NewsBits for October 14, 2003 sponsored by, Southeast Cybercrime Institute - www.cybercrime.kennesaw.edu ************************************************************ UK teen accused over attack part of "elite" hacking group Had denial of service tools on his website, court hears. The teenager accused of bringing down a major US port's computer systems in a denial of service attack was part of an "elite" hacking group, a court heard yesterday. Aaron Caffrey, 19, claims that his computer was hijacked by two hackers known as Dry Ice and Friction using a Trojan Horse to remotely control his PC without his knowledge. http://www.silicon.com/news/500022/1/6403.html http://news.zdnet.co.uk/internet/security/0,39020375,39117136,00.htm http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/55/33388.html - - - - - - - - - - ISU police link porn to student computer An Iowa State University student was arrested Monday for allegedly using the school's computer network to view photographs of children under age 10 having sex or showing their genitals. ISU freshman Nicholas Burch, 19, is the sixth student in two years to be accused of using the university network to look at or distribute child pornography, despite warnings against computer crime. Burch, an engineering student from Woodbury, Minn., turned himself in to ISU police Monday morning. http://www.dmregister.com/news/stories/c4788993/22492812.html - - - - - - - - - - American cyber lover caught in Delhiites net Call it a case of gullibility or being completely floored by one of the most beautiful faces in the world, but New Mexicos Ken Corley is at a loss. The American citizen has complained to Delhi Police to locate the woman who, he said, had stolen his heart only to dupe him. http://www.deccanherald.com/deccanherald/oct12/n2.asp - - - - - - - - - - Internet scam fakes cashier's checks Consumers across the United States are being bilked in a scam that often finds victims through the Internet and then counts on their trust in cashier's checks. Cashier's checks can be counterfeit, and banks that accept them from customers don't consider themselves liable. By one bank's account, the value of the counterfeits amounts to millions of dollars. Frank Fiorino, 64, of Westbury, N.Y., fell victim to the scam in May, and he's out $3,700. http://www.delawareonline.com/newsjournal/business/2003/10/13internetscamfak.html - - - - - - - - - - Supreme Court to revisit Net porn law The Supreme Court agreed Tuesday to revisit the thorny question of how to protect children from online smut without resorting to unconstitutional censorship. The case asks whether, in the name of children, Congress wants to restrict too much material that adults have the right to see or buy. On a more practical level, the court will decide whether the government can require some form of an adults-only screening system to ensure children cannot see material deemed harmful to them. http://www.siliconvalley.com/mld/siliconvalley/news/editorial/7011314.htm http://news.com.com/2100-1028_3-5090816.html http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A23870-2003Oct14.html http://www.msnbc.com/news/980102.asp http://www.cnn.com/2003/TECH/internet/10/14/online.porn.ap/index.html http://www.wired.com/news/politics/0,1283,60811,00.html http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/techpolicy/2003-10-14-porn-ruling_x.htm - - - - - - - - - - Lawyers air conflicting ECT Act views Steven Ferguson of commercial law firm Nicci Ferguson was reacting to a Sunday newspaper report quoting e-lawyer Reinhardt Buys as saying the Electronic Communications and Transactions (ECT) Act forces banks and other businesses offering online payment systems to refund customers if it can be proved they did not provide a safe service. http://www.itweb.co.za/sections/internet/2003/0310131202.asp - - - - - - - - - - Chief cyberwarrior to join Army CIO The U.S. military's top cyberwarrior will join the Army's chief information officer office in November, according to a service statement today. Army Maj. Gen. Dave Bryan will lead the Army's signal force reorganization. "Dave will be the HQDA's 'lead dog' in restructuring the signal regiment, people and equipment," Army CIO Lt. Gen. Steve Boutelle said in the statement. http://www.fcw.com/fcw/articles/2003/1013/web-army-10-14-03.asp - - - - - - - - - - New viruses hit too quickly to be stopped by software After the worst month in history for Internet infections, here's some good news. If you use one of the most popular antivirus programs and keep it updated, nearly 100 percent of the known computer bugs can be detected and squashed. http://www.buffalonews.com/editorial/20031014/1050461.asp Internet bugs blight growth http://news.zdnet.co.uk/internet/security/0,39020375,39117119,00.htm Study: Internet fraud and attacks rise in tandem http://computerworld.com/securitytopics/security/story/0,10801,86025,00.html - - - - - - - - - - EBay expands fraud protection for some buyers In a bid to bolster user trust amid a rising tide of online auction fraud, eBay Inc. Tuesday announced expanded anti-fraud protection for those who buy items from the site's more trusted sellers. The new program, called PayPal Buyer Protection, gives buyers up to $500 of free coverage if the item is not delivered or turns out to be ``substantially not as described'' if bought from certain eBay sellers. There is no processing fee. http://www.siliconvalley.com/mld/siliconvalley/news/editorial/7012362.htm http://www.usatoday.com/tech/techinvestor/techcorporatenews/2003-10-14-ebay-fraud-protect_x.htm - - - - - - - - - - 'Taster' pirated copies lure gaming fans Games companies are attempting to co-opt piracy for their own ends, by ensuring that illegal copies slowly degenerate. The cat and mouse game played between computer games companies and software pirates has seen a bold move by the establishment. In a new gambit, games companies will use piracy to hook users. http://news.zdnet.co.uk/hardware/emergingtech/0,39020357,39117127,00.htm - - - - - - - - - - Attackers