NewsBits for February 28, 2005 ************************************************************ Two Romanians arrested on Internet fraud charges Two Romanians have been arrested on charges they were part of a crime group that defrauded dozens of people in Europe and the United States with bogus Internet sales, police said Sunday. The two, identified by police only as 23-year- old Ionut Laurentiu and 20-year-old Viorel, were accused of defrauding customers in Europe and the United States, said Mircea Chirila, a police chief in charge of combating organized crime. http://www.detnews.com/2005/technology/0502/28/tech-102198.htm - - - - - - - - - - Bank of America loses data tapes No evidence that contents have been accessed, bank says. Bank of America has admitted losing several computer data tapes during shipment to a backup data centre. The missing tapes contained customer and account information for the US federal government charge card programme, the company said. http://www.vnunet.com/news/1161545 Bank loses a million records http://news.zdnet.co.uk/business/0,39020645,39189460,00.htm Collins wants answers on missing data about federal charge card holders http://www.gcn.com/vol1_no1/daily-updates/35170-1.html BofA loss raises tape questions http://www.fcw.com/fcw/articles/2005/0228/web-bofa-02-28-05.asp Bank loses federal workers' charge card data http://www.govexec.com/dailyfed/0205/022805p2.htm - - - - - - - - - - Novato man sentenced to prison for possessing child porn A former Marin County government employee who pleaded guilty to possessing and distributing child pornography has been sentenced to four years in prison. Curtis Alan McCutcheon, a 44-year-old former county computer technician, pleaded guilty in October to 15 counts of possessing and distributing obscene materials depicting minors. Authorities seized computers from McCutcheon's home and work and said he had more than 1,000 graphic pictures of children and minors having sex with adults. The case revealed a porn-swapping network that has led to 23 arrests or indictments in more than a dozen states. http://www.kesq.com/Global/story.asp?S=3002902 - - - - - - - - - - Ex-cop's kiddie-porn capers A FORMER police officer whose curiosity prompted him to download almost 150 child pornography images from an Internet website has been fined $2500 but has escaped a recorded conviction. The Townsville Magistrates Court heard yesterday the pornographic images found on then police constable Shane Allan Cotterall's computer featured boys and girls aged about 8-15 fully nude and exposing their genitals. http://townsvillebulletin.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,7034,12375461%255E14787,00.html - - - - - - - - - - Stockton man admits possessing child porn A Stockton man faces up to 10 years in federal prison after pleading guilty Friday to possessing child pornography. Danny D. Williams, 49, entered his plea before U.S. District Judge Richard E. Dorr at Springfield's federal courthouse. U.S. Attorney Todd Graves said Williams admitted he downloaded child porn on the Internet. The defendant had at least 215 images of apparent child porn, some of which contained sadistic, masochistic and violent content, he said. http://springfield.news-leader.com/news/today/20050227-AroundtheOzarks.html - - - - - - - - - - Evansville Man Arrested On German Child Porn Tip A tip from authorities in Germany has led to the arrest of an Evansville man for sending child pornography over the Internet. Robert Jason Racine, 21-years-old, was charged Saturday with four counts of child exploitation and possession of child pornography. Indiana State Police Sergeant Todd Ringle says authorities in Colburg, Germany, searched the home of a German man 18 months ago. An analysis of the man's computer revealed he had exchanged child pornography with an Evansville resident. http://www.14wfie.com/Global/story.asp?S=3006939&nav=3w6oWtmu - - - - - - - - - - Jury indicts priest in Web child porn A Loudoun County, Va., grand jury yesterday indicted a Catholic priest on one felony count of possession of child pornography. The arrest of the Rev. Robert C. Brooks, 72, of Leesburg, was the latest in a massive two-year Internet child pornography investigation by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents. http://washingtontimes.com/metro/20050215-105713-8446r.htm - - - - - - - - - - Gym coach arrested on child porn charges A trampoline coach arrested on child pornography charges this week didn't "touch the kids" at a Markham gymnastics club, the facility's head coach said this week. Norman