NewsBits for December 16, 2004 ************************************************************ UK spammer charged with further offences More charges keep UK spammer in jail. The UK's most prolific spammer, Peter Francis Clifford Macrae, remains behind bars after being charged with further offences at Huntingdon Magistrates court. http://www.vnunet.com/news/1160116 - - - - - - - - - - Long prison term for Lowe's wi-fi hacker A 21-year-old Michigan man was sentenced to nine years in federal prison Wednesday in federal court in Charlotte, North Carolina for his role in a failed scheme to steal credit card numbers from the Lowe's chain of home improvement stores by taking advantage of an unsecured wi-fi network at a store in suburban Detroit. http://www.securityfocus.com/news/10138 http://news.zdnet.co.uk/internet/security/0,39020375,39181363,00.htm http://www.crime-research.org/news/16.12.2004/851/ http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/computersecurity/hacking/2004-12-15-lowes-hack_x.htm - - - - - - - - - - Zafi worm dominates email systems The mass-mailing Christmas e-card virus Zafi.d is clogging huge amounts of bandwidth and now accounts for one in 15 of all emails, antivirus companies said on Thursday. http://news.zdnet.co.uk/communications/networks/0,39020345,39181368,00.htm http://www.vnunet.com/news/1160109 Zafi worm proves a holiday pest http://news.zdnet.com/2100-1009_22-5494047.html Christmas card virus 'ataks' http://news.zdnet.com/2100-1009_22-5493768.html http://news.zdnet.co.uk/0,39020330,39181365,00.htm - - - - - - - - - - P2P Battle Reaches FTC The Federal Trade Commission officially entered the brawl over peer-to-peer software Wednesday as it hosted the first day of a two-day P2P workshop in which both sides accused each other of trying to deceive government regulators. Representatives of P2P software companies charged that content interests have tried to demonize P2P in an attempt to effectively kill it. http://www.wired.com/news/politics/0,1283,66051,00.html - - - - - - - - - - Students uncover dozens of Unix software flaws Students of iconoclastic computer scientist Daniel Bernstein have found some 44 security flaws in various Unix applications, according to a list of advisories posted online. The flaws, which range from minor slipups in rarely used applications to more serious vulnerabilities in software that ships with most versions of the Linux operating system, were found as part of Bernstein's graduate-level course at the University of Illinois at Chicago. http://news.zdnet.com/2100-1009_22-5492969.html http://www.theregister.co.uk/2004/12/16/unix_flaw_homework/ - - - - - - - - - - 40% of Capital's cyber crime targets women As the Delhi Police investigate an increasing number of cyber crimes, investigators are realising that almost half the cases reported have women at the receiving end of malice in cyberland. There are typical examples. In October this year, the crime branch was approached by a west Delhi-based beautician who claimed her photograph was flashed on a porno portal along with her mobile number. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/960293.cms - - - - - - - - - - Microsoft anti-spyware tools will be free -- for now Microsoft Corp. disclosed plans Thursday to offer frustrated users of its Windows software new tools within 30 days to remove spyware programs secretly running on computers. But it might cost extra in coming months. http://www.siliconvalley.com/mld/siliconvalley/news/editorial/10433671.htm http://www.securityfocus.com/news/10146 http://news.zdnet.com/2100-1009_22-5493756.html?tag=default Microsoft buys Giant to attack spyware http://www.vnunet.com/news/1160115 Microsoft posts critical configuration patch http://news.zdnet.com/2100-1009_22-5494557.html - - - - - - - - - - Report: DHS cyber security lagging The U.S. Department of Homeland Security is having some homeland cyber security issues on its systems providing remote access to telecommuters, according to a newly-released report by the DHS Inspector General's office. http://www.securityfocus.com/news/10148 - - - - - - - - - - Feds dread ID deadline Federal agency officials say they will be hard pressed to meet deadlines for issuing interoperable identification cards to comply with Homeland Security Presidential Directive (HSPD) 12. Speaking today in Bethesda, Md., at a breakfast meeting sponsored by AFCEA International, officials at the National Institute of Standards and Technology said they face substantial requests for revisions to the draft standard they issued Nov. 8 as a first step in complying with the presidential order. http://www.fcw.com/fcw/articles/2004/1213/web-hspd-12-16-04.asp - - - - - - - - - - Re:Viewing 2004: The security industry Consolidation, outsourcing and the Microsoft factor... Yesterday we revealed what the year saw in terms of the changing face of security threats but the industry itself has undergone more than a little change, as Will Sturgeon explains. http://software.silicon.com/security/0,39024655,39126605,00.htm - - - - - - - - - - A happy - and secure - Christmas Each week vnunet.com asks a different expert to give their views on recent virus and security issues, with advice, warnings and information on the latest threats. This week Dave Martin, principal security consultant at LogicaCMG, highlights the perils of a little too much Christmas cheer. http://www.vnunet.com/news/1160105 - - - - - - - - - - Legislation sets stage for uniform driver's licenses The anti-terrorism bill to be signed by President Bush on Friday opens the door for people across the nation to have similar driver's licenses, a plan that is fueling a debate over whether security concerns will lead to what amounts to a national identification card. http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/techpolicy/2004-12-15-national-id-card_x.htm - - - - - - - - - - Illinois Seeks to Curb Explicit Video Games This holiday season, children searching for the latest video game titles could walk into a store and buy "Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas" which lets players kill cops, steal cars, solicit prostitutes and then beat them to get their money back. Or kids could pick up a copy of "The Guy Game" and answer questions to get busty female characters to slip out of their clothes or engage in topless rope jumping and sack races. http://www.siliconvalley.com/mld/siliconvalley/news/editorial/10432780.htm http://www.latimes.com/technology/la-na-videogame16dec16,1,1401685.story - - - - - - - - - - Atlantic City casino fined for cameras Women, beware: Those "eye in the sky" surveillance cameras used by casinos don't just look for card cheats and crooked dealers. Sometimes, they look for low-cut blouses. New Jersey casino regulators fined Caesars Atlantic City Hotel Casino $80,000 Wednesday for using surveillance cameras to spy on female employees and customers sitting at casino tables or riding escalators. http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/surveillance/2004-12-16-surveil-abuse_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.