NewsBits for June 21, 2005 ************************************************************ Man pleads no contest to 2,199 counts of child porn A Warminster man who downloaded nearly 2,200 graphic child pornography images from the Internet pleaded no contest in Bucks County Court in Doylestown Monday. Bruce Walz, 59, of Dogwood Road, will be sentenced in about 90 days. He faces up to five years in jail. He was charged with 2,199 counts of sexual abuse of children via child pornography. http://www.phillyburbs.com/pb-dyn/news/113-06212005-505283.html - - - - - - - - - - Japan cardholders 'hit' by theft The hacker who was behind the biggest data theft seen in the US may also have compromised the data of Japanese cardholders, the government has said. Up to 40 million credit card accounts were compromised, after the breach of security at Cardsystems. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/4114252.stm Hacking scandal blamed on broken rules Early investigations into the exposure of 40 million credit card details have found that some records were kept too long or unencrypted. More details emerged Monday on the cybersecurity breach at a payment processing company that exposed more than 40 million credit-card accounts to fraud. http://news.zdnet.co.uk/internet/0,39020369,39204752,00.htm Update 3: CardSystems: Shouldn't Have Kept Records http://www.forbes.com/home/feeds/ap/2005/06/20/ap2100336.html - - - - - - - - - - Security flaw in loyalty card service exposes purchase data A security hole that allowed easy access to the purchase information of millions of CVS Corp.'s loyalty card customers prompted the company to pull Internet access to the data on Tuesday. The Woonsocket-based drugstore chain, which has issued 50 million of the cards, said it would restore Web-based access to the information after it creates additional security hurdles. http://www.siliconvalley.com/mld/siliconvalley/news/editorial/11949589.htm The red herring of data protection http://blogs.zdnet.com/BTL/?p=1529 - - - - - - - - - - Factory Is Shut Down in Disc Piracy Raid The raid at New Century Media yielded an estimated $30 million in equipment and pirated products, officials said. No arrests were made. The raid was conducted by the Southern California High Tech Task Force, the Motion Picture Assn. of America and the Recording Industry Assn. of America. Officials said the equipment could make one counterfeit disc every three seconds. http://www.latimes.com/technology/la-fi-rup21.6jun21,1,7414699.story - - - - - - - - - - Kaiser Permanente division fined $200k for patient data breach The California Department of Managed Health Care (DMHC) has fined Kaiser Foundation Health Plan, a division of Kaiser Permanente, $200,000 for exposing the confidential health information of about 150 people. The DMHC said the information had been available on a publicly accessible Web site for as long as four years. http://www.computerworld.com/securitytopics/security/story/0,10801,102665,00.html - - - - - - - - - - Prank inquiry finds cyber-spying in Israel What began as a cyber-prank involving stolen computer files and an apparent vendetta has snowballed into a massive industrial espionage scandal affecting 50 of Israel's top companies and casting doubt on a recent deal to privatize Israel's national telephone company. http://www.bradenton.com/mld/bradenton/news/world/11946836.htm - - - - - - - - - - Microsoft sues German spammer Microsoft is taking legal action against an alleged spammer now resident in Germany. The company has not been named but it is based in North Rhine- Westphalia. Microsoft accuses it, and its managing director, of sending millions of spam emails advertising web design companies, online casinos and porn sites. http://www.securityfocus.com/news/11220 - - - - - - - - - - Calif. lawmakers back tougher identity theft law Concerned with the growth of identity theft, California lawmakers gave initial approval on Tuesday to a bill that, with other state safeguards, would require companies to notify consumers of all security breaches involving their personal information. The California Assembly's judiciary committee voted 6-3 for the bill, which would apply to paper and taped records. Breaches of computer records are already covered by a state law. http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml;?storyID=8856194 - - - - - - - - - - 'Wikitorial' Pulled Due to Vandalism The Los Angeles Times has canceled a novel Internet feature that allowed readers to rewrite an editorial on the newspaper's website, after some users sabotaged the site with foul language and pornographic images. The newspaper launched the experimental "wikitorial" Friday and killed it early Sunday after an unknown user or users posted explicit photos. http://www.latimes.com/technology/la-na-wiki21jun21,1,3068668.story http://www.nytimes.com/2005/06/21/business/media/21paper.html http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/2005-06-21-wikitorial_x.htm - - - - - - - - - - Antivirus tools becoming hackers' new favourite The recent improvements in Windows security have led to hackers moving onto antivirus products in the search for low-hanging fruit. As the pool of easily exploitable Windows security bugs dries up, hackers are looking for holes in security software to break into PCs, analysts said. http://news.zdnet.co.uk/internet/0,39020369,39204755,00.htm - - - - - - - - - - Clock's ticking on phone virus outbreak, experts say Companies will not have to worry about a large-scale virus outbreak targeting their "smart" cell phones for another 18 months, security experts predicted. However, after that, even antivirus software is unlikely to help, Gartner analysts John Pescatore and John Girard wrote. http://news.zdnet.com/2100-1009_22-5756428.html - - - - - - - - - - Bluetooth bytes The latest in wireless technology may have some strings attached. Bluetooth - the widely used technology that allows mobile devices to communicate without wires - may be susceptible to hacking, according to a study presented last week. http://www.nydailynews.com/front/story/321024p-274502c.html - - - - - - - - - - Yankee Group Uncovers New Frontier for Security Vulnerabilities Yankee Group today shed light on an emerging and disturbing enterprise network security trend. A recent analysis of industry vulnerability data revealed an increased focus on security products from established vendors, rather than on operating systems. In the 15-month period through March 2005, security vendors reported 77 separate vulnerabilities. http://www.yankeegroup.com/public/news_releases/news_release_detail.jsp?ID=PressReleases/news_06202005_FearandLoathing_PR.htm - - - - - - - - - - Wireless Web puts personal data at risk Activate the security software on your home system to deter hackers and people from using your wireless network for free. What comes to mind when you think of wireless Web surfing? It may not be security, or lack of it. There are nearly 30,000 public wireless "hot spots" in the United States at places such as parks and cafes, but there's more to consider than just where to log on. The convenience comes with a caveat. http://www.cnn.com/2005/TECH/internet/06/21/hotspot.hacking/index.html - - - - - - - - - - GPS to Keep Tabs on Sex Offender Registered sex offender David Allyn Dokich, the target of an ongoing community protest in Mead Valley, this week will become the second man in California required to wear a GPS tracking device as a condition of his parole, state authorities said Monday. Dokich will be one of 500 high-risk parolees who by the end of the year will be monitored with a global positioning system device, part of a state pilot program being implemented this month, state corrections officials said. (LA Times article, free registration required) http://www.latimes.com/technology/la-me-gpsex21jun21,1,3511378.story *********************************************************** 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.