NewsBits for September 3, 2003 sponsored by, Southeast Cybercrime Institute - www.cybercrime.kennesaw.edu ************************************************************ Second suspect arrested for reproducing crippling Internet worm Police in Romania on Wednesday arrested a 24-year-old former student in connection a computer-crippling Internet worm, according to a computer security company that aided police. The company, Bucharest- based BitDefender, identified the student as Dan Dumitru Ciobanu, a 24-year-old graduate of the Technical University of Iasi, a city in northeastern Romania. http://www.securityfocus.com/news/6872 http://zdnet.com.com/2100-1104_2-5071030.html http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A21387-2003Sep3.html http://www.msnbc.com/news/961059.asp http://www.wired.com/news/technology/0,1282,60280,00.html http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/computersecurity/2003-09-03-romanian-worm-teaker_x.htm Parents Back Teen in Internet Virus Case The parents of a high school senior charged with distributing a version of the Internet worm that crippled computer networks worldwide said their son was a "good kid" who had never been in trouble with the law. http://www.latimes.com/technology/la-fi-blaster3sep03,1,4065557.story Blaster boy cries foul over arrest http://www.vnunet.com/News/1143358 Feds sexed up case - Blaster suspect http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/56/32635.html Teen Charged for Creating Variation of Internet Virus http://www.newsfactor.com/perl/story/22214.html Worm suspect says case against him exaggerated http://www.msnbc.com/news/960926.asp http://www.cnn.com/2003/TECH/internet/09/03/blaster.suspect.ap/index.html http://www.vnunet.com/News/1143358 http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/computersecurity/2003-09-02-parson-parents_x.htm Virus writers: "Hanging is too good for them" http://www.silicon.com/news/500013/1/5852.html Blaster and SoBig change the landscape http://www.vnunet.com/News/1143355 - - - - - - - - - - 1 Arrested in Online 'Moustrapping' Case Federal agents Wednesday arrested a Hollywood, Fla., man who authorities say runs Web sites that use misspelled addresses to direct children looking for Disneyland or the Teletubbies to graphic sex instead. Officials said it was the first prosecution in the nation under a provision of the new Amber Alert legislation that makes it a crime to use a misleading Web address to entice children to pornography. http://www.siliconvalley.com/mld/siliconvalley/news/editorial/6683165.htm http://news.com.com/2100-1025_3-5071133.html http://www.msnbc.com/news/960941.asp http://www.cnn.com/2003/TECH/internet/09/03/trick.names/index.html http://www.wired.com/news/politics/0,1283,60279,00.html http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/techpolicy/2003-09-03-online-porn-trapper_x.htm - - - - - - - - - - Two arrested in PS80m money laundering probe Customs and Excise officers investigating a suspected PS80m VAT money laundering scam arrested two people in Chelmsford yesterday. The money is believed to have been channelled through the bank accounts of two Chelmsford-based companies and suspected to be the proceeds of a VAT missing trader fraud involving the sale of mobile phones and computer chips. http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/51/32640.html - - - - - - - - - - Reed Slatkin Gets 14 Years for Scam A judge sentenced investment manager Reed Slatkin to 14 years in federal prison for running a nearly $600 million Ponzi scheme that bilked hundreds of investors. Slatkin, who was a co-founder of Internet service provider EarthLink Inc., also was ordered to pay victims $240 million in restitution, the amount for which he admitted personal responsibility. http://www.siliconvalley.com/mld/siliconvalley/news/editorial/6676191.htm - - - - - - - - - - Teen's Felony Case Thrown Out The case of an Oklahoma teen who was charged with a felony for writing a violent short story about attacking his school has been dismissed by a judge who ruled that prosecutors failed to prove the teen actually intended to commit the act. Citing a lack of evidence showing malicious intent, Judge William Hetherington issued his ruling Friday afternoon, bringing to close a case that has sparked controversy over its free speech implications. http://www.wired.com/news/conflict/0,2100,60267,00.html - - - - - - - - - - Government warns nuclear plant operators about computer threat Government regulators are warning nuclear plant operators about computer failures caused by Internet infections, disclosing disruptions of two important internal systems in January at a shutdown nuclear power plant in Ohio. http://www.siliconvalley.com/mld/siliconvalley/news/editorial/6682565.htm http://www.securityfocus.com/news/6868 http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A19848-2003Sep3.html http://www.cnn.com/2003/TECH/internet/09/03/nuclearplant.warning.ap/index.html http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/computersecurity/2003-09-03-nuclear-plants-threat_x.htm http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/56/32647.html - - - - - - - - - - Lawyers Probe Music File-Sharing Hunts Lawyers for a New York woman accused of unlawfully sharing music over the Internet suggested Tuesday the recording industry acted illegally when it investigated her online activities and that a search of music files on her computer may have been unconstitutional. The lawyers - Richard S. Ugelow, Glenn W. Peterson and Daniel N. Ballard - are asking a federal magistrate to delay at least until Sept. 10 ordering the woman's Internet provider to turn over her name and address to the Recording Industry Association of America, the trade group for the largest labels. http://www.siliconvalley.com/mld/siliconvalley/news/editorial/6675515.htm http://www.wired.com/news/digiwood/0,1412,60276,00.html Making the 'Illegal Legal' http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A18883-2003Sep3.html - - - - - - - - - - Court: ISP subpoenas a 'grave' matter In a decision that buttresses electronic privacy rights, a federal appeals court has ruled that attorneys violate the law when they try to subpoena e-mail messages to which they are not entitled. The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said last week that a lawyer was acting unreasonably when sending a subpoena to an Internet service provider, NetGate, that sought "all copies of e-mails sent or