NewsBits for September 20, 2004 ************************************************************ Officer's daughter foils Internet bomb plot A boy who said on the Internet that he planned to bomb his high school was turned in by the 16-year-old daughter of a university police officer who heads a cyber crimes unit, authorities said. Authorities credited Celia McGinty of Moscow, Idaho, with foiling a plot to bomb Chippewa Valley High School outside Detroit. http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/2004-09-20-bomb_x.htm - - - - - - - - - - Brit arrested over Cisco code theft Police have confirmed the arrest of a 20-year-old man following searches of residences in Manchester and Derbyshire. Police have arrested a man suspected of stealing source code from Cisco Systems in May, a spokeswoman for Scotland Yard confirmed on Friday. The 20-year-old man, who has not been identified, was arrested on 3 September, after the Metropolitan Police Computer Crime Unit searched two residences in Manchester and Derbyshire. http://news.zdnet.co.uk/internet/security/0,39020375,39167156,00.htm http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6053722/ http://www.theregister.co.uk/2004/09/20/cisco_source_code_arrest/ - - - - - - - - - - German police break up big Internet piracy operation German police have broken up an Internet piracy operation they say had peddled millions of dollars worth of bootleg films, computer games, music and software through a Web site. The site had charged at least 45,000 subscribers to download pirated files and brought in more than $1.2 million in profits this year, authorities said. The site, since closed by police, was run from Germany, though it was registered in the British Virgin Islands and used servers located in the Netherlands and the Czech Republic. http://www.siliconvalley.com/mld/siliconvalley/news/editorial/9713866.htm 'Warez lawyer' had double agenda - claim http://www.theregister.co.uk/2004/09/20/german_warez_lawyer/ - - - - - - - - - - Consumer Groups Seek Veto of Bill on Spyware Spyware rivals spam as the top gripe of PC owners, but a bill that aims to crack down on the sneaky programs could make them more common, consumer and privacy advocates warned Friday. The groups are urging Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to veto the bill, saying it contains loopholes that could make it easier for unscrupulous programmers to legally install their wares on the hard drives of unsuspecting computer users. (LA Times article, free registration required) http://www.latimes.com/technology/la-fi-spyware18sep18,1,5955855.story - - - - - - - - - - Cybersecurity czar may get a promotion Congress is returning to computer security topics this fall, with new legislation that proposes a reorganization of the Department of Homeland Security. A pair of bills introduced last week in the U.S. House of Representatives would hand the department's senior computer security official a higher rank and more authority, as "assistant secretary for cybersecurity." They also put forward a plan to award millions of dollars in grants to colleges and universities for training and education of cybersecurity professionals. http://news.zdnet.com/2100-1009_22-5374854.html - - - - - - - - - - 9/11 overhaul likely to include cybersecurity provision House Republican leaders have included provisions to bolster the Homeland Security Department's cybersecurity responsibilities in legislation addressing recommendations made by the 9/11 Commission, according to sources. A congressional aide, who reviewed parts of the 9/11 proposal, said it now includes two smaller bills introduced last week by Reps. Mac Thornberry, R-Texas, and Zoe Lofgren, D-Calif., to elevate the department's cybersecurity director and create a technology transfer program. http://www.govexec.com/dailyfed/0904/092004cdpm1.htm - - - - - - - - - - Conference focuses on challenges of fighting cybercrime Preserving the digital crime scene poses one of the biggest challenges in the global fight against cybercrime, said participants this week at a major international conference on fighting Internet-based crime. The two-day conference, organized by the Council of Europe and held in Strasbourg, France, was meant to encourage more countries to sign the Council's convention on cybercrime, which aims to strengthen international cooperation in combating computer-based crime and to harmonize national legislation. The conference drew more than 200 participants from government and the private sector. http://www.nwfusion.com/news/2004/0917confefocus.html - - - - - - - - - - A click away from a mugging THE computer has replaced the gun as the ideal weapon as criminals turn increasingly to the internet as a tool for separating Joe Public from his money, crime-fighters warned at an international conference here. Cyber-attacks on the unwary "are becoming more and more frequent and more and more serious," Andy Letherby of Britain's National Hi-Tech Crime Unit told a gathering of 200 experts at a Council of Europe conference on "The Challenge of Cybercrime" that ended in Strasbourg on Friday http://australianit.news.com.au/articles/0,7204,10818981%5E15841%5E%5Enbv%5E,00.html - - - - - - - - - - Hackers step up e-commerce attacks E-commerce was the most targeted sector for computer attacks during the first half of this year, and there is growing evidence that there may be a shift toward hackers being motivated by economic gain instead of notoriety, warns a report on Internet security to be released today. http://www.globetechnology.