NewsBits for August 22, 2003 sponsored by, Southeast Cybercrime Institute - www.cybercrime.kennesaw.edu ************************************************************ Antivirus experts warn of new Internet threat The fast-spreading computer virus already blamed for slowing or shutting down e-mail systems worldwide was programmed to coordinate a new type of attack, antivirus experts said today. Instructions written into the ``Sobig'' virus, which began appearing Tuesday, call for infected Windows machines to try to download a program of unknown function as early as 3 p.m. (Noon, PST) today. http://www.bayarea.com/mld/mercurynews/6594994.htm http://www.siliconvalley.com/mld/siliconvalley/news/editorial/6594985.htm http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/3173255.stm http://www.vnunet.com/News/1143169 http://www.gcn.com/vol1_no1/daily-updates/23257-1.html http://www.cnn.com/2003/TECH/internet/08/21/sobig.virus/index.html http://www.wired.com/news/infostructure/0,1377,60150,00.html http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/56/32475.html Officials look to unearth Internet worm writers They write menacing software with names like Blaster, Welchia and Sobig that worm around the Internet leaving destruction in their path, and yesterday detectives and computer security firms were hot on their trail. Computer virus writers have unleashed an unprecedented outbreak of computer worms this past week and while finding them will not be easy, experts generally believe they are ego-filled computing geeks out to impress others. http://www.itweb.co.za/sections/internet/2003/0308220854.asp http://money.cnn.com/2003/08/22/technology/worms_hunt.reut/index.htm http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A32161-2003Aug22.html http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/cms.dll/html/uncomp/articleshow?msid=142221 Who's minding the Net? http://zdnet.com.com/2100-1107_2-5067200.html Cybercrime team aims to protect computers Jim Ellis blocked more than 1,000 viruses from infecting computers at the Walnut Creek law offices of Morgan Miller & Blair during a 36-hour period that ended Thursday. "Since I was 10 years old it has been a constant battle between good and evil," the senior systems engineer said. The Walnut Creek Chamber of Commerce wants to develop more cyber- warriors like Ellis. http://www.bayarea.com/mld/cctimes/news/6592003.htm SoBig To Launch Mystery Attack http://www.newsfactor.com/perl/story/22146.html Internet quiet as Sobig attack deadline passes http://computerworld.com/securitytopics/security/story/0,10801,84293,00.html Progress made toward shutting down SoBig servers http://www.gcn.com/vol1_no1/daily-updates/23281-1.html http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/computersecurity/2003-08-22-sobig-attack-thwarted_x.htm Security experts race to beat Sobig http://news.com.com/2100-1002_3-5067078.html http://www.msnbc.com/news/955498.asp http://www.msnbc.com/news/955764.asp http://www.cnn.com/2003/TECH/internet/08/22/sobig.virus/index.html Viruses keep IT workers bustling Writers design quicker, smarter computer worms http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2003/08/21/BU157986.DTL http://www.newsfactor.com/perl/story/22142.html Worms double the trouble (series of stories) http://news.com.com/2009-1002_3-5066900.html Sobig update: Organised criminals marry spam and viruses http://www.silicon.com/news/500013/1/5719.html http://news.zdnet.co.uk/0,39020330,39115886,00.htm http://www.cnn.com/2003/TECH/internet/08/22/sobig.culprit/index.html Infected PCs Await Orders From Hacker http://www.latimes.com/technology/la-fi-virus22aug22000424,1,1563561.story Survey: Worm infects 30 pct of China e-mail users http://www.cnn.com/2003/TECH/internet/08/22/china.worm.reut/index.html 'New York Times' has computer problems at headquarters http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/computersecurity/2003-08-22-nyt-offline_x.htm - - - - - - - - - - Former U.S. Marine to Face Abduction Charges A former U.S. Marine was extradited from Germany to Britain to face charges of child abduction and inciting a child to an act of gross indecency in a case involving a 12-year-old girl he met on the Internet. Toby Studabaker, 31, was arrested in Frankfurt on July 16, four days after he and the girl flew from Britain to France. Studabaker, of Constantine, Mich., did not contest his extradition. He said that he did not have sex with the girl and that he thought she was 18. She told her parents that she was not being kept against her will. (LA Times article, free registration required) http://www.latimes.com/technology/la-fg-briefs22.4aug22,1,7833224.story http://www.gulf-daily-news.com/Articles.asp?Article=59801&Sn=WORL - - - - - - - - - - Retired judge charged with possessing child porn A retired New Jersey State judge was charged Thursday with possessing child pornography and transporting the images across state and country lines. Stephen Thompson, 57, a 14-year veteran of the New Jersey State Superior Court, was charged during an initial court appearance in federal court. He had already been charged in state court with possessing child pornography. Investigators said Thompson, who has handled a number of Megan's Law cases in his role as a judge, traveled to Russia and had sex with a teenage boy. Megan's Law