NewsBits for March 14, 2005 ************************************************************ Apple wins victory against fan site A US judge has ruled that the computer maker has the right to subpoena email records in search of the identity of employees who leaked details of an upcoming product. Apple has the right to subpoena the electronic records of a Web site that published items about an unreleased product, a judge ruled Friday. http://news.zdnet.co.uk/business/legal/0,39020651,39191233,00.htm - - - - - - - - - - Applicants face rejection for hacking attempts An applicant to the business school of Duke University who tried to hack into his admission file has been rejected, school officials said Friday. The electronic intrusion happened last week, after instructions for circumventing controls in application software used by many business schools showed up in an online forum for the magazine BusinessWeek. http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/computersecurity/hacking/2005-03-13-admission-hackers_x.htm Punishment fits the crime for these hackers http://www.hendersondispatch.com/articles/2005/03/13/news/opinion/opin1.txt - - - - - - - - - - Child porn sentence 30 years Lloyd Alan Emmerson, the Clovis chiropractor whose arrest sparked an investigation that uncovered an international child pornography ring, was sentenced Friday to 30 years in prison - a punishment he said he hopes will deter others "who may be tempted." http://www.fresnobee.com/local/story/10115884p-10938622c.html - - - - - - - - - - Former Schofield soldier sentenced to 15 years for child porn A former Schofield Barracks soldier has been sentenced to 15 years in federal prison on child pornography and sexual abuse charges. Federal prosecutors say Jesus Norberto Evans-Martinez will not be eligible for parole. Evans-Martinez pleaded guilty last year to running an e-group on the Internet that sent and shared child pornography. He also admitted to sexually abusing a 13-year-old girl on the Schofield Barracks base. http://www.kpua.net/news.php?id=4784 - - - - - - - - - - Police step up investigation of child pornography users Jeff Shaw's three-page affidavit describes child pornography images in searing detail. The Northfield police chief writes that in these photographs, 7- to 11-year-old girls are seen naked, some apparently drugged, laying motionless as men perpetrate sex acts on their immature bodies. http://www.timesargus.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050313/NEWS/503130358&SearchID=73201973652536 - - - - - - - - - - Spyware Assassin censured for 'bogus' claims A firm accused of scaring punters into buying ineffective protection against spyware has been ordered to curtail its deceptive marketing claims by a US District court. The Federal Trade Commission is looking to extend this temporary injunction against Spyware Assassin into a permanent ban. http://www.theregister.co.uk/2005/03/14/ftc_slams_spyware_assassin/ http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/7161004/ - - - - - - - - - - Hackers target Bluetooth devices 1km away Bluetooth may be more vulnerable than first thought after security consultants unveiled a device that can pick up transmissions up to 1km away. Nicknamed the BlueSniper, the device consists of a directional 'yagi' antenna mounted on a foldable stock with a Bluetooth module and processor built into the magazine, although it can also be hooked up to a laptop. http://www.vnunet.com/news/1161915 - - - - - - - - - - Zombie PCs being sent to steal IDs Bot nets, collections of compromised computers controlled by a single person or group, have become more pervasive and increasingly focused on identity theft and installing spyware, according to a Honeynet Project report. http://news.zdnet.com/2100-1009_22-5616202.html - - - - - - - - - - Agency warned Bush of high-tech dangers The nation's electronic intelligence agency warned President Bush in 2001 that monitoring U.S. adversaries would require a "permanent presence" on networks that also carry Americans' messages that are protected from government eavesdropping. http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/2005-03-13-bush-warned_x.htm - - - - - - - - - - Navigating the law of unintended consequences While the U.S. Congress dickers over how to respond to a series of high-profile data mishaps by ChoicePoint and other companies, state legislators are wasting no time. Legislators in more than 20 states, including New York, Washington, Illinois and Texas, have already proposed laws in response to a series of security snafus involving Bank of America, payroll provider PayMaxx and Reed Elsevier Group's LexisNexis service. http://news.com.com/Navigating+the+law+of+unintended+consequences/2010-7348_3-5611746.html - - - - - - - - - - Dutch ISPs agree to help in crackdown on downloaders Several major Internet service providers in the Netherlands said Monday they will cooperate in a crackdown on subscribers suspected of illegally trading copyright music, film and software files. http://www.usatoday.com/tech/world/2005-03-14-dutch-download_x.htm - - - - - - - - - - Swedish ISP raid prompts backlash A raid by Swedish authorities last week against Bahnhof, Sweden's oldest and largest ISP, has been hailed by Hollywood as a major blow against movie piracy. But questions have been raised about whether the 10 March raid, orchestrated by Swedish anti-piracy organisation Antipiratbyran, and involving the seizure of data involving