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20040920.wxrsyman20/BNStory/Technology/ Hackers' warfare http://www.crime-research.org/news/18.09.2004/640/ Hackers costing enterprises billions http://searchsecurity.techtarget.com/originalContent/0,289142,sid14_gci1007181,00.html AOL to sell secure ID tags to fight hackers http://www.usatoday.com/tech/products/gear/computing/2004-09-21-aol-hwkey_x.htm - - - - - - - - - - Viruses aimed at Microsoft up sharply The number of new viruses and worms aimed at Microsoft's ubiquitous Windows operating system has risen 400 percent between January and June from the same year-earlier period, leading computer security company Symantec says.Nearly 5,000 new Windows viruses and worms were documented in the first half of the year, up from about 1,000 in the year-earlier period, said Symantec, the world's largest computer security company by revenue. http://uk.news.yahoo.com/040920/80/f2xic.html http://money.cnn.com/2004/09/20/technology/symantec_msft.reut/index.htm 'Microsoft will not completely protect you' says Gartner http://news.zdnet.co.uk/0,39020330,39167163,00.htm - - - - - - - - - - Hackers deploying 'bots' on a massive scale Hackers have increased their attempts to hijack PCs since the start of the year, with up to 75,000 being compromised daily, according to Symantec. The security firm's biannual Internet Security Threat Report found that the average number of PCs taken over by remote control was up from 2,000 to 30,000 a day. http://www.vnunet.com/news/1158220 http://www.theregister.co.uk/2004/09/20/rise_of_the_botnets/ Internet threats take on new hue The daily volume of Internet attacks dropped off in the first half of this year, and the rate at which new vulnerabilities are being reported appears to have hit a plateau, according to Symantec Corp.s latest threat report. http://www.gcn.com/vol1_no1/daily-updates/27353-1.html http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/3666978.stm - - - - - - - - - - DHS Follows Industry Lead on Cyber-Terror Lawrence Hale, deputy director of the Department of Homeland Security's cyber security division, said Friday that the DHS depends on the private sector to take the lead in fighting cyber-terrorist threats. "The normal things you do to protect your network will help protect you against cyber-terrorism," he said. Speaking at a conference on cyber-security organized by NBC News and the Northern Virginia Technology Council, Hale said the department is already aware of some cyber-terror threats, as well as the activities of terrorist organizations on the Internet. "They're using cyberspace for recruiting, fund-raising and communication," he said. http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,1759,1647410,00.asp - - - - - - - - - - Shhh, they're hunting cybercrooks The cybersleuths who helped smoke out some of the biggest crooks online can be as reclusive as their prey. Tucked inside an inconspicuous office in a business park on the banks of the Monongahela River, two dozen employees of the National Cyber- Forensics & Training Alliance quietly peck away at PCs in small cubicles. Here, the nation's cyberequivalent of CSI relies on a computer lab that simulates Internet attacks and diagnostic tools that extract clues from tainted PCs and suspicious Web sites. Yet few people are aware of the non-profit group. http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/computersecurity/2004-09-20-cybersleuths_x.htm Computer Crimes Prevention http://www.crime-research.org/news/20.09.2004/642/ - - - - - - - - - - Turning the Camera on Movie Pirates Hollywood's billion-dollar question landed in Howard Gladstone's e-mail one night: "Can you find a camcorder operating inside a movie theater?" His company, Trakstar of Weston, Fla., responded by whipping up a camera detector out of technology that soldiers use to spot snipers. That's the answer, Gladstone says but he may be only half-right. (LA Times article, free registration required) http://www.latimes.com/technology/la-fi-camcorder19sep19,1,484214.story - - - - - - - - - - Security firm hires teenage Sasser virus writer The teenage virus writer arrested for writing the Sasser worm has been offered a job - at a security firm. Sven Jaschan, an 18-year-old from Waffensen in Lower Saxony, who is also thought to be behind the Netsky virus and is currently awaiting trial for his virus-writing antics, could be about to enter gainful employment with German firewall company Securepoint. http://software.silicon.com/malware/0,3800003100,39124126,00.htm http://news.zdnet.com/2100-1009_22-5374636.html http://www.techweb.com/wire/security/47900348 http://www.theregister.co.uk/2004/09/20/sasser_kiddo_offered_job/ - - - - - - - - - - Secure Linux OS expected in early 2005 Agencies can expect a commercial version of Linux that meets government requirements for handling classified material to hit the market early next year. Trusted Computer Solutions Inc. of Herndon, Va., expects to begin beta-testing Trusted Linux this fall. TCS plans to seek Common Criteria certification at Evaluation Assurance Level 4, chief operating officer Edward Hammersla said. http://www.gcn.com/vol1_no1/daily-updates/27359-1.html - - - - - - - - - - Cisco property-to-be sniffs out spam 'zombies A start-up being acquired by Cisco Systems announced on Monday that it is adding a new feature to its traffic management product that will detect and protect Internet service provider networks from spam "zombie" attacks. Cisco last month said it plans to acquire upstart P-Cube for $200 million. The deal is expected to close in late September or early October. http://news.zdnet.com/2100-1009_22-5374483.html - - - - - - - - - - Nokia enhances SSL VPN security Nokia announced today the expanded security and functionality of Nokia Secure Access System, the company's virtual private network (VPN) solution that leverages SSL technology. Nokia Secure Access System provides secure remote access to e-mail, PIM data, corporate intranets, and applications from any Internet kiosk, desktop, notebook, or wireless device. http://news.zdnet.com/2110-1009_22-5374868.html - - - - - - - - - - IT Security to remain a top five business concern, says Gartner IT security will remain a top five business concern for the foreseeable future, with zero days attacks, outsourcing and wireless devices creating new challenges for businesses, says Gartner. Speaking at the Gartner IT Security Summit, managing vice president Victor Wheatman told more than 650 delegates that new technologies and business practices would bring a whole new range of security challenges. http://www.vnunet.com/news/1158210 - - - - - - - - - - Cyber-nightmare Four years ago al Qaeda operatives were taking flying lessons. Today they are honing a new skill: hacking. How much damage could a cyberterrorist do to an electric grid or the Internet? We don't know yet. Jason Larsen is a master hacker. He sports the de rigueur black shirt, black slacks, glasses and ponytail. A 31-year-old programmer at the secretive Idaho National Engineering & Environmental Laboratory in Idaho Falls, he obsesses about the ways in which a terrorist intruder might go online and trip circuit breakers on the electrical grid or open valves at chemical storage tanks. http://www.forbes.com/global/2004/0920/104.html *********************************************************** 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. 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