requires certain sexual offenders to register with law enforcement authorities and provides for community notification in some cases. In cooperation with state and county authorities, the case has been taken over by U.S. Attorney Christopher Christie. Thompson is charged with two federal counts of child pornography. Count one of the complaint charges Thompson with possession of child pornography on his computer. http://www.cnn.com/2003/LAW/08/21/judge.child.porn/index.html - - - - - - - - - - 2 plead not guilty in Internet sex case Two men accused of using the Internet to arrange sex with minors pleaded not guilty to federal charges in separate cases. Michael Adrian Lee, 19, of Billings, and Trevor Jason Bjerke, 25, of Bozeman, were arrested when they showed up at rendezvous sites thinking they were meeting a girl, who in fact was an FBI undercover agent working on a task force on crimes against children. Lee, who had been charged earlier by complaint, pleaded not guilty to one count of coercion and enticement and to a forfeiture count. If convicted, he faces a minimum mandatory five years up to 30 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Under the forfeiture count, Lee could forfeit to the government property used to commit the crime, including computer equipment and a cellular phone. http://www.billingsgazette.com/index.php?id=1&display=rednews/2003/08/19/build/local/62-internet.inc - - - - - - - - - - Man, 19, Charged in Net Child-Sex Sting A man who thought he had been corresponding over the Internet with a 13-year-old girl was arrested Wednesday at an Eagle Lake park, where he thought he was going to meet the girl for sexual relations, Eagle Lake police said. Frank Hinchman, 19, of Zephyrhills, faces 21 charges, including soliciting a child for a sex act, attempted lewd molestation on a child and possession of child pornography. According to Hinchman's arrest report, an undercover police officer posed as a 13- year-old and talked with Hinchman over the Internet for two weeks. The report said Hinchman requested to meet the 13-year-old female for sex acts in Eagle Lake and sent child pornography to the undercover officer. http://www.theledger.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20030822/NEWS/308220397/1004 - - - - - - - - - - 'Net Security Expert Busted In Teen Sex Sting An analyst at a government-affiliated facility in Pittsburgh allegedly tried to have sex with a 15-year- old girl after sending explicit e-mails. Ian Finlay, 26, of Pittsburgh's Friendship area, was arrested Friday at a McDonald's restaurant on Route 30 in Hempfield. He was allegedly planning to meet the teen there, but it turned out that she does not exist. State police said an undercover officer posed as the girl and met Finlay in an online chat room in July. They kept in touch via e-mail, and Finlay eventually arranged a face-to-face meeting so they could have sex, according to police. http://www.thepittsburghchannel.com/technology/2426808/detail.html - - - - - - - - - - Watertown teacher charged in Internet sex sting A Watertown High School teacher faces several charges after being caught in an Internet sting operation. His arrest is sending shockwaves through the community David Simonin was busted in an Internet porn sting. Police say the Watertown High School math teacher was sending sexually explicit messages on line to a 14 year old boy. When the 53-year-old went to meet the boy in New York City, he ended up meeting an undercover cop and was arrested. http://www.wtnh.com/Global/story.asp?S=1412803&nav=3YeXHbUc - - - - - - - - - - Asst. Principal Arrested on Child Pornography Charges An assistant principal is arrested in Mississippi County on computer child pornography charges. Police say 52-year-old Roger Dale Brooks tried to solicit what he thought was a child over the Internet, but it was actually a North Little Rock police officer. http://www.katv.com/news/stories/0803/99584.html - - - - - - - - - - Intrigue in a tiny Texas town San Jacinto County District Attorney Mark Price today will try to prove several elected officials were involved in an intricate conspiracy to plant child pornography on the laptop computer of County Judge William Law to drive him from office and seize power. The story unfolding in a district courtroom north of Houston has all the intrigue of a spy novel that has left the tiny county seat of Coldspring both shaken and stirred. http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/printstory.hts/metropolitan/2056935 - - - - - - - - - - Man Pleads Guilty to Web Music Bootlegging The purported leader of a cadre of Internet music bootleggers pleaded guilty Thursday to violating copyright laws, marking the first federal criminal prosecution of someone who specialized in online music piracy. Mark Shumaker, 21, of Orlando, Fla., faces a maximum of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine for distributing copyrighted music and software. He is scheduled to be sentenced Nov. 7 in the Eastern District of Virginia. (LA Times article, free registration required) http://www.latimes.com/technology/la-fi-pirate22aug22220422,1,4168919.story http://news.zdnet.co.uk/business/legal/0,39020651,39115878,00.htm - - - - - - - - - - RIAA Target Appeals for Anonymity Lawyers representing a woman calling herself "Jane Doe" filed a motion