Howard Joseph Ingram, 64, was charged with possession of child pornography Wednesday. Acting on a tip, York Regional Police said they found more than 100 child porn images on computer hard drives in his home. http://www.yorkregion.com/yr/newscentre/erabanner/story/2600554p-3015249c.html - - - - - - - - - - Colebrookdale man had child porn on computer A 43-year-old Hilltop Road man has been charged with possessing child pornography. Robert Senay of the 900 block of Hilltop Road turned himself in to the Berks County District Attorney's office Friday morning and was charged with possession of child pornography and obscene and other sexual materials. According to information provided by the district attorney's office, the Berks County Detectives Computer Forensic Unit searching Senay's computer found about 220 images containing young males and females, who appeared to be under the age of 18, in sexually explicit poses. http://www.pottstownmercury.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=14040781&BRD=1674&PAG=461&dept_id=18041&rfi=6 - - - - - - - - - - Arrests over PS580m VAT fraud Two men were arrested on Friday over allegations of a PS580m VAT fraud involving mobile phones and missing trader fraud. One, a 45-year old German national, is now awaiting extradition to face money laundering charges in Germany. A 42-year old British man, questioned about alleged money laundering and cheating the public revenue, is out on bail until 9 May when he must report back to Rochdale police station. More than 200 officers took part in raids in Germany, Holland, Spain, Norway and the UK. Four people were arrested in Germany. http://www.theregister.co.uk/2005/02/28/vat_fraudsters_pinched_allegedly/ - - - - - - - - - - Webcam Trojan perv gets slapped wrist A Spanish computer science student received a stiff fine this week after he admitted using malicious code to spy on a young woman via her webcam. A Malaga Court was told the perp - known only by his initials G.J.A.L. - used the Subseven Trojan horse to ogle his victim without her consent. http://www.theregister.co.uk/2005/02/28/webcam_trojan_case/ - - - - - - - - - - Computer Crime Victim Talks An Idaho State University student is accused of altering another students personal records. After the victim watched our story on Thursday, he decided to share his story with us in order to keep this type of crime from happening again. Cale Myers said it all started when he handed a parking ticket to the suspect. While handing out parking tickets, http://www.localnews8.com/home/1308847.html - - - - - - - - - - Microsoft suing Israeli spammer Israel's most prolific mass emailer has found himself on the end of a legal attack from Microsoft, which claims it wants to put a halt to high-profile spammers. Microsoft has filed a lawsuit against an Israeli man suspected of sending spam. http://news.zdnet.co.uk/internet/security/0,39020375,39189474,00.htm - - - - - - - - - - Phony FBI E-mail Launches Virus A fake e-mail that purports to be from the FBI is circulating on the Internet with a computer virus as its payload. The FBI last week warned that the unsolicited e-mail tells users that "their Internet use has been monitored by the FBI's Internet Fraud Complaint Center and that they have accessed illegal Web sites." The bogus message then asks recipients to click on an attachment and answer some questions about their alleged illegal Internet use. But rather than being a questionnaire, the attachment infects the recipient's computer with an as yet undetermined virus. http://computerworld.com/securitytopics/security/story/0,10801,100011,00.html - - - - - - - - - - Australian Cabir infestation reported Shortly after first appearing in the North America, the first case of Cabir has been officially noted in Australasia. Is Cabir rife in Sydney's taxis? A Sydney-based business partner of the mobile anti-virus company SimWorks said his Nokia 6600 had contracted the smartphone virus from a taxi driver's smartphone in North Sydney. SimWorks claimed this was the "first documented Cabir infection in Australia". http://news.zdnet.co.uk/hardware/mobile/0,39020360,39189453,00.htm - - - - - - - - - - Known Hole Aided T-Mobile Breach An intrusion into T-Mobile's servers that compromised customer records, sensitive government documents, private e-mail and candid celebrity photos last year occurred because the wireless giant failed to patch a known security hole in a commercial software package, Wired News has learned. http://www.wired.com/news/privacy/0,1848,66735,00.html Cell phone voicemail easily hacked Updated: Millions of cell phone users are at risk of having someone listen to their voicemail or steal their contact phone numbers and other private information, according to a report issued this weekend by an industry consulting firm. