NewsBits for March 18, 2004 sponsored by, Southeast Cybercrime Institute - www.cybercrime.kennesaw.edu ************************************************************ Fox Fires 2 After Finding Film Downloads on Server Two employees of Fox Entertainment Group have been terminated after the company's discovery of illegally downloaded movies and software on a Fox computer network server. The titles found on the server included "Bringing Down the House," "Daddy Day Care," "Old School," "Daredevil," "Deliver Us From Eva," "The Matrix Reloaded" and "X2: X-Men United." (LA Times article, free registration required) http://www.latimes.com/technology/la-fi-piracy18mar18,1,4351880.story - - - - - - - - - - Softbank says probe into data leak suggests inside job Japanese Internet company Softbank Corp. on Thursday said its investigation into the leak of personal data of millions of its broadband customers suggests that a worker with access to the company's computer system -- not a hacker -- was responsible. http://www.siliconvalley.com/mld/siliconvalley/news/editorial/8218842.htm - - - - - - - - - - Mom in online sex case gets jail A woman described as having "intellectual deficits" was sentenced Wednesday to four months in jail for helping her 14-year-old daughter arrange sexual trysts over the Internet. The Clintonville woman, 48, also was placed on probation for five years by Waupaca County Circuit Judge Raymond Huber on two counts of exposing a child to harmful materials. According to the criminal complaint, the woman and her daughter sent explicit images of themselves over the Internet in August 2003. The activity resulted in two men traveling to Clintonville to meet the 14-year-old girl. Both were arrested. http://www.wisinfo.com/postcrescent/news/archive/local_15276455.shtml - - - - - - - - - - Man pleads in case involving Lancaster girl A Goose Creek man has pleaded guilty to assault and battery of a high and aggravated nature in connection to a 2003 Internet chat room rendezvous with a 15- year-old Lancaster girl. Daniel Lee Davis, a student at the College of Charleston, agreed to a youthful offender plea after he initially was charged with second-degree criminal sexual conduct, said Tom Holland, 6th Circuit assistant solicitor. http://www.heraldonline.com/local/story/3428372p-3047295c.html - - - - - - - - - - Reno man arrested in Internet sex sting A Reno man is in jail after allegedly trying to lure a child over the Internet for sex. Police have charged Michael O'Hair with attempted sexual assault, open and gross lewdness and use of technology to lure a child. Authorities started investigating O'Hair last week after an Internet conversation. http://www.krnv.com/Global/story.asp?S=1720728&nav=8faOLcmL - - - - - - - - - - Prineville man facing further sex abuse charges A Prineville man already facing multiple sex abuse charges pleaded innocent to 78 new counts of encouraging child sex abuse, most related to pornographic images of children found on a computer. http://www.kgw.com/sharedcontent/APStories/stories/D81CSH0O1.html - - - - - - - - - - Man arrested for alleged part in Net sex case A City of Poughkeepsie man has become the 88th person nabbed by Westchester County authorities in an Internet sex sting operation. Investigators from the Westchester District Attorney's Office on Monday arrested 26-year-old Richie Levine, of Flannery Avenue, a spokesman for District Attorney Jeanine Pirro said. http://www.poughkeepsiejournal.com/today/policecourts/stories/po031804s1.shtml - - - - - - - - - - Man accused of plying girl with drugs for sex A Foster City man has pleaded not guilty to numerous accusations that he provided cocaine to an underage girl in return for sexual favors and asked her to sell drugs for him. Carlos Alberto Rodriguez, 23, is charged with statutory rape, committing a lewd act on a child, using a minor to sell cocaine and using a minor to sell methamphetamine. Rodriguez reportedly met the girl on the Internet and convinced her to become romantically involved with him. On multiple occasions Rodriguez picked up the girl in the East Bay and drove her back to Foster City where he provided her with cocaine and had sex with her. http://www.smdailyjournal.org/article.cfm?issue=03-17-04&storyID=29058 - - - - - - - - - - San Marcos resident indicted An Air Force Lieutenant from San Marcos charged with attempted sexual assault of a child was indicted for that offense and also for criminal solicitation of a minor and attempted sexual performance by a child by the Hays County Grand Jury in its meeting earlier this month. Christopher P. Barton, 26, was snared by the cyber crimes division of the State Attorney General's Office in its ongoing enforcement efforts against adults who try to meet up with children they corresponded with in Internet teen chat rooms. http://www.sanmarcosrecord.com/articles/2004/03/17/news/news3.txt - - - - - - - - - - Bagle spreads new threat The Bagle worm is exploiting an old Outlook flaw to spread even more quickly, while an ancient Trojan has gained a new name and a new lease of life. Users no longer have to click on an attachment to spread the Bagle virus because the latest variants are exploiting an old flaw in Microsoft Outlook that allows the worm to spread even more quickly. http://zdnet.com.com/2100-1105-5175172.html Latest Bagle worms spread on auto-pilot http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/56/36362.html Viruses Try New Tactics http://www.pcworld.com/news/article/0,aid,115243,00.asp Cashing In on