NewsBits for August 24, 2004 ************************************************************ Polish cops bust 100-member computer piracy gang Polish police have broken up a gang of more than 100 hackers who sold pirated music and films, using academic computer systems around the world to store their wares, a police spokeswoman said Tuesday. "They broke into the biggest systems they could find and set up 'warehouses' to store pirated games, films and music," police spokeswoman Agata Salatka said of one of Poland's biggest piracy-related busts. http://news.com.com/Polish+cops+bust+100-member+computer+piracy+gang/2100-1027_3-5322433.html Police cuff 'international computer piracy gang' http://www.theregister.co.uk/2004/08/24/anti-piracy_swoop/ - - - - - - - - - - Employee plots revenge hack A worker attacked Varian Semiconductor Equipment Associates' computer system after finding out he was going to lose his job. A former employee of Varian Semiconductor Equipment Associates hacked into the company's computer system and damaged some software after learning he would be let go by the chip equipment maker, federal prosecutors have charged. http://news.zdnet.co.uk/business/legal/0,39020651,39164364,00.htm http://computerworld.com/securitytopics/security/cybercrime/story/0,10801,95450,00.html - - - - - - - - - - Justice Dept cools on suing swappers An official says that although the recording industry may want the government to sue individual copyright infringers, the US Justice Department is not as keen. A top Justice Department official on Monday took a swipe at one of the recording industry's favourite ideas: a law encouraging federal prosecutors to sue copyright infringers. http://news.zdnet.co.uk/business/0,39020645,39164368,00.htm Industry offers alternative to P2P bill http://zdnet.com.com/2100-1104-5322019.html Doing battle over file sharing (series of stories) http://news.com.com/Doing+battle+over+file+sharing/2009-1032_3-5318065.html Music Services Score an A-Plus http://www.wired.com/news/digiwood/0,1412,64684,00.html - - - - - - - - - - Virus takes aim at 64-bit Windows Virus writers have unleashed the first program that infects 64-bit Windows files, antivirus firm Symantec says. The virus, dubbed W64.Shruggle by Symantec, seems mainly to be an experiment to test the concept of a 64-bit infecter and is not actively spread, said Alfred Huger, senior director of security at Symantec. http://www.globetechnology.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20040824.gtsymantecaug24/BNStory/Technology/ - - - - - - - - - - Your webcam's spying on you The next time you are in your bedroom with your PC plus Webcam switched on, don't think that your privacy is all intact. If you have a Webcam plugged into an infected computer, there is a possibility that all your activities are being watched and also being recorded, courtesy, the 'Peeping Tom' worm developed by virus writers. http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/articleshow/825910.cms Peeping Tom webcam worm created by virus writers http://www.vnunet.com/news/1157577 - - - - - - - - - - Microsoft addresses NAT conflict introduced by SP2 As expected, the release of Microsofts Service Pack 2 (SP2) for Windows XP is being met with reports, even from Microsoft itself, of unexpected conflicts. Based on similar experiences with Microsoft's Windows XP Service Pack 1, the reports have led some to suggest holding off the installation of SP2 until the initial dust settles and Microsoft responds with fixes to the biggest showstoppers. http://zdnet.com.com/2100-1105_2-5321783.html SP2: Bad for your blood pressure? http://zdnet.com.com/2100-1104_2-5322554.html Windows upgrade causing campus headaches http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/5808731/ Microsoft's 'patch' of worry http://money.cnn.com/2004/08/24/technology/xp_microsoft/index.htm Analyst: SP2 a Tool, Not a Security Strategy http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_title=Analyst--SP--a-Tool--Not-a-Security-Strategy&story_id=26523 - - - - - - - - - - ISS: Critical Netscape flaw could be widespread Security company Internet Security Systems Inc. (ISS) is warning its customers about a critical security hole in a commonly used technology from the Mozilla Foundation called the Netscape Network Security Services (NSS) library that could make Web servers vulnerable to remote attack. http://computerworld.com/securitytopics/security/holes/story/0,10801,95462,00.html - - - - - - - - - - Real threats of the virtual world Viruses and id thefts rain in on the Internet users who even don't report their losses. Becky Worley, G4techTV columnist for software and technical products, wrote that malefactors know gaps in laws very well and deliberately plan their crimes that it appears hard for victims to receive aid. Steve, who didn't like to unveil his name, has lost $44,000 due to online escrow fraud on eBay. After agreeing on a price for the Porsche Boxster