NewsBits for May 7, 2004 ************************************************************ Sasser risk 'not yet over' Security researchers are concerned that Sasser and Netsky could be combined to produce a fast-spreading worm that would be difficult to keep out of networks. Although the damage wrought by Sasser failed to reach the levels of MSBlast and other major infections, security experts are warning that there could still be more trouble to come from the worm. http://news.zdnet.co.uk/internet/security/0,39020375,39153958,00.htm Week in review: No wimpy worm http://news.com.com/2100-1083_3-5207825.html Experts divided on Sasser future http://www.crime-research.org/news/07.05.2004/260 Sasser ups cost of Windows - Gartner http://www.theregister.co.uk/2004/05/07/windows_worm_tax/ http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_title=Sasser_Costs_Mount&story_id=23963 http://computerworld.com/securitytopics/security/story/0,10801,92948,00.html Mystery of MS's missing AV software http://www.theregister.co.uk/2004/05/07/ms_av/ Sasser not a fed harasser http://www.fcw.com/fcw/articles/2004/0503/web-sasser-05-07-04.asp Sasser outbreak demonstrates need for quick patch response http://computerworld.com/securitytopics/security/virus/story/0,10801,92972,00.html - - - - - - - - - - UC-San Diego Database Hacked More than 380,000 students, alumni, applicants and employees of University of California, San Diego were at risk for identity theft after hackers accessed a university server containing names, driver's license and Social Security numbers. There was no evidence hackers stole personal information, but under state law the university was required to notify those affected that security had been breached, school officials said Thursday. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A7275-2004May7.html - - - - - - - - - - German 'old tart' emailer fined A German pensioner has been fined 100 (PS67) after calling his ex-partner "an old tart" in an email. The woman was so distraught after receiving the email - which also suggested her new partner should have "got somebody younger and more attractive for his money" - she lodged a formal complaint with police. http://www.theregister.co.uk/2004/05/07/german_email_fine/ - - - - - - - - - - Proposed bill seeks stronger privacy protection for offshore work Proposed legislation in Congress could have some important privacy and security implications for companies outsourcing work to offshore destinations. The proposed bill (S1232) is called the Safeguarding Americans From Exporting Identification Data Act (SAFE-ID) and was introduced by Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) last month. It has been submitted as an amendment to the Foreign Sales Corp./ Extraterritorial Income Act legislation. The bill has been referred to the Senate Committee on Commerce,Science and Transportation. http://computerworld.com/governmenttopics/government/legislation/story/0,10801,92980,00.html - - - - - - - - - - Anti-spam laws baffle UK.biz Businesses are in the dark over anti-spam laws, with 83 per cent ignorant of legislation aimed at stopping junk emails, a new survey has revealed. The research, conducted by software firm Clearswift, found that although just 16 per cent of businesses were aware of laws against spam, a massive 92 per cent felt current rules were not tough enough to stop unwanted emails. http://www.theregister.co.uk/2004/05/07/uk_anti_spam_laws/ - - - - - - - - - - Lawsuit challenges e-voting ban Riverside County and disabled voters sued the state election chief over his order limiting electronic balloting, saying it violates the right to vote secretly. The federal lawsuit, filed Thursday, also argued that paper-based voting costs more and has higher rates of error. http://msnbc.msn.com/id/4924806/ ITAA blasts e-voting critic, calls testimony 'misleading' http://computerworld.com/securitytopics/security/story/0,10801,92968,00.html In photos: Security experts, vendors face off on e-voting http://computerworld.com/securitytopics/security/story/0,10801,92973,00.html - - - - - - - - - - 1.67m Brits download films illegally Illegal UK downloads of films and TV via the Internet have tripled over the past year, the British Video Association (BVA) estimates. This apparently cost the UK video business PS45m in DVD sales alone during 2003. 1.67m miscreants indulged in the practice last year, compared to 570,000 in 2002. The typical offender - identified as the result of a survey of 16,000 12 to 74-year-olds - is reported as "under 35 years old and male" and "most likely to live in the south of England, where broadband is more widely available, and to download an average of 30 films or TV episodes per year". http://www.theregister.co.uk/2004/05/07/illegal_film_downloads/ - - - - - - - - - - Plenty of phish in the sea The authentic-looking e-mails, masquerading as messages from banks or online retailers, have become a popular new tool for tech-savvy fraudsters in a new scam known as "phishing". http://msnbc.msn.com/id/4915850/ Phishing spam tops three billion in April http://news.zdnet.co.uk/internet/security/0,39020375,39153966,00.htm http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_title=Report__Phishing_Scam_Hits____Million_Users&story_id=23966 - - - - - - - - - - Stalkers target victims with email There are fears that stalkers are increasingly using email and the Internet to prey on their victims, according to a report out today by Chubb Insurance. Although widely regarded as a crime that happens to celebrities, the study found that one in eight adults in the UK is a victim of "persistent or unwanted attention". Experts identified ordinary men and women in their 40s - especially those holding managerial positions or working as lawyers and doctors - as "typical victims" of stalking. http://www.theregister.co.uk/2004/05/07/stalking_net_email/ - - - - - - - - - - Sick of Spam? Prepare for Adware The biggest threat to personal computing is neither spam nor viruses. Rather, it's the proliferation of a new category of deceptive software that takes over unwitting victims' computers for the purpose of gathering their personal information and bombarding them with unwanted advertising. http://www.wired.com/news/technology/0,1282,63345,00.html - - - - - - - - - - Wi-Fi security standard to require new hardware In June the IEEE is expected to finally ratify the 802.11i security standard that uses for the first time AES (Advanced Encryption Standard) technology, a powerful 128-bit encryption technology. While AES, a standard currently approved for government use, FIPS 140-2, (Federal Information Processing) will give the enterprise the kind of strong encryption and sophisticated ciphers it has been asking for, it will also require new access cards and in many cases new APs (access points), according to Frank Hanzlik, managing director of the Wi-Fi Alliance. http://www.infoworld.com/article/04/05/07/HNwifi_1.html - - - - - - - - - - Cry to beat iris scanners An MP who volunteered to take part in the UK ID card trials says the iris scanner used is uncomfortable and made his eyes water. Poor chap, you're probably thinking, but not exactly a tragedy. However, this isn't just a whinge. The water in his eyes actually stopped the scanner from working, and it seems long eyelashes and hard contact lenses could fox it too. So we're going to have a system that is derailed by a few tears andfluttering eyelashes? http://www.theregister.co.uk/2004/05/07/watery_eyes_iris_scan/ http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/politics/3693375.stm Blunkett risks ID card battle with EU http://www.theregister.co.uk/2004/05/07/id_scheme_laundry/ - - - - - - - - - - What is a hacker? There are hundreds of definitions of hackers, crackers, phreaks, script kiddies, and any other name use to social classify those that live, work, and play in the underground. Just like punk, goth, jock, and emo, these classifications are used by the general public to put a state of thought into a neat little box so that the moral majority can better understand that which they have no real interest in than to bash it or to say how wrong it may or may not be. http://www.crime-research.org/analytics/hacker06 - - - - - - - - - - Case File delayed further A version of an FBI case management system will be in place by the end of this year, the FBI's newly appointed chief information officer said today. This latest expected deadline for the Virtual Case File (VCF), the final piece of the bureau's Trilogymodernization program, is several months behind the previous implementation target of mid-summer and a year behind the original deadline, said Zalmai Azmi, bureau CIO. http://www.fcw.com/fcw/articles/2004/0503/web-vcf-05-07-04.asp *********************************************************** 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.