thousands of users, might have violated the country's strict data privacy laws. http://www.theregister.co.uk/2005/03/14/bahnhof_bust/ - - - - - - - - - - UK gets tough on music swappers The UK music industry has compared the fight against illegal online file sharing with curbing drink driving. The British Phonographic Industry (BPI) is likely to bring further legal action against UK citizens accused of sharing copyright-protected files over the Internet. Late last week the BPI won a court ruling that will force six UK ISPs to name 31 subscribers suspected of illegally sharing music. http://news.zdnet.co.uk/0,39020330,39191321,00.htm ISPs must identify file sharers http://news.zdnet.co.uk/business/legal/0,39020651,39191235,00.htm - - - - - - - - - - UK ISPs join fight against spammers A worldwide push to turn up the heat on spam has got the backing of the London Internet Exchange. The London Internet Exchange (LINX) is putting its weight behind an international government campaign to combat spammers. http://news.zdnet.co.uk/internet/security/0,39020375,39191251,00.htm - - - - - - - - - - Air Force to get Microsoft security patches before official release The Air Force now has a jump-start on implementing Microsoft security patches thanks to a plan that allows the department to receive beta test versions of patches. Last year the Air Force signed a $500 million deal with Microsoft under its One Air Force, One Network initiative. The plan consolidated 38 software license agreements scattered throughout numerous commands, and also allowed the Air Force to take part in the companys Security Update Validation Program. http://www.gcn.com/vol1_no1/daily-updates/35271-1.html - - - - - - - - - - Pentagon seeks spyware fighter Officials at U.S. Strategic Command (Stratcom), which performs computer network defense and attack, announced today that they want to buy a spyware protection system for the military and the Coast Guard. http://www.fcw.com/article88286 - - - - - - - - - - Can a Virus Hitch a Ride in Your Car? VIRUS can wreak havoc on computer files, hard drives and networks, but its malicious effects tend to be measured in wasted time, lost sales and the occasional unfinished novel that evaporates into the digital ozone. But what if viruses, worms or other forms of malware penetrated the computers that control ever more crucial functions in the car? http://www.nytimes.com/2005/03/13/automobiles/13AUTO.html - - - - - - - - - - Privacy advocates frown on Amazon snooping plan Post a review of a book or other product on Amazon.com, and the information may find its way into the company's file on you. That's one key feature, anyway, of a system Amazon has invented to gather clues about customers' gift-giving habits in order to suggest future gifts and reminders. The company was granted a patent last week for the system, which also profiles gift recipients and guesses their age, birthday and gender. http://news.com.com/Privacy+advocates+frown+on+Amazon+snooping+plan/2100-1038_3-5611663.html Congress Aims to Create Broader Privacy Policies http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,1759,1775407,00.asp - - - - - - - - - - Supermarkets next in line for phishing attacks Online retailers are likely to become the next target of 'phishing' scams, UK police warned last weekend. Scam emails that form the basis of phishing attacks attempt to trick users into handing over their account details and passwords. First seen in the UK approximately 18 months ago, phishing emails are becoming increasingly sophisticated, directing users to bogus websites which accurately reproduce the look and feel of legitimate sites. http://www.securityfocus.com/news/10684 A phishing wolf in sheep's clothing http://news.zdnet.com/2100-1009_22-5616419.html Phishing still on the rise http://continuitycentral.com/news01784.htm - - - - - - - - - - Phear of Pharming After reading today's edition of Random Access, disconnect from the Internet and turn off the computer. Find something else to do today. What other choice is there when being "wired" increases your chances of getting fleeced on a daily basis? Or that if the right tools were put into place, an Internet virus could kill us? http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A33457-2005Mar14.html Pharming Out-Scams Phishing http://www.wired.com/news/infostructure/0,1377,66853,00.html - - - - - - - - - - Microsoft to abandon passwords Microsoft has revealed at a security panel at CeBIT that it is preparing to dump passwords in favour of two-factor authentication in forthcoming versions of Windows. http://www.vnunet.com/news/1161914 Microsoft security practice raises fears http://www.globetechnology.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20050314.gtpatchmar14/BNStory/Technology/ - - - - - - - - - - FBI misses terror info Counterterrorism tips from state and local law enforcement organizations are not always reaching FBI agents, according to a recently released report. Although the bureau has instituted an incident tracking system called Guardian to find potential connections between local police reports and FBI counterterrorism efforts, the federal database is not always synchronized with state counterterrorism databases, concludes a National Academy of Public Administration panel review of FBI transformation. http://www.fcw.com/article88243 *********************************************************** 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.