seek weaknesses inside the firewall - Symantec The security firm says cyber-attackers are refocusing their efforts on PCs inside the perimeter of corporate networks. Corporations should be as concerned about personal computers inside the network perimeter as those riding its boundary, warns Symantec's security team. http://news.zdnet.co.uk/business/0,39020645,39117126,00.htm - - - - - - - - - - Steering Microsoft clear of hackers Microsoft's Bob Muglia explains why the software giant is emphasising hacking's criminality, and outlines its rejigged approach to plugging security holes. He's not a household name, but Bob Muglia is part of a small constellation of executives that Bill Gates and Steve Ballmer have repeatedly entrusted with important projects over the years. http://insight.zdnet.co.uk/0,39020415,39117128,00.htm Vendors face security calls http://www.vnunet.com/News/1144327 Instant messaging falls prey to hackers http://www.computing.co.uk/News/1144318 - - - - - - - - - - CCIA Report is Bad Medicine The proposed cure for the Internet's security woes might help Microsoft competitors, but it would only make our security problems worse. A recently published report from the Computer and Communications Industry Association (CCIA) claims that "Microsoft's monopoly of the desktop operating system market is a threat to our national security." The paper has understandably created quite a bit of fuss -- so much, in fact, that Daniel Geer, former CTO of @Stake, reportedly received the aforementioned designation of "former" as a result of his co-authoring the paper. http://www.securityfocus.com/columnists/190 Local officials deal with growing threat of computer crimes http://www.thenewsstar.com/localnews/html/F2030B47-4166-4A20-8100-43A9BD808D7C.shtml Security Threats Outpace Net Usage Growth http://www.internetnews.com/dev-news/article.php/3091121 - - - - - - - - - - NIST releases security guides The National Institute of Standards and Technology last week released guidelines for federal agencies to address areas such as the basics of choosing security products and developing security training and awareness. http://www.fcw.com/fcw/articles/2003/1013/web-nist-10-14-03.asp - - - - - - - - - - T-Mobile works to tighten Wi-Fi security T-Mobile USA is adopting a specification that's designed to prevent the hijacking of information between a Wi-Fi network and a client device, a move that's aimed at improving the security of its wireless hot spots. The Bellevue, Wash.- based wireless company announced on Monday that it has been testing the 802.1x security specification at selected hot spots, which are public places where wireless Web access is available. http://zdnet.com.com/2100-1104_2-5090391.html - - - - - - - - - - BEA unveils its first security offering BEA Systems is to release WLES (WebLogic Enterprise Security), its first standalone security software product. The product features a distributed security architecture that can be used across web, application, and custom-made applications. WLES is also designed to free developers from having to code in security for each application developed, a costly, laborious process. http://www.computerweekly.com/articles/article.asp?liArticleID=125653 http://www.newsfactor.com/perl/story/22473.html - - - - - - - - - - UK ID card scheme likely to be 'debacle', says Jack Straw UK home secretary David Blunkett's on-off ID card scheme may now be off for the foreseeable future, following the leak of highly critical letters from foreign secretary Jack Straw and the Treasury over the weekend. Straw, Blunkett's predecessor at the Home Office, warns of a "large-scale debacle," while the Treasury letter argues that the PS40 fee for Blunkett's compulsory card would have to be categorised as a tax hike. http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/6/33348.html - - - - - - - - - - Gore: Intrusive technology may make us less secure Efforts should focus on interpreting information, not gathering more of it. Advances in technology allow governments to track the activities of individuals more closely and collect greater amounts of information than ever before, Gore said. But greater access to information does not automatically result in greater security, he said. http://www.infoworld.com/article/03/10/14/HNgore_1.html - - - - - - - - - - Study: Thriving Internet blighted by bugs Internet usage has jumped in the last year, but digital threats--such as junk e-mail and e-commerce fraud--continue to overshadow those gains, VeriSign announced on Monday. Several measures of network traffic show an increase, according to a survey by VeriSign that looked at data generated by its Internet operations. http://zdnet.com.com/2100-1105_2-5090328.html - - - - - - - - - - Citizens strike back in intelligence war With the recent demise of the Bush administration's controversial Terrorist Information Awareness (TIA) programme to monitor everyone in the US, citizens now have a chance to get their own back. A website to be launched later in 2003 will allow people to post information about the activities of government organisations, officials and the judiciary. http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns99994246 - - - - - - - - - - Laptop-shooting tops computer mishaps poll An American who became so frustrated with his laptop that he shot it with a gun before realizing there was important data saved on the computer has topped a list of most bizarre computer mishaps. Bizarre methods of destruction regularly pop up in folklore online. The most celebrated examples are the Darwin Awards, which "honor those who improve our gene pool... by removing themselves from it." The top ten most bizarre computer mishaps indicate that computers and their data, happily, meet relatively uneventful ends compared to the fates of their human counterparts. http://zdnet.com.com/m/2100-1103_2-5090743.html *********************************************************** Computer Forensics Training - Online. 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