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/7046776/ - - - - - - - - - - ChoicePoint Error Prompts Calls for Identity Theft Law A variety of privacy groups and U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) are renewing calls for a national privacy law in the wake of news that data collector ChoicePoint Inc. mistakenly gave private information on up to 145,000 U.S. residents to identity thieves. http://computerworld.com/securitytopics/security/story/0,10801,100012,00.html Westlaw on hot seat after ChoicePoint's security woes http://www.siliconvalley.com/mld/siliconvalley/news/editorial/11015299.htm - - - - - - - - - - Attorney General defends PATRIOT Act, vows action on obscenity Attorney General Alberto Gonzales on Monday reiterated his belief that an anti-terrorism law Congress enacted after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks has been successful in preventing additional attacks on American soil. http://www.govexec.com/dailyfed/0205/022805tdpm1.htm - - - - - - - - - - Government to issue public virus alert warnings A virus alert and IT security advice website for home PC users and small businesses has been launched by the government. The free site, called ITsafe, will provide information on the latest virus threats as well as advice on safe internet surfing, email use and protecting personal and business data. http://software.silicon.com/security/0,39024655,39128160,00.htm - - - - - - - - - - NIST releases final security guidelines A final version of security guidelines designed to protect federal computer systems and the information they hold was released Monday by the National Institute of Standards and Technology. The guidelines will serve as a road map for federal agencies in meeting mandates set by the Federal Information Security Management Act (FISA). Government agencies will be required to have certain security controls, policies and procedures in place. http://news.zdnet.com/2100-1009_22-5593256.html - - - - - - - - - - Unlikely alliances form in file-sharing case Religious and other conservative groups have shown little love for Hollywood or the recording industry over the years, decrying everything from explicit rap lyrics to Janet Jackson's bared breast at the Super Bowl. But a cadre of those groups are stepping up to back the entertainment industry in its moment of need: a high-stakes battle against online file-sharing services that has reached the nation's highest court. http://www.siliconvalley.com/mld/siliconvalley/news/editorial/11013298.htm - - - - - - - - - - MEPs vote to outlaw phone prize scams The European Parliament voted last week as expected to outlaw telephone prize scams as part of a new package of EU consumer protection measures. The new rules should make it harder for scammers to trick punters into running up hefty phone bills by promising people they've won non-existent prizes. Now that the Unfair Commercial Practices Directive has been given the green light, the UK government and the other EU countries are obliged to adopt the rules into their national laws and to make sure they are enforced. http://www.theregister.co.uk/2005/02/28/phone_prize_scams/ - - - - - - - - - - Can CAN-SPAM can spim? On 15 February an 18-year-old man from Cheektowaga, New York was charged with creating tens of thousands of fraudulent IM accounts and using these accounts to send unsolicited instant messages (you know the type, "my boyfriend just dumped me, and I am alone with a webcam" or "get great rates on a mortgage".) According to the complaint, filed in federal court in Los Angeles, Anthony Greco sent more than 1.5m IMs from October to November 2004 to members of the MySpace.com online community. http://www.theregister.co.uk/2005/02/28/can_spam_spim/ Do We Need a New SPIM Law? http://www.securityfocus.com/columnists/303 Spamming tool goes on the run http://news.zdnet.co.uk/internet/security/0,39020375,39189536,00.htm - - - - - - - - - - Head to head: Child porn amnesty Hundreds of Britons have been convicted over internet child porn. An amnesty on the prosecution of viewers of internet child pornography has been proposed by a child protection group. The Churches' Child Protection Advisory Service (CCPAS) says offenders who are not a direct threat to children might come forward to seek treatment if they faced only a caution and entry on the sex offenders' register rather than court action. