NewsBits for February 26, 2004 sponsored by, Southeast Cybercrime Institute - www.cybercrime.kennesaw.edu ************************************************************ ISU student charged with hacking former roommate's e-mail An Iowa State University student was in jail Wednesday, charged with hacking into his former roommate's e-mail and sending messages falsely informing friends and relatives that he was homosexual. Nicholas Jensen is charged with electronic and mechanical eavesdropping, unauthorized computer access, and harassment. If convicted, he faces up to three years in prison and fines. He was in the Story County Jail Wednesday with bond set at $4,325 http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/2004-02-26-gay-mail_x.htm - - - - - - - - - - International Net paedos busted Police today launched simultaneous raids in 10 countries to bust a paedophile ring using messageboards to exchange child porn. Operation Odysseus resulted in several arrests and seizures of videos and computer equipment. Police forces in Australia, Belgium, Canada, Germany, Netherlands, Norway, Peru, Spain, Sweden and the UK were involved. http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/6/35877.html - - - - - - - - - - Thieves ravage Texan ATMs ATM machines in the great state of Texas are under attack with some criminals using more sophisticated technology than others to get their loot. http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/28/35850.html - - - - - - - - - - Ferocious new Mydoom variant destroys files A new, fast-spreading version of the Mydoom worm destroys files on computers worldwide as it increases attacks via e-mails, Finnish computer security experts warned Thursday. The "Mydoom.F" worm, discovered on Feb. 20, has so far infected about 5 percent of all Internet e-mail traffic, said Mikko Hypponen, director of research at a leading antivirus company F-Secure. http://www.securityfocus.com/news/8124 http://msnbc.msn.com/id/4372699/ - - - - - - - - - - Netsky.C worm starts to spread Security experts have discovered a new version of the Netsky internet worm, warning that it is spreading around the world. http://www.vnunet.com/News/1153066 Netsky causing billions in damages http://zdnet.com.com/2100-1105_2-5165642.html http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_title=New_Virus_Offspring_Surfaces&story_id=23256 http://computerworld.com/securitytopics/security/story/0,10801,90491,00.html - - - - - - - - - - Update: AOL stops the spread of Bizex ICQ worm AOL has told us it has stopped the Bizex worm from spreading. ICQ Pro users do not need to take action or download any files to take advantage of the fix. The spokesperson also said that the company is currently working on a fix for any users that had been already infected by the worm. http://www.pcpro.co.uk/?http://www.pcpro.co.uk/news/news_story.php?id=54210 http://www.vnunet.com/News/1153081 Virus variants spread http://news.zdnet.co.uk/internet/security/0,39020375,39147398,00.htm Who names computer viruses? Everybody http://msnbc.msn.com/id/4376005/ Can Lessons from the Common Cold Help Us Defeat Computer Viruses? http://www.technewsworld.com/perl/story/32962.html - - - - - - - - - - Hole opens way to free MSN Premium A flaw in Microsoft's MSN Explorer software has allowed some Web surfers to gain free access to features and services that normally cost $9.95 a month, the software giant confirmed on Thursday. http://zdnet.com.com/2100-1104_2-5165970.html RSA: Microsoft to make Longhorn vulnerability-aware http://www.nwfusion.com/news/2004/0226rsamic.html - - - - - - - - - - Court doesn't extend database protection In the first case of its kind, a federal court in New York has ruled that one company's snatching of a database from a rival's Web site does not violate the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. http://zdnet.com.com/2100-1104-5165624.html - - - - - - - - - - EU anti-piracy directive heads for final vote Following approval by a parliamentary committee, a controversial intellectual property directive is headed for a fast-track vote next month. http://news.zdnet.co.uk/business/legal/0,39020651,39147407,00.htm The Answer to Piracy: Five Bucks? http://www.wired.com/news/digiwood/0,1412,62434,00.html Piracy on wireless Internet raises