NewsBits for May 18, 2005 ************************************************************ Data theft involving four banks could affect 500,000 customers 'This thing's getting bigger and bigger,' says one police officer. Electronic account records for some 500,000 banking customers at four different banks were allegedly stolen and sold to collection agencies in a data theft case that has so far led to criminal charges against nine people, including seven former bank employees. http://computerworld.com/securitytopics/security/cybercrime/story/0,10801,101831,00.html - - - - - - - - - - Kiwi cops collar alleged voice mail hackers INSPECTOR Knacker from the Land of the Long White Cloud (New Zealand), has fingered the collar of two lads he thinks hacked his voice mail. One of the pair bragged about his feats to New Zealand IT mag Computerworld, here, and proved his hack by naming the coppers involved in a recent pron email scandal. http://www.theinquirer.net/?article=23303 - - - - - - - - - - NHS probing eBay fraud claims 15 paramedics have been implicated in the theft of NHS equipment which turned up on eBay. The NHS is investigating reports of paramedics selling stolen medical equipment on eBay. Defibrillators, uniforms and neck braces are among the items that were found on the Internet auction site by the NHS Counter Fraud and Security Management Service (CFSMS). http://news.zdnet.co.uk/internet/ecommerce/0,39020372,39198923,00.htm - - - - - - - - - - Tsunami Web site 'hacking' trial delayed A man arrested after an alleged hack attempt on the Disasters Emergency Committee's Web site at the end of last year is still awaiting trial as computer forensics experts gather evidence. The trial involving the alleged hacking of a charity Web site set up to raise funds for victims of December's Asian tsunami disaster has been delayed yet again while witness reports are compiled by computer forensics experts. http://news.zdnet.co.uk/internet/security/0,39020375,39198921,00.htm - - - - - - - - - - Software piracy in Asia cost industry $8 billion, study says Software piracy in the Asia-Pacific region saw manufacturers lose around US$8 billion (euro6.33 billion) to pirates in 2004, with China, Vietnam and Indonesia among the top five nations flouting intellectual property laws, a global anti-piracy watchdog said Wednesday. That figure was a rise of around US$500 million (euro395.69 million) from the previous year, the Business Software Alliance, or BSA, said in releasing its global software piracy study. http://www.siliconvalley.com/mld/siliconvalley/news/editorial/11679384.htm http://news.zdnet.com/2100-1009_22-5711723.html http://computerworld.com/governmenttopics/government/legalissues/story/0,10801,101828,00.html Software piracy down, but piracy losses up http://www.theregister.co.uk/2005/05/18/bsa_software_piracy_survey/ Software Piracy Will Get Worse, Study Says http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=103000025L2W - - - - - - - - - - New IM worm infects AOL software Users of AOLs instant messaging software, AIM, should be on the lookout for an innovative new worm variously named "Oscarbot-B" and "Doyorg" by antivirus companies. The Windows-based malware emerged last week, and has made itself a nuisance for its ability to hijack the list of contacts or "buddies" in an infected users IM account. After opening a window to any one of these contacts with the message "Hey check this out," it invites users to follow an embedded link. http://computerworld.com/securitytopics/security/story/0,10801,101826,00.html - - - - - - - - - - Microsoft downplays Windows flaw severity Microsoft on Wednesday issued one of its first Microsoft Security Advisories, responding to reports of a flaw in Windows that could allow denial of service attacks. In the advisory, Microsoft acknowledges the issue. The software giant also says that the problem was fixed with a patch it released in April and that systems running Windows XP with Service Pack 2 (SP2) and that Windows Server with SP1 are not vulnerable. http://news.zdnet.com/2100-1009_22-5712820.html - - - - - - - - - - Tecmo Spikes Nude Volleyball Suit Leaving for another day the question of whether consumers have the right to modify video-game software they've legally purchased, a federal judge last week dismissed a lawsuit by California game maker Tecmo against the proprietors and users of a game-hacking website, after the company quietly settled with the two main defendants. http://www.wired.com/news/games/0,2101,67554,00.html - - - - - - - - - - Secret Service head calls for cybersecurity cooperation Companies should report data thefts, says Ralph Basham. Companies with compromised data have a duty to report that information to investigators to keep others from being victimized, the director of the U.S. Secret Service said yesterday. http://computerworld.com/securitytopics/security/cybercrime/story/0,10801,101820,00.html Panel: Government leadership in IT security is lacking