NewsBits for March 31, 2004 sponsored by, Southeast Cybercrime Institute - www.cybercrime.kennesaw.edu ************************************************************ Canadian court nixes music industry's bid to sue file sharers A Canadian federal court ruled Wednesday against a motion that would have let the music industry begin suing individuals who share copyright music on the Internet. Justice Konrad von Finckenstein ruled that the Canadian Recording Industry Association did not prove copyright infringement by 29 ``music uploaders.'' http://www.siliconvalley.com/mld/siliconvalley/news/editorial/8323292.htm http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/6/36709.html http://news.com.com/2100-1027_3-5182641.html http://www.vnunet.com/News/1153958 Bugwatch: The perils of peer-to-peer http://www.vnunet.com/News/1153973 Ashcroft creates task force for copyright violations http://news.com.com/2110-1023-5182781.html Indiana students sued for downloading music not identified http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/2004-03-31-students-in-the-dark_x.htm - - - - - - - - - - Harvard prof scams $600,000, then hands it to 419ers A US scientist who collected $600,000 for SARS research in China from students, colleagues and friends, actually handed the money over to Nigerian 419ers, the Boston Herald reports. Former Dana- Farber Cancer Institute researcher and Harvard University professor Weldong Xu, 38, was contacted by the lads from Lagos and promised $50m in quick profit. http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/6/36699.html Net Hoaxes Snare Fools All Year http://www.wired.com/news/culture/0,1284,62794,00.html - - - - - - - - - - Feds Arrest 17 In Odometer Fraud Ring The FBI arrested 17 people Wednesday and charged them with rolling back the odometers on thousands of cars, then reselling the vehicles for more than they were worth, scamming car dealerships out of more than $7.5 million. In raids dubbed "Operation Rollback," FBI agents capped a 15-month investigation by arresting suspects in New Jersey, New York and Maryland. If the odometer was a newer digital version, the vehicle would be taken to a Brooklyn auto glass business where ring members would use laptop computers with software applications that could roll back the mileage reading, authorities said. http://www.wnbc.com/money/2963871/detail.html - - - - - - - - - - Danish paedo dragnet snares 100+ More than 100 people were arrested yesterday in a massive crackdown on child porn in Denmark. Police seized 149 computers in 119 dawn raids across the country. "Twenty-six persons immediately admitted buying child porn through the Internet," said Danish police spokesman Frank Jensen. http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/6/36687.html - - - - - - - - - - Man gets 5 1/2 years for attempted kidnapping Jerry Dock McClain pleaded guilty to attempted kidnapping, attempted child molestation, attempted in sending harmful matter to a child and attempted distribution of child pornography to a minor, said Stanislaus County District Attorney James Brazelton in a press release Friday. McClain was sentenced to a 5 1/2-year prison sentence. Stanislaus County Sheriff Department Detective Ken Hedrick posed as a 13 year-old girl through using Internet chat rooms. On October 22, 2002, McClain contacted the girl that he called Christina through an online chat service. The conversation led to sex within minutes. http://www.turlockjournal.com/news/newsview.asp?c=101874 http://www.modbee.com/local/story/8357587p-9179039c.html - - - - - - - - - - Former Deputy Pleads Guilty To Child Porn Charges A former Oakland County sheriff's deputy has pleaded guilty to felony charges for using his home computer to view and distribute child pornography. John Gomez, 43, pleaded guilty to 20 felony counts Tuesday. Gomez was arraigned in 51st District Court in Waterford on the charges in January, which included distributing or promoting child sexually abusive activity, possessing child sexually abusive material and using computers to commit a crime, according to Waterford police. http://www.clickondetroit.com/news/2963471/detail.html - - - - - - - - - - NSW bans workplace cyber-snooping Unauthorised snooping on workers by their employers is to be banned in Australia's New South Wales. Regulations in the Exposure Bill, due out next month, will make it a criminal offence for an employer to carry out covert surveillance on its staff unless a company can show a "reasonable suspicion of wrongdoing by an employee", AAP reports. http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/55/36700.html - - - - - - - - - - Government role in cybersecurity gets boost In a surprise shift, leading software companies acknowledge in a report to the Bush administration that government might need to force the U.S. technology industry to improve the security of Americas computer networks. The companies, including Microsoft Corp. and Computer Associates International Inc., said the Homeland Security Department should examine whether tailored government action is necessary to compel improvements in the design of computer software. http://msnbc.msn.com/id/4641380/ Ridge: Priorities include data sharing, cybersecurity http://www.govexec.com/dailyfed/0304/033104tdpm1.htm IT placed at vanguard of war on cybercrime http://www.vnunet.com/News/1153967 - - - - - - - - - - Police work with online bookies British police are working with online bookmakers to head off blackmailers threatening denial of service (Dos) attacks. With bookmakers expecting PS50m to be staked on the Grand National this weekend, online gambling firms are on alert for attempts to bring down their sites. http://www.vnunet.com/News/1153977 - - - - - - - - - - ISPs want more e-crime protection More police, not laws, are the key to fighting electronic crime and cyberterrorism, according to the London Internet Exchange. The London Internet Exchange (LINX), which represents over 140 UK Internet service providers, has demanded that more resources are devoted to combating e-crime and cyberterrorism. http://news.zdnet.co.uk/internet/security/0,39020375,39150624,00.htm Police urge firms to share e-crime details http://www.vnunet.com/News/1153957 - - - - - - - - - - As spring arrives, virus spreads seeds far and wide NetSky variants accounted for 60 percent of all viruses reported in March, making it the most prolific worm in the month, according to a report released Wednesday by security software vendor Sophos. Fifteen versions of NetSky infected computers during March--sometimes two different variants appearing in a single day. And on Wednesday, yet another NetSky variant was discovered, NetSky.R, the second variant