legal challenges http://www.canada.com/technology/story.html?id=0BE75329-1A0C-4FEB-A602-C579A191B3EC - - - - - - - - - - China Clamps Down on Web News Discussion China this week launched a major crackdown on one of the most vibrant parts of the Internet, the news discussion groups that have pushed the boundary of free speech in the country and forced greater government accountability. (LA Times article, free registration required) http://www.latimes.com/technology/la-fg-chinanet26feb26,1,4778483.story - - - - - - - - - - VeriSign under Oath for stronger ID checks Security vendor VeriSign has unveiled its Open Authentication reference architecture (Oath), designed to help companies deploy strong authentication technology across different devices and networks. http://www.vnunet.com/News/1153068 Anti-spam firms test 'caller-ID' for email http://news.zdnet.co.uk/internet/security/0,39020375,39147376,00.htm BA deals boost Visa and MasterCard online security schemes http://www.computerweekly.com/articles/article.asp?liArticleID=128722 - - - - - - - - - - SMEs the weakest link on security Small businesses are the weakest link in the UK's fight against e-crime, according to the Conservative Party. http://www.vnunet.com/News/1153067 - - - - - - - - - - Senator: Information sharing is key to thwarting cyber attacks At the RSA Conference this week, Senator Bob Bennett (R-Utah) was awarded the RSA Award for Excellence in the Field of Public Policy. Bennett, Chief Deputy Majority Whip and a member of the Senate Republican leadership team, has been active in forming economic policy and high-tech issues. http://techupdate.zdnet.com/techupdate/stories/main/Information_sharing_is_key_to_thwarting_cyber_attacks.html Presidential advisor slams software security http://news.zdnet.co.uk/internet/security/0,39020375,39147413,00.htm - - - - - - - - - - Careful communication Each week vnunet.com asks a different expert to give their views on recent virus and security issues, with advice, warnings and information on the latest threats. This week vnunet.com's Iain Thomson warns that ignorance isn't bliss for users who fail to understand the security issues of wireless networks. http://www.vnunet.com/News/1153069 - - - - - - - - - - Overcoming the challenges of RFID In "The Prince," the savvy politician Machiavelli asserted that "there is nothing more difficult to take in hand, more perilous to conduct, or more uncertain in its success, than to take the lead in the introduction of a new order of things." http://zdnet.com.com/2100-1107_2-5165705.html Cloaking system for RFID tags unveiled http://msnbc.msn.com/id/4362419/ Lawmakers Alarmed by RFID Spying http://www.wired.com/news/privacy/0,1848,62433,00.html RSA shows RFID tag blocker http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/55/35852.html - - - - - - - - - - Anti-Spam Solutions and Security In a recent survey, 93% of respondents reported dissatisfaction with the large volume of unsolicited email (spam) they receive. [ref 1] The problem has grown to the point where nearly 50% of the world's email is spam [ref 2], yet only a few hundred groups are responsible. [ref 3] Many anti-spam solutions have been proposed and a few have been implemented. Unfortunately, these solutions do not prevent spam as much as they interfere with every-day email communications. http://www.securityfocus.com/infocus/1763 New Spam Filters Cut the Noise http://www.wired.com/news/infostructure/0,1377,62421,00.html - - - - - - - - - - GAO sees electronic fingerprinting gains Law enforcement agencies have increased the volume and timeliness of fingerprints submitted electronically to an FBI database, Congressional auditors found. Law enforcement officials use the FBI's Integrated Automated Fingerprint Identification System to identify criminals and submit fingerprints to keep the national database updated. http://www.fcw.com/geb/articles/2004/0223/web-fbi-02-26-04.asp - - - - - - - - - - British speeders get e-frowns before fines Speeding motorists in some parts of Britain are being flashed by electronic frowns, helping them avoid police cameras and hefty fines. http://www.cnn.com/2004/TECH/02/26/britain.speeding.reut/index.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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