Virus Infections http://www.wired.com/news/infostructure/0,1377,62558,00.html - - - - - - - - - - Computer security's new 'polybot' nightmare A new malicious computer program has been detected that can create networks of remotely controlled computers to take part in online attacks, send junk e-mail messages as spam and engage in other shady activities common to the bad neighborhoods of cyberspace. http://www.iht.com/articles/510902.html Experts downplay Phatbot danger http://computerworld.com/securitytopics/security/story/0,10801,91365,00.html Phatbot Not So Phat http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_title=Phatbot_Not_So_Phat&story_id=23452 - - - - - - - - - - Program for Hackers Is Causing Concerns Computer security experts in both government and the private sector are monitoring the emergence of a new, sophisticated hacker program that connects infected computers to far-flung peer- to-peer file-sharing networks. (LA Times article, free registration required) http://www.latimes.com/technology/la-fi-hacker18mar18,1,494432.story - - - - - - - - - - Australia ranks fifth in hacking Australia is in the the top source of hacker attacks in the Asia-Pacific region because threats to steal information from computers, including banking and credit card, have risen, says thecouriermail.news.com. Anti-virus software company Symantec said in its half-yearly report on computer attacks in more than 180 countries, that Australia became fifth in the world for Internet attacks. http://www.crime-research.org/news/18.03.2004/139 - - - - - - - - - - Fake escrow sites on the rise Fake escrow sites are increasing in number and sophistication, police and online watchdogs have warned. Legitimate escrow companies offer online shoppers protection from fraud by acting as a third-party referee for buyer and seller in online transactions. http://www.vnunet.com/News/1153586 Fraudsters prey on apathetic Brits http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/55/36373.html - - - - - - - - - - NATO's security system to fight off hackers NATO is to beef up protection of its networks against hackers and viruses as part of a new contract with BT to enhance its Computer Incident Response Capability (CIRC) system. The contract will see NATO deploy improved security capabilities to counter network attacks. A central management function will allow it to monitor events and incidents occurring within NATO networks. http://www.silicon.com/software/security/0,39024655,39119310,00.htm - - - - - - - - - - Cybersecurity coalition proposes early warning network A coalition of public- and private-sector organizations plans to have an Early Warning Alert Network in operation by the end of the year to give industry and government officials advance notice of vulnerabilities and threats to the nations critical IT infrastructure. http://www.gcn.com/vol1_no1/daily-updates/25322-1.html http://www.fcw.com/fcw/articles/2004/0315/web-cybersec-03-18-04.asp IT industry releases security action plans for DHS http://computerworld.com/securitytopics/security/story/0,10801,91368,00.html Keys to great security and IT operations http://computerworld.com/securitytopics/security/story/0,10801,91205,00.html Who should govern the Net? http://news.com.com/2008-1082_3-5174043.html - - - - - - - - - - Legislation tries to rein in no-exam U.S. Internet pharmacies Unsolicited e-mails arrive daily across America offering cheap, quick access to prescription drugs. Without ever seeing a doctor, people can use the Internet to have drugs prescribed and shipped to their homes by a ``licensed U.S. pharmacy.'' That is the claim of one of hundreds of Internet sites that will sell drugs to people who have no prescription when they sign on. The price may be right, but the practice is dangerous, say two lawmakers who are proposing legislation that aims to curb growing online sales. http://www.siliconvalley.com/mld/siliconvalley/news/editorial/8218677.htm - - - - - - - - - - Security an ongoing threat for Canadian CFOs Canadian chief financial officers are feeling vulnerable with the security of their information systems, according to a new survey by Robert Half Management Resources in Toronto. Security seems to be a major concern for all of our clients, said David King, regional manager at Robert Half, a provider of senior-level accounting and financial professionals. He added that CFOs are focusing more on prevention and investment in prevention against security threats. http://www.itworldcanada.com/Pages/Docbase/ViewArticle.aspx?ID=idgml-2b3d1e09-1fb6-40fa-9ba5-bb285a697145&News=Daily%20ITwire - - - - - - - - - - Vigilantes Troll for Pedophiles Last November, a 29-year-old Portland, Oregon, man was cruising the city's Yahoo chat room when he struck up a conversation with a 14-year-old girl using the handle "misspunkgirlie13." The conversation quickly turned to sex. "i'm 29.. your 14 and adorable," he wrote the girl, who flirted back. He e-mailed her a picture of his penis and a couple of pornographic video clips, then arranged to meet her at her apartment when her mother was out of town. (Part 1 of a two-part series.) http://www.wired.com/news/culture/0,1284,62650,00.html Program targets online paedophiles http://news.scotsman.com/scitech.cfm?id=312492004 - - - - - - - - - - Microsoft tightens XP's security Microsoft is nearing the finish line for its Service Pack 2 update, with the release of a near-final version that features centralised security management. Microsoft on Wednesday released a close-to-final