NewsBits for April 27, 2004 sponsored by, Southeast Cybercrime Institute - www.cybercrime.kennesaw.edu ************************************************************ LA man pleads guilty to selling 'Sex and the City' episodes A man has pleaded guilty to selling illegal copies of the HBO series "Sex and the City" on the Internet, officials said. In a plea agreement with prosecutors, William Jefferson Philputt, 33, of Los Angeles pleaded guilty to a felony count of criminal copyright infringement, authorities said Tuesday. Philputt entered his plea Monday in U.S. District Court and is scheduled to be sentenced July 2. He is one of five people convicted in federal court in the past month of copyright infringement charges related to video piracy. http://www.sacbee.com/state_wire/story/9076500p-10002360c.html - - - - - - - - - - Man pleads guilty in videotaped sexual assaults of two boys A man who authorities say participated in an Internet sex ring pleaded guilty Monday in the videotaped sexual assaults of two boys. Brian S. Urbanawiz of Homer Township entered the pleas to four counts of first- degree criminal sexual conduct with a person younger than 13. Midland County Circuit Judge Paul J. Clulo is scheduled to sentence Urbanawiz on June 4. Police arrested the 30-year-old Urbanawiz on Dec. 4 and said they seized computers containing child pornography. Authorities say Urbanawiz, three others from Michigan and men from Wisconsin, Illinois, Missouri and California were part of an Internet club whose members produced and shared pornographic material involving children. http://www.detnews.com/2004/technology/0404/27/technology-134484.htm - - - - - - - - - - House searched for child porn Federal agents have searched the house of a Roanoke County man who they say may have created an Internet group that featured images of child pornography, according to court documents. The search was part of an investigation that began with the FBI in Baltimore in December, according to an affidavit sworn by Katherine Kelley, a special agent with the FBI in Roanoke. Federal agents in Baltimore tracked the Roanoke County man through someone in Denver, who the agents also believe may have transmitted child pornography through an e-mail group affiliated with the Internet search engine Yahoo, according to the affidavit. http://www.roanoke.com/roatimes/news/story166157.html - - - - - - - - - - Jerome uses Internet to catch sex offenders The Jerome County sheriff's Child Internet Crime Prevention Team has made five arrests for soliciting minors for sex since it formed two years ago. Bill Lynn, executive director of the Idaho Sheriffs' Association, said it is unusual for such an operation to be carried out in a small county. In fact, he says it's pretty unusual in Idaho -- period. Earlier this month, the department arrested 44-year-old Michael Lyle Thompson Jerome in an Internet sting. He's scheduled for a preliminary hearing May fourth. Thompson is charged with attempted lewd and lascivious conduct with a minor under the age of 16 and furnishing alcohol to a minor. Sergeant David Ruggles posed online as a 15-year-old girl staying in the Jerome area and arranged to meet Thompson an area park, where he was arrested. http://www.ktvb.com/news/localnews/stories/ktvbn-apr2504-crime.161df1899.html - - - - - - - - - - Employees could sue over porn spam European companies could face legal action under new anti-spam legislation if pornographic spam is deemed to create a hostile work environment. Email porn spam in the workplace could land European employers in court for fostering a hostile work environment, a Dutch researcher says. The broad wording of new European anti- spam legislation opens up a new breed of legal snares for Europe's corporate sector, according to Lodewijk Asscher. http://news.zdnet.co.uk/internet/security/0,39020375,39153163,00.htm - - - - - - - - - - Virus alert: Bagle X The latest manifestation of the Bagle worm has gone back to basics in its attempts to infect computers. Bagle X entices users to open attachments by claiming they contain free software, movie clips or pornography. The worm also copies the domain name in the recipients address, making it appear to come from someone in the same company or at least the same ISP. http://www.vnunet.com/News/1154707 - - - - - - - - - - E-Mails Barred in Trial on Terrorism Websites Prosecutors in the terrorism-related trial of a Saudi graduate student may not show jurors Web pages and e-mails that allegedly encourage terrorism unless they prove he created them or specifically embraced their content, a judge ruled. U.S. District Judge Edward Lodge said in Boise that the material