NewsBits for February 16, 2005 ************************************************************ Man Pleads Guilty to Hacking T-Mobile Data He faces as many as five years in prison for breaking into the firm's computer network and customers' accounts. A 21-year-old hacker pleaded guilty Tuesday to infiltrating T-Mobile USA Inc.'s computer network and gaining access to customers' e-mail, voice messages and photos. http://www.siliconvalley.com/mld/siliconvalley/news/editorial/10913815.htm http://www.securityfocus.com/news/10516 http://www.cnn.com/2005/TECH/02/16/cell.phone.hacker.ap/index.html http://www.theregister.co.uk/2005/02/16/t_mobile_hacker_guilty/ - - - - - - - - - - Child-sex sting by FBI results in 8 arrests Seven men whom authorities link to a national group advocating sexual relationships between men and boys were arrested Saturday as they headed to Ensenada in hopes of molesting children, the FBI said yesterday. Three of the men were arrested at Harbor Island in a sting orchestrated by an undercover agent who infiltrated the North American Man/Boy Love Association, or NAMBLA, said Dan Dzwilewski, head of the San Diego FBI office. http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/metro/20050215-9999-1m15nambla.html - - - - - - - - - - ChoicePoint urged to make wider disclosure More victims surface in data theft case; suspect arrested. A New York state legislator is calling on database giant ChoicePoint to reveal a wider list of consumers impacted by a recent data theft at the firm involving thousands of consumers. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6979897/ http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6969799/ http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/computersecurity/hacking/2005-02-16-choicepoint-hacked_x.htm http://www.theregister.co.uk/2005/02/16/california_data_hack/ - - - - - - - - - - Mob nets $650 million from phone and internet fraud For almost a century, members of the Gambino crime family maintained a violent grip over New York as ruthless practitioners of murder, drug pushing, racketeering and extortion. Now six men, at least two of whom have been linked to what was once one of America's premier Mafioso gangs, have been told they face lengthy prison terms for the mob's first foray into the more prosaic, but no less lucrative, 21st century crime dof phone and internet fraud. http://www.crime-research.org/news/16.02.2005/965/ - - - - - - - - - - ID theft scam targets companies A loophole in the system for registering company details is allowing fraudsters to hijack organisations' identities and illegally obtain goods and services. Several firms have fallen victim to the ploy in the past few weeks, according to credit card fraud specialist Early Warning. http://www.vnunet.com/news/1161295 - - - - - - - - - - 'Deadcode' virus attempts political mischief Security experts today warned users to be on their guard against the newly discovered Deadcode-A virus which infects executable files on compromised computers and displays a political message when launched. The text of the message, which reads 'BlackHand.w32 Long Live Great Serbia', is believed to refer to a nationalist slogan used by Serbian Radical Party politician Tomislav Nicolic to finish his speeches. http://www.vnunet.com/news/1161285 - - - - - - - - - - FCC Wants to Shield Kids From Phone Smut U.S. regulators are turning their sights on protecting children from indecency on mobile phones. The wireless industry should mount an education campaign so parents know how they can shield their children from adult content, John Muleta, head of the Federal Communications Commission's wireless bureau, said in a letter. (LA Times article, free registration required) http://www.latimes.com/technology/la-fi-rup16.7feb16,1,2171796.story - - - - - - - - - - Internet Explorer 7 Out by Summer The perceived security issues with Internet Explorer are seen as providing market openings for competing browsers like Firefox. For the first time in years, Microsoft is losing market share in the browser space, and Firefox still is gaining momentum. http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_title=Internet-Explorer---Out-by-Summer&story_id=30509 http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/2005-02-15-msoft-usat_x.htm Thunderbird Takes Flight http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_title=Thunderbird-Takes-Flight-&story_id=30191 - - - - - - - - - - U.S. agencies earn D-plus on computer security The overall security of computer systems inside the largest U.S. government agencies improved marginally since last year but still merits only a D-plus on the latest progress report from Congress. http://www.siliconvalley.com/mld/siliconvalley/news/editorial/10915463.htm http://www.gcn.com/vol1_no1/daily-updates/35092-1.html http://www.govexec.com/dailyfed/0205/021605p1.htm IT industry, critics clash over cybersecurity http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/computersecurity/2005-02-16-cybersecurity-grades_x.htm Software firms fault colleges' security education http://news.zdnet.com/2100-1009_22-5579014.html Security firms show united front http://news.zdnet.co.uk/internet/security/0,39020375,39188056,00.htm - - - - - - - - - - Online child pornography is a growing problem For years, carefully trained volunteers