp http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/67/31470.html - - - - - - - - - - High-tech crime follows Moore's Law Cyber-assaults doubling each year, says High-Tech Crime Unit. The danger of high-tech crime is growing exponentially, with the number of hack attacks against UK businesses mirroring Moore's Law, the National High- Tech Crime Unit (NHTCU) has warned. http://www.vnunet.com/News/1141886 - - - - - - - - - - Employers get tough on Internet misuse Almost half of employers would fire staff for misuse of email and Internet during working hours, according to a survey. Sending inappropriate emails and using the Internet during working hours is likely to result in dismissal or suspension of offending staff in almost of half the cases, according to a survey carried out on behalf of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD), a professional body for the Human Resources industry. http://news.zdnet.co.uk/story/0,,t269-s2136669,00.html - - - - - - - - - - Secret Lives By outward appearances, Christina Long didn't seem like a troubled teen. She was a cheerleader, an altar girl and a 6th-grade honor student at St. Peter's Catholic School in Danbury, Conn. But Christina's life came to end last May, when the 13-year-old was killed by a man she had met online. Her story may have been one of the first Internet-related deaths of a child, but it is not an isolated case, reports Correspondent Vicki Mabrey in a broadcast that first aired last fall. Even FBI and police stings haven't stopped the huge increase in children who are targeted online for sex. The reason may lie in the very nature of the Internet itself. Investigators say it's fueling a new class of sexual deviant that defies a conventional profile. And as Christina Long's case illustrates, it's not only the predators who are leading secret lives on the Web. http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2002/09/23/60II/main523017.shtml - - - - - - - - - - Microsoft the anti-virus company: Could it really happen? "A lot of consumers are going to have real concerns about the company which is creating all the holes becoming the company which is patching and protecting all the holes..." The security industry has spoken out on Microsoft's advances into the anti-virus market, suggesting, almost with one voice, that the software giant may manage to make in-roads into the desktop market, but should give up now on any hopes it may harbour of becoming a dominant player in the enterprise market. http://www.silicon.com/news/500013-500001/1/4890.html - - - - - - - - - - Hacker How-To Good Summer Reading Each chapter details not only the methods used to hack and counterattack, but also explains the thought processes hackers use to carry out assaults on computer systems and people. http://www.wired.com/news/culture/0,1284,59340,00.html - - - - - - - - - - Must do Better - EC data protection report The European Commission has recently published its first report on the implementation of the Data Protection Directive (EC/95/46) by Member states, writes John MacGowan of Bloor Research. Unsurprisingly, the Commission concludes that the Directive does not require any modification or updating - it was how it was interpreted [by the individual Member states] that created difficulties! http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/6/31459.html - - - - - - - - - - I am not the Spammer you think I am A UK man named by Microsoft as a prolific spammer in a recent law suit is protesting his innocence. Simon Grainger, 43, a telecoms engineer from Merseyside, is one of 15 people targeted by Microsoft for their alleged spamming activities. Grainger says he is the victim of mistaken identity. He says that he has been singled out by the software giant because a domain name he bought last year was used for bulk mail purposes by its previous owner. "When I activated it, it was suddenly inundated with spam - and I took it offline," he told the BBC. http://www.securityfocus.com/news/6181 - - - - - - - - - - Best Filter for Internet Porn Is the Parents Like many of my colleagues who are attending the American Library Assn.'s annual conference in Toronto this week, I am appalled by the Supreme Court's decision in U.S. vs. the American Library Assn. While decisions to select library resources are based on criteria developed by the library staff, Internet filters block sites with certain words in their content. More important to librarians, software manufacturers do not provide their criteria to the public. http://www.latimes.com/technology/la-le-kamm27jun27,1,381696.story *********************************************************** 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. 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