NewsBits for February 9, 2005 ************************************************************ Hackers sued for tinkering with Xbox games In the first case of its kind, a California video game maker is suing an entire community of software tinkerers for reverse engineering and modifying Xbox games that they legally purchased. Tecmo, Inc., a subsidiary of a Japanese company, announced a federal lawsuit Wednesday against Mike Greiling of Eden Prairie, Minn., and Will Glynn from Davie, Fla, for alleged violations of U.S. copyright law and the controversial Digital Millennium Copyright Act. http://www.securityfocus.com/news/10466 - - - - - - - - - - EarthLink fries up more spam suits The Internet service provider said that all four claims, which were filed in the U.S. District Court of Atlanta during January, charge defendants with violating the Can-Spam Act, the federal Computer Fraud and Abuse Act, and the Georgia Computer Systems Protection Act, in addition to state and federal racketeering laws. http://news.zdnet.com/2100-1009_22-5569439.html - - - - - - - - - - Symantec flaw leaves opening for viruses Symantec has issued a patch for a flaw in its scanning software that could cause a virus to execute, rather than catch it. The vulnerability affects an antivirus library used by the majority of Symantec's antivirus and antispam products, including Norton SystemWorks 2004 and Symantec Mail Security for Exchange, the security provider said on Tuesday. http://news.zdnet.com/2100-1009_22-5569811.html http://computerworld.com/securitytopics/security/holes/story/0,10801,99629,00.html - - - - - - - - - - Spyware takes aim at Mozilla browsers Security experts are advising that spyware that targets browsers from the Mozilla Foundation has been spotted--a threat that could worsen as its Firefox browser takes market share from Microsoft. http://news.zdnet.com/2100-1009_22-5569635.html http://www.internetnews.com/security/article.php/3481651 Spoofing flaw hits web browsers http://www.vnunet.com/news/1161104 - - - - - - - - - - Virtual Jihad Radical Islamic Web sites are encouraging their supporters to wage holy war online. Their exhortations underscore U.S. vulnerability to cyberterror. In recent months, an odd message has popped up on some radical Islamic Web sites. Readers are encouraged to use their computers to advance the cause of jihad. One preferred method touted on these sites: launch a cyberattack by jamming the Web sites and e-mail addresses of the Zionist enemy. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6940849/site/newsweek/ - - - - - - - - - - Phones, Car Engines Face Security Threats -- Report Daily computer security headaches such as viruses and spam threaten to spread to a far wider range of devices -- from phones to car engines, a survey to be published by IBM on Wednesday has found. The report, published by IBM Security Intelligence Services, a consulting arm of the world's largest computer company, paints a picture of rampant, albeit controllable, security dangers. http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=topNews&storyID=7574854 http://computerworld.com/securitytopics/security/story/0,10801,99634,00.html http://www.theregister.co.uk/2005/02/09/ibm_security_report/ Virus threat widening http://news.zdnet.co.uk/internet/security/0,39020375,39187252,00.htm New Outlets for Viruses, Spam http://www.wired.com/news/business/0,1367,66549,00.html - - - - - - - - - - Infrastructure, cybersecurity could be next in line for consolidation The Office of Management and Budget plans to delve deep into whether agencies can standardize cybersecurity processes and whether there are ways to reduce the amount of money agencies spend on infrastructure over the next nine months. OMB officials estimated that agencies spend more than $4 billion on IT security processes, and just under $11 billion on office automation, infrastructure and telecommunications systems, according to analyses of the fiscal 2006 IT business cases through the Federal Enterprise Architecture. http://www.gcn.com/vol1_no1/daily-updates/35042-1.html - - - - - - - - - - Employees to be quizzed over compliance A software application launched on Thursday will force workers to take regular tests on company policies - and could help to keep management out of jail. Employees could soon be tested to see whether they have read and understood company policies on issues such as data protection and financial disclosure. http://news.zdnet.co.uk/business/employment/0,39020648,39187402,00.htm - - - - - - - - - - TRUSTe seal yanked from FreeiPods.com website TRUSTe, the business community's guarantor of Internet privacy, abruptly ended on Wednesday its relationship with the company operating FreeiPods.com and other Web sites, alleging unspecified violations of privacy promises to consumers. TRUSTe said Gratis Internet LLC of Washington no longer could display on any of its Internet properties the industry's broadly recognized seal intended to assure consumers that a Web site complies with privacy-protection guidelines. http://www.securityfocus.com/news/10463 - - - - - - - - - - Third