could be prejudicial to Sami Omar Al-Hussayen, and "there's no way the court can strike from jurors' minds evidence that is not tied up." (LA Times article, free registration required) http://www.latimes.com/technology/la-na-briefs27.1apr27,1,2119027.story - - - - - - - - - - National security policy intended to beef up defences The government unveiled a national security policy Tuesday aimed at shoring up Canada's defences against terrorism, reassuring close allies and allaying the concerns of wary minorities. Millions of dollars will be pumped into intelligence gathering, the assessment of looming threats, more effective response to health emergencies, stronger marine security and the ability to repel cyber-attacks. http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/Canada/2004/04/27/438418-cp.html - - - - - - - - - - U.S. Considering Ratifying Cybercrime Treaty The Register writes "US defends cybercrime treaty". The U.S. has already signed the treaty, but it has not yet been ratified by the Senate (although President Bush has written a letter urging the treaty's passage). This treaty, among other items, would require the U.S. to "cooperate with foreign authorities" in conducting surveillance on American citizens who have committed no crime under U.S. law, but may have broken another country's law (selling historic Nazi posters on Ebay?) http://www.crime-research.org/news/27.04.2004/243 - - - - - - - - - - EU members ignore spam directive Eight EU countries, including France and Germany, have yet to implement the EU anti-spam directive, six months after the official deadline. The EU's anti-spam directive, which was passed in July 2003, has been ignored by most EU member states because it will not stop the spam problem, according to research published by the Institute of Information Law (IvIR) at the InfoSecurity exhibition in London on Tuesday. http://news.zdnet.co.uk/0,39020330,39153162,00.htm - - - - - - - - - - Federal agencies slow to meet online privacy criteria A few more agency Web sites now have machine- readable privacy policies, but the adoption rate should be faster, according to a new report from Ernst and Young LLP. As of this month, almost 14% of 137 federal Web sites reviewed have privacy policies in a machine-readable format, according to a dashboard report from Ernst and Young. Nineteen sites, up 7% from January, have online privacy policies that follow requirements laid out in Section 508 of the E-Government Act of 2002. http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/internetprivacy/2004-04-27-privacy-criteria_x.htm - - - - - - - - - - Aussie bank scales up against 'phishing' The Australia and New Zealand Banking Group has reinforced its commitment to fighting online fraud and beefed up its scrutiny of large and high-risk technology projects. In a statement released with its financial results for the half-year ended March 31, the banking group said the "growing trend in electronic fraud" had forced it to focus very heavily on fraud prevention and detection. http://news.com.com/2100-7355_3-5201041.html - - - - - - - - - - Computer hacking 'costs billions' Three-quarters of UK companies have been hit by security breaches in their computer systems over the past year, costing billions to industry. Viruses, staff misuse and hacking are blamed in the survey by the Department of Trade & Industry (DTI) and accountancy firm PwC. Most businesses know there is a problem, PwC said, and virus writing gangs are getting more sophisticated. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/3663333.stm http://zdnet.com.com/2100-1105_2-5200649.html http://www.theinquirer.net/?article=15559 Big Business bears brunt of security attacks http://news.zdnet.co.uk/0,39020330,39153099,00.htm Business looks for the right combination (series of stories) http://zdnet.com.com/2251-1110-5201235.html Computer attacks on UK businesses double http://www.vnunet.com/News/1154709 UK to review cybercrime law http://www.cnn.com/2004/TECH/internet/04/27/crime.britain.internet.reut/index.html - - - - - - - - - - DHS, NSA team on cybersecurity The National Security Agency and the Homeland Security Department will work together on educational initiatives to strengthen the country's computer infrastructure. On April 22, officials from NSA and DHS announced the formation of the National Centers of Academic Excellence in Information Assurance Education. It stems from NSA's Centers of Academic Excellence in Information Assurance Education Program, which started in 1998 and recognizes 50 universities in 26 states. http://www.fcw.com/fcw/articles/2004/0426/web-nsa-04-27-04.asp - - - - - - - - - - Downloads