version of the second major update to Windows XP, adding new security tools to the operating system. http://news.zdnet.co.uk/software/windows/0,39020396,39149397,00.htm - - - - - - - - - - OpenSSL shuts attack holes Two patches have been released for flaws in the open-source security program that permit denial-of-service attacks that could cripple the Internet. The group behind OpenSSL, a widely used open-source Web security program, released two patches for security flaws to block potential denial-of-service attacks, the organisation's developers said on Wednesday. http://news.zdnet.co.uk/internet/security/0,39020375,39149398,00.htm SSL vulnerability could bring down Cisco LAN/WAN gear http://computerworld.com/securitytopics/security/story/0,10801,91348,00.html - - - - - - - - - - Survey: Spam Driving Internet Users Away From E-mail A new federal anti-spam law has done little to decrease the amount of junk e-mail flooding Americans' in-boxes, according to a survey released today that found the mounting spam problem has prompted nearly 30 percent of respondents to reduce their use of e-mail. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A2279-2004Mar17.html China: World's second biggest spam target http://msnbc.msn.com/id/4556233/ Frustrations with spam hit a new high http://msnbc.msn.com/id/4549635/ - - - - - - - - - - Citrix mobilises secure web access Citrix has stepped up its focus on mobile and wireless working and added improved remote access security features to its MetaFrame software. http://www.vnunet.com/News/1153608 - - - - - - - - - - Wi-Fi interoperability problem on the rise Increasing complexity and stronger security is making it harder for new wireless computer networking products to hook up with each other, an industry group promoting the technology said Thursday at the CeBIT tech fair. The Wi-Fi Alliance said that 22% of the devices such as wireless networking cards for computers, access ports and printer servers submitted for testing at its four partner laboratories failed to work on a network on the first try. http://www.usatoday.com/tech/wireless/2004-03-18-wifi-problems_x.htm - - - - - - - - - - Wireless alliance touts 'magic touch' RFID technology CeBIT: A new era of wireless connectivity is around the corner, according to Nokia, Sony and Philips - who are claiming a breakthrough in touch-based interactivity. Nokia, Sony and Philips have formed an alliance to drive the adoption and use of a new wireless technology based on radio-frequency identification (RFID) that will enable electronic devices to interact when touched together. http://news.zdnet.co.uk/hardware/emergingtech/0,39020357,39149407,00.htm IBM will help with DOD RFID rollout http://www.gcn.com/vol1_no1/daily-updates/25317-1.html - - - - - - - - - - Task force: Classes, security tool kit needed A government industry working group released its initial report on Thursday, recommending that elementary schools teach online ethics, that companies observe a Cyber Security Month and that a security tool kit for home users be created. http://zdnet.com.com/2100-1105_2-5175482.html Security groups call for education, alert systems http://news.com.com/2100-7355_3-5175669.html Security appliances, not software, are way forward http://www.techworld.com/news/index.cfm?fuseaction=displaynews&NewsID=1232 - - - - - - - - - - Future of biometrics remains uncertain The FBI remains committed to fingerprints" for biometric authentication, Monte C. Strait told the Biometric Symposium 2004 today at Fort Lesley J. McNair in Washington. Strait, chief of the FBI's Criminal Justice Information Services Division, said the bureaus collection of 46.9 million digital prints in the Integrated Automated Fingerprint Identification System remains the nation's only large biometric repository and receives 50,000 queries a day. http://www.gcn.com/vol1_no1/daily-updates/25312-1.html - - - - - - - - - - Michigan considering withdrawing from database program Michigan might withdraw from the Matrix crime-and- terrorism database because other states have pulled out, leaving the system unlikely to get the federal dollars needed to fully get up and running, Michigan's top homeland security adviser said Thursday. http://www.siliconvalley.com/mld/siliconvalley/news/editorial/8219551.htm More Spy Powers for the FBI? Bad Move http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/mar2004/tc20040318_2440_tc073.htm - - - - - - - - - - 419ers form phat rap crew There is evidence that - having seen the error of their ways - Nigerian 419ers have decided to seek more legitimate forms of employment. News has reached us of a UK/Nigerian rap outfit called 419 Squad, apparently the backing group for JJC (aka Skillz from Big Brovaz), but also a stand-alone musical unit. http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/28/36369.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. For more information see; www.cybercrime.kennesaw.edu *********************************************************** Search the NewsBits.net Archive at: http://www.newsbits.net/search.html *********************************************************** The source material may be copyrighted and all rights are retained by the original author/publisher. The information is provided to you for non-profit research and educational purposes. Reproduction of this text is encouraged; however copies may not be sold, and NewsBits (www.newsbits.net) should be cited as the source of the information. Copyright 2000-2004, NewsBits.net, Campbell, CA.