NewsBits for June 24, 2005 ************************************************************ Aussies prosecute first 'spammer' Australia is prosecuting the first alleged spammer under its new-ish Spam Act. The Australian Communications Authority (ACA) accuses Perth-based Clarity1 of sending at least 56 million junk emails since the Spam Act came into force in April last year. And it accuses the company and its managing director, Wayne Mansfield, of harvesting some of the email addresses he sent mail to. http://www.securityfocus.com/news/11229 http://news.zdnet.co.uk/internet/security/0,39020375,39205445,00.htm - - - - - - - - - - Policeman is jailed in sex abuse, porn case APD: Officer Sammy Cohen is charged with molesting his daughter, possessing child pornography. A veteran Anchorage police officer was arrested Thursday afternoon and charged with sexually abusing his daughter and possessing child pornography, according to court documents. http://www.adn.com/front/story/6641022p-6527268c.html - - - - - - - - - - 1 Out of 3 Discs Sold Is Pirated, Group Says An estimated one of every three music discs sold in the world last year was pirated, and fake recordings outsold legal ones in 31 countries, an industry group said. The bootleg industry is growing in Latin America, India, the Middle East and Eastern Europe, although some countries around the world are cracking down on copyright theft by shutting down illegal recording facilities, the International Federation of Phonographic Industries said in its annual report. (LA Times article, free registration required) http://www.latimes.com/technology/la-fi-rup24.1jun24,1,7218092.story - - - - - - - - - - ChoicePoint overhaul falls behind ChoicePoint, the data broker that leaked the personal information of 145,000 Americans, has gone off schedule in its efforts to prevent such a breach happening again. In early March, the company announced it would exit some parts of the personal data business and that it would sell information only in situations where specific criteria are met. The transition would be "substantially completed" within 90 days, ChoicePoint said at the time. That schedule would mean the effort would be done about early June. http://news.zdnet.com/2100-1009_22-5761503.html - - - - - - - - - - Yahoo Closes Chat Rooms After TV Sex Report Internet portal Yahoo shut down its user-created chat rooms after a television news series showed the online service used in apparent attempts to exploit children for sex. Yahoo spokeswoman Mary Osako would not say whether the decision was in response to the series on Houston television station KPRC that showed online discussions bearing titles such as "9-17 Year Olds Wantin' Sex" and "Girls 12 and Under for Older Guys." http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/06/23/AR2005062301736.html Groups laud Yahoo's decision to sweep site of child porn http://www.contracostatimes.com/mld/cctimes/news/11970273.htm - - - - - - - - - - Sex sites win reprieve from new federal rules Most Internet sex sites won't immediately have to follow expanded federal record-keeping standards, thanks to an 11th-hour deal with the U.S. government. The Free Speech Coalition, an adult-entertainment trade group, and the U.S. Department of Justice reached an agreement Thursday afternoon that the government will not begin enforcing the regulations, which expand existing rules to cover online material, until Sept. 7. The expanded regulations had been scheduled to take effect June 23. http://news.zdnet.com/2100-9588_22-5760944.html Online Porn Dodges Major Bullet http://www.wired.com/news/politics/0,1283,67991,00.html US rules all porn is child porn All pornography in the US is now effectively classified as child pornography, unless providers can prove the ages of everyone taking part. The law, which requires porn producers to hold copies of all actors' photo ID for seven years, has been in place for some time, but as of 23 June, the rule was extended to cover online pornography as well. This includes online forums, adult personals sites and any other place where adult material may be published. http://www.theregister.co.uk/2005/06/24/us_law_2257/ - - - - - - - - - - Australia outlaws using Internet to incite suicide People who use the Internet to incite others to commit suicide or teach them how to kill themselves face fines of up to A$550,000 ($430,000) under tough new laws passed in Australia on Friday. http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?storyID=8883702 - - - - - - - - - - Worm outbreak feared after port scanning spike A surge in scanning on a port associated with a Windows flaw patched last week suggests that a mass worm attack may be imminent, experts said. A rise in activity on TCP Port 445 could be a sign that hackers are trying to exploit a flaw in Server Message Block, Gartner analyst John Pescatore said on Thursday. http://software.silicon.com/os/0,39024651,39131395,00.htm Hackers probe Outlook Express flaw http://news.zdnet.com/2100-1009_22-5761537.html - - - - - - - - - - Canada's Rx Chill The word "socialism" carries a negative connotation among most Americans -- except, of course, when the economic ideology results in lower prices for consumers. Take the example of Canada's pharmacies, where people can buy prescription drugs at far cheaper prices than anywhere in the United States. Predictably enough, pharmacies up north now list thousands of Americans among their best customers. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/06/24/AR2005062400485.html - - - - - - - - - - Iran targets dissent on the net The web in Iran has emerged as a source of information for voters, who are choosing a new president in a run-off election. Blogs, especially those in Farsi, are being targeted. But what Iranians can or cannot see online depends largely on their government. And the authorities are increasingly tightening controls over the net, says a study out this week. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/4123788.stm - - - - - - - - - - EarthLink puts up more spyware, phishing shields EarthLink is swapping out its security tools, a move it hopes will better protect its customers against spyware and phishing. The Internet service provider is adding intelligence on phishing from security vendor Cyota to its ScamBlocker toolbar. Additionally, EarthLink customers later this year will be offered anti-spyware protection from Aluria Software, which EarthLink believes is superior to its current spyware-fighting tool. http://news.zdnet.com/2100-1009_22-5761619.html Americans Are Scared of Phishing http://news.softpedia.com/news/Americans-Are-Scared-of-Phishing-3628.shtml - - - - - - - - - - Feds face deadlines on smart ID cards Plans are due next week, but coordination, technical issues pose hurdles. Time is running out for federal agencies to comply with a 2004 presidential directive calling for governmentwide adoption of smart cards to authenticate employees for access to buildings and IT systems starting late next year. http://computerworld.com/securitytopics/security/story/0,10801,102751,00.html - - - - - - - - - - Electronic forgery menaces humanity Electronic forgery is becoming a greater risk as more company information is stored electronically. But many organisations are ignoring the issue. About 80 per cent of all company information is stored electronically, according to Fran Howarth, Security Practice Leader at Bloor Research, yet the most valuable and sensitive information is most often left unguarded. BTs principal security consultant, Paul Hanley said: http://www.securityfocus.com/news/11228 - - - - - - - - - - Keep Your Privates Private Every so often I remember that I have sent nude pictures of myself to a handful of people over the years. I can't help but wonder what happened to them -- both the photos and the men and women I sent them to. The online lovers I traded naked pictures with are not the people I stayed in touch with after the cyber relationships faded. Oddly enough, those chat buddies who remain in my life claim I never sent them any pictures. http://www.wired.com/news/culture/0,1284,67988,00.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.