soar despite crackdown The number of US adults downloading music has climbed by 27 percent during the past three months. Music downloads among US adults have risen sharply during the past several months, despite a crackdown by the music industry to curb such behaviour. Between February and March, the number of people who reported that they download music files increased to an estimated 23 million, compared with 18 million between November and December, according to a study released Sunday by the Pew Internet & American Life Project. That's an increase of 27 percent within a matter of months. http://news.zdnet.co.uk/internet/0,39020369,39153098,00.htm Illicit Music Swapping on the Decline? http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_title=Illicit_Music_Swapping_on_the_Decline_&story_id=23834 - - - - - - - - - - Hold the Phone on Mobile Gambling A Nevada company is hoping to win the business of gaming operators around the world with a new technology it says could port casino games onto mobile phones. The so-called mCasino technology is intended to give casinos a way to keep customers happy -- read: playing and betting -- even when they're away from the tables. http://www.wired.com/news/games/0,2101,63226,00.html - - - - - - - - - - Trend to offer free Cisco network protection Cisco's Network Admission Control product, which aims to guard desktops by watching for suspicious network behaviour, will soon be a free add-on for some Trend Micro customers. Cisco's Network Admission Control product, which aims to guard desktops by watching for suspicious network behaviour, will soon be a free add-on for some Trend Micro customers http://news.zdnet.co.uk/communications/networks/0,39020345,39153165,00.htm - - - - - - - - - - Stepping up security efforts Around the world, businesses are looking to batten down the hatches. In the United States, MCI responds to that need with a suite of managed security services for small and midsize companies. Also: Mathematicians from Europe and North America beat an encryption challenge. MCI sees green in securing small businesses. Fresh out of bankruptcy protection in a market that's rough for a long-distance carrier, MCI is expanding into providing security for small and midsize businesses. http://news.com.com/2009-1009_3-5201090.html - - - - - - - - - - Smart cards arent just cards anymore The concept of the smart card is undergoing some rethinking. The traditional form factor has been a plastic card used much like a credit card. But the expansion of contactless technology lets the chips that make the cards smart be embedded in almost any kind of device, from a key fob to a cell phone. And at this weeks CardTech-SecurTech conference in Washington, the new forms and applications are getting a lot of attention. http://www.gcn.com/vol1_no1/daily-updates/25733-1.html - - - - - - - - - - Met Police keen on integration The Metropolitan Police plans to save PS18m through the introduction of its Integration Hub (I-Hub) application development infrastructure. Due to complete testing at the end of this month, I-Hub will save money by speeding up the deployment of new information-sharing applications by up to three months and will slash the time spent by officers inputting information into databases, claims the Met. http://www.vnunet.com/News/1154691 - - - - - - - - - - States outing tax evaders online To those for whom civic duty alone is not enough motivation to pay taxes, states are rolling out a new weapon: shame. A growing number of states are hoping to humiliate delinquent taxpayers by putting their names online. Used in at least 13 states, with zingy names like CyberShame and DelinqNet, the Web sites are giving state tax collectors a surprisingly useful tool in gathering old taxes. http://www.cnn.com/2004/TECH/internet/04/27/online.tax.shaming.ap/index.html - - - - - - - - - - Missouri tracks scofflaws via pizza-delivery databases It's dinnertime, and you're hungry and tired, so you pick up the phone and order your favorite pizza. But you might have just landed yourself a lot more than pepperoni and cheese. If you owe fines or fees to the courts, that phone call may have provided the link the state needed to track you down and make you pay. That's one of the strategies of firms such as a company being hired by the Missouri Office of State Courts Administrator to handle its fine and debt collections. http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/internetprivacy/2004-04-27-pizza-no-privacy_x.htm *********************************************************** 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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