to appear this week. http://zdnet.com.com/2100-1105_2-5182733.html http://computerworld.com/securitytopics/security/story/0,10801,91751,00.html - - - - - - - - - - Virus Spitfires Is a virus writer just a lone wolf firing off malicious code? The authors of recent attacks don't appear to be. Text extracted by security firm Central Command from within the code of the big MyDoom, Bagle, and Netsky worms revealed authors responding directly to each other, which could be why virus variants are emerging so rapidly. http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,1759,1554524,00.asp - - - - - - - - - - The rise of the white collar hacker IT pros - not spotty teenagers - are now the most usual suspects in cybercrime investigations, a senior Metropolitan Police officer said today. A new breed of white collar criminal is coming to the fore, Assistant Commissioner Tarique Ghaffur, the head of Scotland Yards specialist crime directorate, told delegates at the Computer and Internet Crime Conference in London: "We're seeing more mature offenders, often with a background in the IT industry carrying out malicious attacks and infiltration. http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/55/36663.html - - - - - - - - - - Cybercrime to threat the national security of Russia Members of the Security Council of the Russian Federation spoke for speeding-up of development and introduction of home competitive products in the sphere of communication and information. "This problem is not a new one. But a threat to national security increases eventually owing to its pendency", - First Deputy Security Council Secretary Vladislav Sherstyuk said. http://www.crime-research.org/news/31.03.2004/163 - - - - - - - - - - Human error blamed for most security breaches Eight-four per cent of organisations quizzed in a survey out today blamed human error "either wholly or in part" for their last major security breach. Last year, human error was cited as the cause of 63 per cent of security breaches. So, if anything, the problem is getting worse. http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/55/36706.html Security: educating the unwashed masses http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/55/36689.html Gates reports on security progress http://zdnet.com.com/2100-1105_2-5182753.html http://computerworld.com/securitytopics/security/story/0,10801,91801,00.html So much for secure storage http://zdnet.com.com/2100-1107_2-5182607.html Industrial control systems seen as 'undeniably vulnerable' http://computerworld.com/securitytopics/security/story/0,10801,91790,00.html - - - - - - - - - - Look out spam, here comes spim After nearly ruining the usefulness of email with billions of spams, unscrupulous marketers are now turning their attention to instant messaging (IM). http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/55/36698.html http://www.vnunet.com/News/1153953 Firms play down significance of spam http://www.vnunet.com/News/1153974 - - - - - - - - - - Sign-on brain freeze? Digital key can help If passwords are the keys to the Internet, many of us may feel a bit like a dungeon master jangling an exceedingly heavy key ring. We're warned not to use the same password for everything and make each one complicated. That may be sound security advice, but it means plenty of letters and numbers to remember. http://www.siliconvalley.com/mld/siliconvalley/8318687.htm - - - - - - - - - - In 2015: sensors everywhere, computers invisible Ten years from now, the computer as we know it today will be an anachronism, a device consigned to museums, dumpsters and garages. Instead, according to Gartner analysts, the digital information and services once delivered via conventional computers will be available through almost everything we touch-kiosks, airplane seats, newspapers and a broad array of new devices. http://techupdate.zdnet.com/techupdate/stories/main/Gartner_senses_a_world_sans_computers.html - - - - - - - - - - The Homeless Hacker v. The New York Times A self-styled security expert and serial self- promoter, Adrian Lamo made headlines as a grayhat hacker. Then the Gray Lady came down on his head. Not long agoAdrian Lamo was exploring an abandoned gypsum processing plant in West Philadelphia with two friends, when a police cruiser drove slowly by. Lamo's friends were high on methamphetamines, and at the sight of the cops they urged him to run. Instead, Lamo stood still, and as he did, he heard a strange rasping sound. Peering down a nearby sewer grate, Lamo found the source: a kitten, meowed to hoarseness, scrambling around on a pile of trash. http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/12.04/hacker.html - - - - - - - - - - Civil liberties groups unite for RFID protest Cross-border sharing of biometric data could infringe human rights, warns an international coalition of civil liberties groups. Civil liberties groups from both sides of the Atlantic have joined forces to oppose the proposed introduction and cross-border sharing of biometrics and RFID in more than one billion passports worldwide. http://news.zdnet.co.uk/internet/security/0,39020375,39150602,00.htm - - - - - - - - - - Passport Safety, Privacy Face Off An international aviation group is completing new passport standards this week, setting the groundwork for all passports issued worldwide to include digitized photographs that a computer can read remotely and compare to the face of the traveler or to a database of mug shots. Supporters hope the system will banish fake passports and help fight terrorism. But critics say the standards will enable a global infrastructure for surveillance and lead to a host of national biometric databases, including ones run by countries with troubling human rights records. http://www.wired.com/news/privacy/0,1848,62876,00.html Europe Balks at U.S. Data Demands http://www.wired.com/news/politics/0,1283,62883,00.html Toronto airport unveils shared networking system http://www.globetechnology.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20040330.wairp0330/BNStory/Technology/ - - - - - - - - - - Pentagon Drops Plan To Test Internet Voting The Pentagon has decided to drop a $22 million pilot plan to test Internet voting for 100,000 American military personnel and civilians living overseas after lingering security concerns, officials said yesterday. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A37319-2004Mar30.html Political Websites Try to Click With Younger Generation of Voters http://www.latimes.com/technology/la-na-cyberpolitics31mar31,1,3459919.story *********************************************************** Computer Forensics Training - Online. 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