NewsBits for August 12, 2004 ************************************************************ Los Alamos and the missing discs that never were The hunt for a missing pair of computer discs said to contain classified information at a key US nuclear weapons research lab has turned into a near farce this week after it emerged the discs may never have existed. The discs' supposed disappearance resulted in an unprecedented shut-down of classified work at Los Alamos National Laboratory, New Mexico over the last four weeks. This shut down was supposed to facilitate an intensification of a search for what may turn out to be a mirage. http://www.theregister.co.uk/2004/08/12/nuke_lab_disc_farce/ http://www.fcw.com/fcw/articles/2004/0809/web-energy-08-12-04.asp - - - - - - - - - - Ex-Verizon Wireless employee charged with $20 million fraud A former Verizon Wireless employee was indicted by a federal grand jury Thursday on charges he stole more than $20 million from the company's prepaid cellular telephone service. Timothy Charles Mattos, 32, of Folsom, was indicted on 10 fraud and money laundering counts. A warrant has been issued for his arrest. http://www.siliconvalley.com/mld/siliconvalley/news/editorial/9385692.htm http://www.cnn.com/2004/TECH/08/12/cell.fraud.ap/index.html - - - - - - - - - - Webmaster linked to Islamic militants denies wrongdoing A New Jersey man who operates a Web site that federal officials identified as aiding Islamic militants has issued a statement denying the accusations, according to a published report. "I do not support and I have never supported any action that harms innocent people," read a statement by Mazen Mokhtar, The Washington Post reported on Thursday. "I have never knowingly assisted any terrorist group." http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/2004-08-12-webmaster-denies-terror_x.htm - - - - - - - - - - DVD Jon cracks Airport music streaming Norwegian programmer Jon Lech Johansen has decrypted and published the key that Apple's wireless hi-fi bridge, Airport Express, uses to protect music streams. He's also released the source code to a small Windows command-line tool he calls JustePort. In essence his crack opens the door for other applications to broadcast music to your hi-fi over a home WLAN network using Express, rather than just iTunes 4.6. http://www.theregister.co.uk/2004/08/12/airport_express_cracked/ http://www.siliconvalley.com/mld/siliconvalley/news/editorial/9385704.htm http://news.zdnet.co.uk/software/mac/0,39020393,39163378,00.htm http://www.vnunet.com/news/1157290 - - - - - - - - - - Name that antipiracy weasel, BSA asks kids US schoolchildren, already enrolled into classes on the evils of copyright violation next term, are to be invited to name the Business Software Alliance's new mascot. The BSA explains: "Elementary school students heading back to school in September will be invited to name the 'Play It Safe in Cyber Space' mascot, a 'copyright-crusading' ferret who teaches tech-savvy kids about cyber ethics." http://www.theregister.co.uk/2004/08/12/bsa_superhero_ferret/ - - - - - - - - - - Charity forces closure of 'bully' website An Internet message board has been pulled amid allegations it was used by bullies to harass and victimise school children. The site - which claims to be the "largest online teen community" in North London and Hertfordshire - also contained death threats and racist comments, according to anti-bullying charity, Bullying Online. http://www.theregister.co.uk/2004/08/12/bullies_police_charity/ - - - - - - - - - - OECD unveils Spam Task Force The OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) has set up a task force to tackle spam. The group will look at a host of issues to tackle this global problem including co-ordinating international responses to fight spam and encourage "best practices" in industry and business. http://www.theregister.co.uk/2004/08/12/oecd_spam/ - - - - - - - - - - Biometric tech puts ID at your fingertips Stuffing something in a public locker usually isn't a memorable experience. You drop a coin, take the key and move on. But at the Statue of Liberty, recently reopened after a two-year closure, stashing a package offers a glimpse into the future. To rent, close and reopen lockers, visitors touch an electronic reader that scans fingerprints. "It's easy," Taiwanese visitor Yu-Sheng Lee, 26, said after stowing a bag. "I think it's good. I don't have to worry about a key or something like that." http://www.cnn.com/2004/TECH/ptech/08/11/biometrics.ap/index.html - - - - - - - - - - Microsoft's blast from the past A year ago, the author of the MSBlast computer worm taunted Microsoft with a message in the fast-spreading program: "billy gates why do you make this possible? Stop making money and fix your software!!" Bill Gates and company apparently took up the challenge. On Friday, Microsoft released to PC manufacturers Windows XP Service Pack 2, an update aimed at locking down customers' computers. SP2 took more than nine months to complete and contains significant security changes to the flagship operating system. http://zdnet.com.com/2100-1105_2-5306235.html Will SP2 actually make a difference? http://zdnet.com.com/2100-1107_2-5306986.html - - - - - - - - - - Microsoft touts 'Sender ID' to fight spam, scams Microsoft on Thursday is holding a summit with members of the E-Mail Service Provider Coalition to address the use of Sender ID technology as a standard to fight spam and phishing. The software giant said it would gather more than 80 members of the ESPC coalition at its Redmond, Wash., headquarters to discuss using Sender ID as a way to ensure that e-mail originates from the Internet domain it claims to come from. http://zdnet.com.com/2100-1105_2-5307339.html IronPort, others support Microsoft's Sender ID E-mail security company IronPort Systems Inc. said today that its products and services will support Microsoft Corp.'s Sender ID e-mail authentication standard. IronPort's C-Series security appliances will include Sender ID checks to help generate a score used to establish the reputation of e-mail senders. The company's Bonded Sender Program, which is used by e-mail marketers, will also use Sender ID data as part of its accreditation process for e-mail senders, the company said in a statement. http://computerworld.com/softwaretopics/software/groupware/story/0,10801,95202,00.html - - - - - - - - - - Check Point blend ensures nodes meet security policies Check Point Software Technologies Ltd. has integrated its VPN software with tools that check remote computers to ensure they meet security policies, making it simpler to install endpoint security on computers accessing VPNs. http://computerworld.com/networkingtopics/networking/vpn/story/0,10801,95193,00.html - - - - - - - - - - Begging for trouble on security Let's face it, network security has turned into the black hole of the IT budget. Under constant pressure to, once and for all, make their networks secure, IT managers have set up an arsenal of internal and external defenses: firewalls that filter packets, intrusion detection systems that spot known attack signatures, virtual private networks that establish encrypted tunnels to trusted partners, and public-key infrastructures that authenticate partners in a transaction. http://news.com.com/Begging+for+trouble+on+security/2010-1009_3-5306242.html Users unite to seek security standards http://www.computing.co.uk/news/1157263 *********************************************************** 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. 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