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/4297375.stm Call for child porn users amnesty http://www.keralanext.com/news/indexread.asp?id=130485 - - - - - - - - - - Internet child porn reports drop An organisation that polices child abuse on the internet says the number of reported abusive images has fallen. According to the Internet Watch Foundation's 2004 report, while child abuse images remain a problem the number processed is down by nearly 12%. However, the foundation based in Oakington, Cambs, said of the 17,000 reports made to them 3,500 were found to be illegal. The group passed on information that led to at least nine arrests. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/cambridgeshire/4302865.stm - - - - - - - - - - U of T fighting kiddie porn Eggheads and computer geeks are working together to help shut down the dark side of the Internet. Helped by a $100,000 donation from Microsoft Canada, U of T researchers will analyze how countries around the world deal with pedophiles and creeps who use the Internet to peddle child porn and lure kids into sex. http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/TechNews/Internet/2005/02/22/938786-sun.html - - - - - - - - - - Opera beefs up browser to thwart phishers Opera is trying to close the net on phishers with the release last Friday (February 25) of a second beta of its forthcoming Opera 8 browser. The Beta 2 release is designed to display the name of an organisation that owns the certificate of a site inside an address bar, located next to the padlock icon that indicates the security of a site. By clicking on the bar, surfers can find out who issued a certificate. http://www.theregister.co.uk/2005/02/28/opera_eight_beta/ Firefox foils phishing flaw http://www.vnunet.com/news/1161518 Phishers chip away at web security http://www.vnunet.com/news/1161575 US tops phishing league http://news.zdnet.co.uk/internet/security/0,39020375,39189471,00.htm - - - - - - - - - - eBay provides backdoor for phishers Phishers are exploiting a redirection script on eBay's site to make fraudulent emails look more convincing. Three Register readers noticed the trick in scam emails they received. Alerted by The Register, email security firm MessageLabs confirmed that it has detected and blocked the same trick a number of times in the last two weeks. http://www.theregister.co.uk/2005/02/28/ebay_phishing_backdoor/ - - - - - - - - - - Main culprits in kids' ID theft? Family members Updated: Shiloh Puckett is 10 years old, but this Dallas-area 4th grader already has quite a history. A credit history, that is. Shiloh has had 17 credit cards, racked up thousands of dollars on her American Express bill and been approved for a $42,000 loan. She is deep in debt and has been since she was just five. How does a child like Puckett get those credit cards and spend all that money? http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/7045490/ Treating Personal Data Too Casually http://www.latimes.com/technology/la-fi-golden28feb28,1,6654810.column - - - - - - - - - - RFID set for growth explosion US government spending on radio frequency identification (RFID) technology is expected to rocket 120 per cent by 2009, public sector analyst firm Input has predicted. Although the study expects that growth within civilian agencies will start slowly, it forecasts substantial growth in 2007 as business cases emerge demonstrating similar cost benefits in areas outside the supply chain process. http://www.vnunet.com/news/1161552 - - - - - - - - - - Two Sides of Vulnerability Scanning There are two approaches to network vulnerability scanning, active and passive. The active approach encompasses everything an organization does to foil system breaches, while the passive (or monitoring) approach entails all the ways the organization oversees system security. When making buying decisions for your organization, it's a mistake to think that you have to choose between the two types of protection. http://computerworld.com/securitytopics/security/story/0,10801,99997,00.html - - - - - - - - - - German courts go techno The German Courts have finally entered the Internet Age. The lower Chamber of Germany's Federal Parliament on Friday passed the German Electronic File Management Act, which will enable the German judiciary to process legal files and documents electronically. http://www.theregister.co.uk/2005/02/28/german_courts_online/ *********************************************************** 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.