received by anyone" at a company called Integrated Capital Associates--the opposing party in the litigation. http://news.com.com/2100-1029_3-5070566.html Google sucked into RIAA/P2P fight http://www.vnunet.com/News/1143341 - - - - - - - - - - Racketeering suit filed against DirecTV Lawyers for three men whose online equipment purchases made them targets of DirecTV's anti-piracy campaign are hoping to turn the tables on the satellite company by suing under the mob-busting Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) federal organized crime statute. http://www.securityfocus.com/news/6865 - - - - - - - - - - FTC releasing detailed report on identity theft More than 27 million people have been victims of identity theft in the last five years, costing them $5 billion and businesses and financial institutions almost $48 billion, the Federal Trade Commission said Wednesday. The FTC released a survey showing that in the last year alone, 9.9 million people were victims of identity theft. http://www.siliconvalley.com/mld/siliconvalley/news/editorial/6682566.htm http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A18833-2003Sep3.html http://www.msnbc.com/news/960638.asp http://www.wired.com/news/business/0,1367,60272,00.html http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/2003-09-03-idtheft_x.htm MS, eBay, Amazon et al join ID theft busters http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/55/32628.html - - - - - - - - - - Recording cell phones ring privacy alert Cell phone makers have proven adept at cramming their devices with unlikely new features--and also at ignoring the social mayhem that can follow. Some lawmakers are working to limit cell phone use in cars, while others have voiced concerns about surreptitious photos taken with cell phone cameras and posted online. Meanwhile, privacy advocates have raised alarms about plans to incorporate so-called geotracking technology in mobile devices that can transmit the physical location of users. http://zdnet.com.com/2100-1103_2-5070618.html - - - - - - - - - - Microsoft issues alerts about five new flaws Microsoft Corp. on Wednesday reported five new security flaws in its software, including one of "critical" severity that affects nearly all programs in its Office suite of software. The critical vulnerability could allow an attacker to read files on a victim's computer, run programs or otherwise seize control. http://www.securityfocus.com/news/6873 http://zdnet.com.com/2100-1105_2-5070929.html http://www.msnbc.com/news/961086.asp http://computerworld.com/securitytopics/security/holes/story/0,10801,84581,00.html - - - - - - - - - - Israeli Scientists Crack GSM Mobile Call Security An Israeli scientist said on Wednesday his team had found a way to break into mobile phone calls made on the popular GSM network, allowing eavesdroppers to listen in on calls and even take on a caller's identity. The GSM Association, representing vendors who sell the world's largest mobile system, which is used by more than 860 million consumers in 197 countries, confirmed the security hole but said it would be expensive and complicated to exploit. http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml http://zdnet.com.com/2100-1105_2-5070807.html - - - - - - - - - - Taking Microsoft to task on spam The Redondo Beach state senator thinks Microsoft has a bad attitude when it comes to spam. As a California legislator for the past 10 years, Bowen has drafted and introduced bills intended to tie spammers' hands and better protect consumers' privacy. But more recently, she has criticized Microsoft for lobbying against certain spam bills, including one she championed. http://news.com.com/2008-1082_3-5070492.html - - - - - - - - - - Those who learn, avoid the worm The old saw "procrastination is the thief of our tomorrow" was corroborated with the emergence of this year's Blaster worm (and subsequent variants), which made national news. A recent e-mail survey conducted by Brainbench Inc. and the Information Technology Association of America shows that many workers still view IT security as someone else's problem. The success of the recent rash of computer worms reinforces the fact that Microsoft Corp. needs to incorporate improved security into its operating systems. It also makes clear that those who learn can avoid the worm. http://computerworld.com/securitytopics/security/story/0,10801,84568,00.html - - - - - - - - - - Intrusion Detection Terminology (Part One) Intrusion Detection Systems (IDS) are still in their infancy, but in terms of development they are evolving at an extraordinary rate. The terminology associated with IDS is evolving just as rapidly. As a result of IDS' rapid growth and the marketing prowess of some IDS vendors, some confusion has arisen about the correct meaning of key terms. In some cases the same term may be used by different vendors to mean different things. This is the first of a two-part series that discusses IDS terminology, including terms where there may be disagreement from within the security community. http://www.securityfocus.com/infocus/1728 - - - - - - - - - - Security Expert Turns Political What would inspire a well-known computer security consultant to suddenly shift gears and focus on dissecting politics and popular culture instead of the latest viral plague? It's the realization that politicians, pundits and personal apathy can do more damage to truly critical systems than any computer worm, according to computer security consultant Richard Forno, author of two books on network-intrusion detection and computer forensics. http://www.wired.com/news/culture/0,1284,60238,00.html - - - - - - - - - - FutureWatch: Using computers to outthink terrorists Some of the technology shown in last year's blockbuster movie Minority Report may soon be a reality and a centerpiece of the intelligence community's war on terrorism. In the futuristic thriller, Tom Cruise played the head of a police unit that uses psychic technology to arrest and convict murderers before they commit their crimes. Research into new intelligence technology is taking place as part of a $54 million program known as Genoa II, a follow-on to the Genoa I program, which focused on intelligence analysis. http://computerworld.com/softwaretopics/software/appdev/story/0,10801,84467,00.html *********************************************************** 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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