http://www.gcn.com/vol1_no1/daily-updates/35853-1.html - - - - - - - - - - Personal Data for the Taking Senator Ted Stevens wanted to know just how much the Internet had turned private lives into open books. So the senator, a Republican from Alaska and the chairman of the Senate Commerce Committee, instructed his staff to steal his identity. "I regret to say they were successful," the senator reported at a hearing he held last week on data theft. http://www.nytimes.com/2005/05/18/technology/18data.html - - - - - - - - - - Home PCs launch phishing attacks Phishing attacks are growing more sophisticated as attackers devise ever more devious means to stay at least one step ahead of banks and others fighting the contain fraudulent scams, according to a study from The Honeynet Project. http://www.theregister.co.uk/2005/05/18/honeynet_phishing_research/ - - - - - - - - - - Netscape ready to launch antiphishing browser Netscape is expected to release on Thursday the final version of Netscape 8, a Web browser designed to protect users against online scams such as phishing. Early test versions of the new browser--so-called alpha and beta releases-- have been available since February. Netscape has promised that the final version, like the previous ones, will include features to better safeguard systems while people surf the Web. Netscape 8 is also expected to have a cleaner look and feel, but not to be dramatically different from the public beta released in March. http://news.zdnet.com/2100-9588_22-5712331.html - - - - - - - - - - Microsoft to flash Windows ID cards Microsoft is getting ready to provide an early peek at new Windows software that aims to help consumers deal with the plethora of Internet logins. The Redmond, Wash.-based software giant plans to release a technical preview of the software, code-named InfoCard, by the end of May, Microsoft said. It will also include other technologies designed to make using digital identities easier and safer, Microsoft's senior executive in charge of security, Mike Nash, said Tuesday. http://news.zdnet.com/2100-1009_22-5711126.html http://news.zdnet.co.uk/internet/security/0,39020375,39198937,00.htm http://news.com.com/Microsoft+to+flash+Windows+ID+cards/2100-1029_3-5711126.html - - - - - - - - - - U.S. taps Entrust for e-passports The U.S. State Department is assembling the technology for the new e-passport, selecting tools from Entrust to help ensure the authenticity of the next-generation document. The contract, which Entrust announced on Wednesday, calls on the Dallas company to supply a key component in a government plan to introduce new U.S. passports this year. http://news.zdnet.com/2100-1009_22-5712406.html - - - - - - - - - - Is your boss monitoring your e-mail? If you're working for a U.S. company, there's a good chance you're being watched--and you may get fired for how you use your computer or office phone. That's the gist of a study on electronic monitoring and surveillance released Wednesday by the American Management Association and the ePolicy Institute. http://news.com.com/Is+your+boss+monitoring+your+e-mail/2100-1032_3-5712677.html - - - - - - - - - - Chrooted Snort on Solaris Do most people ever worry about the security of their Intrusion Detection System (IDS)? They should. With high speed Internet access being so common around the world, many personal PCs are being hijacked or shared by hackers these days. These hijacked PCs serve as a launch point for attacks, making it easier and more tempting for anyone to try their latest exploit because a reverse trace will most likely lead back simply to a compromised PC. http://www.securityfocus.com/infocus/1833 - - - - - - - - - - Counterfeiting for fun and profit Since he died in 1996, Tupac Shakur has become a cottage industry. The musician sold $7 million worth of records in 2003 and has released several posthumous albums, Gartner analyst Frank Kenney said. Through remixing, his latest songs contain references to the recent Iraq war. His face has also been superimposed on actors in recent videos, so it seems like he's just been filmed. http://news.com.com/Counterfeiting+for+fun+and+profit/2010-1008_3-5712127.html - - - - - - - - - - FCC set to weigh in on 911 requirement for VoIP After a decade of wrangling between government and the wireless industry, there's still no certainty that when a cell phone is used to dial 911 an emergency dispatcher will automatically know the caller's location or phone number. Now, with the rise of another new telephone technology, Internet-based calling, officials appear determined to avoid a repeat of that wireless experience, as well as recent incidents where 911 calls from Internet phones went unanswered. http://www.siliconvalley.com/mld/siliconvalley/news/editorial/11679352.htm VOIP in Public-Safety Showdown http://www.wired.com/news/technology/0,1282,67557,00.html *********************************************************** 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.