that ultimately seeks to retain her anonymity in an ongoing legal battle over Internet privacy being waged between communications providers and the music industry. Lawyers said they filed the motion -- the first of its kind -- in federal court on behalf of a Verizon (VZ) customer who was asserting her privacy and other constitutional rights. They said the woman was accused of offering songs for free downloading through an Internet file-sharing network. http://www.wired.com/news/business/0,1367,60149,00.html http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/techpolicy/2003-08-21-jane-doe_x.htm - - - - - - - - - - Texas law to block misleading spam takes effect Sept. 1 A Texas state law designed to regulate and limit unwanted e-mail takes effect Sept. 1, but experts say the law will be hard to enforce and won't do much to slow the spread of spam. Under the new law, it will be illegal in Texas to send unsolicited e-mail that uses misleading subject lines or offers unlabeled obscene material. The law also requires mass e-mailers to remove names from their lists within three days of being notified. http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/techpolicy/2003-08-22-texas-spam_x.htm - - - - - - - - - - Hi-tech crime a 'significant' threat, warn police The potential for losses through hi-tech crime to grow is rising as criminals become more technically competent, according to an annual assessment of serious and organised crime in the UK. The warning comes in a UK Threat Assessment report by the National Criminal Intelligence Service (NCIS), published today, which takes stock of the risk to the UK from serious and organised crime and identifies key trends in criminal behaviour. This annual assessment is a classified document but for the fourth year, NCIS is also publishing an unclassified version which is designed to educate the public about the risks from criminal behaviour. http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/55/32460.html Cyberterrorism: A Real National Safety Threat http://www.crime-research.org/eng/news/2003/08/Mess2202.html - - - - - - - - - - Midwest banks using computers to share information on crimes Computers have provided criminals with new tools to rip off banks. Now, banks are using computers to try to catch the criminals. Banks throughout the Midwest can join FinCrime, a computer database that allows financial institutions and law enforcement to share information about crimes and provide warnings. http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/computersecurity/2003-08-22-midwest-bank-db_x.htm Internet Fraud and Internet Banking http://www.crime-research.org/eng/news/2003/08/Mess2104.html - - - - - - - - - - Boeing anti-spam subsidiary takes off A Boeing spin-off will sell internally developed spam- blocking technology. Aerospace giant Boeing officially launched an anti-spam spinoff late on Wednesday. Dubbed MessageGate, the new company will offer a commercialised version of the software Boeing uses internally to fight unsolicited email. http://news.zdnet.co.uk/internet/security/0,39020375,39115883,00.htm - - - - - - - - - - Hacking the hacker: How a consultant shut down a malicious user on a client's FTP server. Ethical hacking is one of the most intriguing and exciting elements of our work at CQUR IT. In most engagements, our efforts involve attempting to penetrate a client's network, documenting the results of our efforts, and recommending optimal strategies for mitigating the risks we have identified. A recent engagement for a software development firm took an interesting twist at the onset of the project, as we quickly discovered the client's FTP server had already been hacked and was being used for illegal purposes. I'll describe the techniques we used to meet the client's requirements and explain how our efforts turned from hacking their network to hacking the hacker. http://techrepublic.com.com/5100-6329-5055990.html - - - - - - - - - - Write a Story, Go to Jail Brian Robertson was just months away from graduation at Moore High School in Moore, Oklahoma, last year when he found the beginnings of what he thought was a short story on a school computer. He copied the file to another computer, added some paragraphs to the initial text and then promptly got arrested. Robertson, who was 18 when he wrote the story, was charged with a felony count of planning to cause serious bodily harm or death. The story he wrote, titled "Evacuation Orders," described preparations for an armed invasion of his school that included directions to unnamed fellow commandos to kill the senior class principal and then plant plastic explosives around the campus. http://www.wired.com/news/conflict/0,2100,60144,00.html - - - - - - - - - - Woman burned by exploding cellphone A mobile phone has exploded in a woman's face while she was out shopping. The blast caused burns to her face and neck. The freak incident happened in Amsterdam earlier this week. According to local reports, the phone switched itself off when the 33-year-old women dropped the phone. When she switched it back on again, the phone exploded. http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/68/32462.html *********************************************************** Computer Forensics Training - Online. 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