buy's a charm for Microsoft security? Microsoft's idea to purchase Sybari Software came from a place where many of its ideas are born--its labs. Late last year, the software giant wanted to build on an important technology--the RAV antivirus software that it acquired from Romania-based GeCad --to take it beyond a desktop virus scanner to a security product for businesses. http://news.zdnet.com/2100-1009_22-5568456.html Microsoft Anti-Spyware Software Under Attack http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_title=Microsoft-Anti-Spyware-Software-Under-Attack&story_id=30376 http://www.theregister.co.uk/2005/02/09/banking_trojan/ http://news.zdnet.com/2100-1009_22-5569429.html - - - - - - - - - - Doctors secure PCs from viruses The Royal Society of Medicine (RSM) has installed internet security to reduce the number of viruses infecting its systems. The organisation has chosen security specialist ScanSafe to protect its 150 public-access computers and networked business applications. http://www.vnunet.com/news/1161131 - - - - - - - - - - Students ordered to wear tracking tags The only grade school in this rural town is requiring students to wear radio frequency identification badges that can track their every move. Some parents are outraged, fearing it will rob their children of privacy. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6942751/ http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/living/education/10853541.htm - - - - - - - - - - Vegas casino bets on RFID Casino mogul Steve Wynn has pulled out all the stops for his new $2.7 billion mega-resort in Las Vegas: an 18-hole championship golf course, a private lake and mountain, and a bronze tower housing 2,700 plush guest rooms. But when its doors open in April, the Wynn Las Vegas will have one unique feature that few visitors are likely to notice--high-tech betting chips designed to deter counterfeiting, card- counting and other bad behavior. http://news.zdnet.com/2100-1009_22-5568288.html - - - - - - - - - - MPs criticise hasty reading of ID Cards Bill The government's ID Cards Bill will receive its final reading in Parliament today (Thursday) amid claims it is being rushed through with far too little time for consideration by MPs. Liberal Democrat IT spokesman Richard Allan says questions raised but not adequately discussed include the power retained by the government to share information on a central register with foreign organisations such as Interpol and the FBI. http://www.vnunet.com/news/1161136 - - - - - - - - - - The curse of the secret question It's happened to all of us: We sign up for some online account, choose a difficult-to-remember and hard-to-guess password, and are then presented with a "secret question" to answer. Twenty years ago, there was just one secret question: "What's your mother's maiden name?" Today, there are more: "What street did you grow up on?" "What's the name of your first pet?" "What's your favorite color?" And so on. http://computerworld.com/securitytopics/security/story/0,,99628,00.html - - - - - - - - - - Unexpected Attack Vectors A new round of attacks and phishing attempts use some unexpected attack vectors that we should have been paying attention to, but weren't. Back in 1882, Los Angeles was a rough, dry town of 12,000 people that had been an incorporated municipality for a little over 3 decades. 1882 also saw the introduction of telephone service and electric streetlights. http://www.securityfocus.com/columnists/298 - - - - - - - - - - Penetration Testing IPsec VPNs As companies expand their presence globally, there arises a need for secure electronic communications between geographically dispersed locations. Virtual private networks (VPNs) provide an economically viable option to address this need. A VPN is a private network that uses the public Internet to either connect remote users to the company's internal network or establish a seamless connection between the company's physically isolated sites. http://www.securityfocus.com/infocus/1821 - - - - - - - - - - Data mining from the pilot's seat Commentary--Anyone who has ever flown a plane-- or even glanced into a cockpit when boarding a commercial flight--can appreciate the complex array of gauges and monitors that the pilot must check. All the data about a plane's speed, course, fuel and other details are available at a glance, each giving the pilot the information necessary to make sound, safe decisions. http://news.zdnet.com/2100-9592_22-5569538.html - - - - - - - - - - Police pilot intelligence database THE first stage of the Impact programme to create a national intelligence system for UK police is being piloted across three forces.The National Nominal Index (NNI) has been developed by the Police IT Organisation (Pito) as a way for forces to search five key local systems, and will be rolled out to all child abuse and protection units from April. http://www.vnunet.com/news/1161147 *********************************************************** 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. 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