he never received the car, found out the doctor who had sold it to him didn't exist, and found out that his money was in Latvia. http://www.crime-research.org/news/24.08.2004/588/ - - - - - - - - - - Treasury moving to disrupt terrorist financing Treasurys Office of Terrorism and Financial Intelligence plans to integrate the departments information and intelligence streams. The streams include Bank Secrecy Act data from the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network, targeting analysis and sanctions enforcement data from the Office of Foreign Assets Control, and all intelligence flowing into Treasury from the intelligence community. http://www.gcn.com/vol1_no1/daily-updates/27037-1.html - - - - - - - - - - Draft security guidelines released The National Institute of Standards and Technology is building a repository for IT security baseline checklists, and has published guidelines for users of and contributors to the collection. It also has published a guide for conducting forensic investigations on personal digital assistants. NIST has been tasked with the formidable job of developing security configuration checklists for each computer hardware and software system that is, or is likely to become, widely used within the federal government. http://www.gcn.com/vol1_no1/daily-updates/27038-1.html - - - - - - - - - - Lawmakers seek incentives to reduce classification of information House lawmakers on Tuesday will begin trying to develop incentives to stop federal agencies from over classifying material in an effort to improve information sharing across the government. http://www.govexec.com/dailyfed/0804/082304c2.htm - - - - - - - - - - Tread carefully online to steer clear of cybercrime Steering clear of online theft and fraud usually takes little more than common sense something the average computer user often disregards once he or she is tucked behind the perceived safety and anonymity of a mouse, keyboard and modem. http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/computersecurity/2004-08-24-stay-safe-online_x.htm - - - - - - - - - - Wi-Fi Plays Defense The new 802.11i wireless LAN security standard is a step forward, but Wi-Fi LANs still aren't impervious to attacks. Unbounded by the physical constraints of cabling and walls, wireless LANs have proved tricky to secure. Now that the long- awaited 802.11i standard for enhanced WLAN security has been ratified, can IT assume that WLANs have grown as secure as their cabled counterparts? Hardly. http://computerworld.com/securitytopics/security/story/0,10801,95411,00.html - - - - - - - - - - Government considers electronic vetting system The Government is planning to introduce electronic vetting of some 131,000 people deemed to hold security-sensitive positions. Most of the existing staff and new appointees earmarked by the vetting system, hold positions within the Ministry of Defence and the armed forces, or they are defence contractors. http://www.vnunet.com/news/1157570 - - - - - - - - - - HP shelves virus-throttling product An executive cited conflicts with the Windows operating system for the decision. Six months after unveiling cutting-edge technology designed to choke off the spread of viruses, Hewlett-Packard Co. is quietly shelving the project, citing conflicts with Microsoft Corp.'s Windows operating system, a company executive said. The company won't be releasing a security service called Virus Throttler, which was announced in February. http://computerworld.com/securitytopics/security/story/0,10801,95455,00.html - - - - - - - - - - US tops junk mail Dirty Dozen - again The US is still the biggest single source of spam emails, according to figures released today.Anti- Virus firm, Sophos, said that almost 43 per cent of unsolicited mail sent in the last month originated in the United States. This puts the US well clear of other high volume spamming nations. In second place, South Korea accounts for around 15.5 per cent of spam. The UK makes it into the top ten, accounting for 1.15 per cent of spam mail. http://www.theregister.co.uk/2004/08/24/spam_table/ - - - - - - - - - - Cyber-flirtations seem harmless to some, dangerous to others When Mayor Mary Anne Clancy of Newburyport, Mass., a married mother of three, engaged in a brief e-mail dalliance with a married gym teacher earlier this year, neither could have imagined the public embarrassment that would result from their private exchanges. But after Mrs. Clancy's husband, Brian, discovered the romantic e-mails this month, he allegedly assaulted Jason Beauparlant, the teacher, and was arrested. The ensuing headlines exposed the cyber-tryst. http://www.usatoday.com/tech/webguide/internetlife/2004-08-22-cyberflirting_x.htm For online singles, Web romance can be a bit too public http://www.usatoday.com/tech/webguide/internetlife/2004-08-23-online-dating_x.htm *********************************************************** 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.