with Wired Kids Inc., a nonprofit organization devoted to online consumer safety, scoured the Web in search of child pornography. They frequently found the illicit images and videos, and passed tips to law-enforcement personnel about the Web sites and chat rooms where they're exchanged. http://www.informationweek.com/story/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=60400181 - - - - - - - - - - DHS intelligence chief heads for the exit Patrick Hughes, the Homeland Security Departments acting undersecretary for information analysis and infrastructure protection, today told members of the House Homeland Security Committee Subcommittee on Intelligence, Information Sharing and Terrorism Risk Assessment that he plans to leave his post March 15. http://www.gcn.com/vol1_no1/daily-updates/35094-1.html - - - - - - - - - - Anti-piracy technology targets DVD rippers Macrovision has created anti-piracy technology which it claims will slash the supply of pirated content downloaded from peer-to-peer (P2P) networks. http://www.vnunet.com/news/1161300 - - - - - - - - - - Cisco set on security spending spree Networking giant Cisco Systems plans a rapid increase in security buys and partnerships, as it seeks to offer products that can defend against the latest threats. http://news.zdnet.com/2100-1009_22-5579566.html - - - - - - - - - - Agencies face a tight timetable on new federal ID standard The Federal Information Processing Standard for personal identity verification, expected to be signed Feb. 25, represents two years of work crammed into six months. Then the hard part starts. Agencies must be in initial compliance with the new standard by October. http://www.gcn.com/vol1_no1/daily-updates/35070-1.html - - - - - - - - - - MPs voice concerns after passing ID cards bill MPs have passed the government's identity cards bill through the House of Commons by 224 votes to 64. The plan proposes the creation of a central register of all UK adults, holding basic information and up to three biometrics, such as iris scans or facial images. http://www.vnunet.com/news/1161293 - - - - - - - - - - Company pulls out of contract to track students with RFID The grade school that required students to wear radio frequency identification badges that can track their every move has ended the program because the company that developed the technology pulled out. http://www.siliconvalley.com/mld/siliconvalley/news/editorial/10914505.htm http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/surveillance/2005-02-16-no-student-surveillance_x.htm - - - - - - - - - - Intrusion prevention systems provide an active line of defense Squeezed for time and manpower, IT administrators are moving beyond intrusion detection systems, implementing tools to automatically block intrusions. "It is still a new market," said Andy Salo, director of product marketing for TippingPoint, which is unveiling the fastest model of its UnityOne Intrusion Prevention System at this week's RSA Security Conference. http://www.gcn.com/vol1_no1/daily-updates/35069-1.html - - - - - - - - - - Is Linux security a myth? Comment There are rare occasions in IT when a particular architecture reaches a point where it stops being purely IT driven and takes on a life of its own. The last year has seen the open source movement reach such a cult status; and at the vanguard of open source fashion can be found the Linux operating system. http://www.theregister.co.uk/2005/02/16/linux_security - - - - - - - - - - Windows NTFS Alternate Data Streams The purpose of this article is to explain the existence of alternate data streams in Microsoft Windows, demonstrate how to create them by compromising a machine using the Metasploit Framework, and then use freeware tools to easily discover these hidden files. http://www.securityfocus.com/infocus/1822 - - - - - - - - - - Bay Area transit police map a better view of their beat The Bay Area Rapid Transit Police Department is pushing location-based information out to its cops in the field by making data available on wireless devices. "It has helped a lot with our efficiency," said systems administrator Carissa Goldner. "Dispatch centers are always busy," and now, through notebook computers in cars and handheld devices while on foot, a handful of officers have direct access to the same GIS data as dispatchers. http://www.gcn.com/vol1_no1/daily-updates/35071-1.html - - - - - - - - - - The road to identity management: How to know who's who and what's what. Providing secure, efficient and controlled access to information is critical. Companies must be structured so the right people have easy access to the information required to make smart business decisions. http://computerworld.com/securitytopics/security/story/0,,99749,00.html - - - - - - - - - - Notts Police upgrades licensing software Nottinghamshire Police has upgraded the software used to run its alcohol licensing system, as part of plans to crack down on anti-social behaviour. The force's updated software can record information relating to specific incidents at licensed premises, and cross-reference it with data about each venue's licensing terms and conditions. http://www.vnunet.com/news/1161294 *********************************************************** 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 2000-2005, NewsBits.net, Campbell, CA.