NewsBits for June 27, 2005 ************************************************************ Hacker sentenced to 4 months in prison A federal judge sentenced a Pleasant Hill man known as one of the most notorious hackers on the Internet to four months in prison Friday for breaking into federal government computers three years ago and defacing Web sites. Robert Lyttle, 21, who is known as one half of "The Deceptive Duo," pleaded guilty March 11 to five computer-hacking counts for illegally accessing the systems of the Department of Defense's Defense Logistics Information Service, the Office of Health Affairs and the NASA Ames Research Center. http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2005/06/25/BAGJJDEEHP1.DTL http://www.latimes.com/technology/la-me-sbriefs26.3jun26,1,769270.story - - - - - - - - - - UConn server breached; data on 72,000 people exposed A University of Connecticut server containing personal data on 72,000 students, faculty and staff was breached last week, according to a statement posted at UConns Web site. The server contained personal information, including users names, Social Security numbers, dates of birth, UConn NetIDs and campus addresses, the university said. http://computerworld.com/securitytopics/security/story/0,10801,102822,00.html - - - - - - - - - - IRS Probes Possible Privacy Breaches The Internal Revenue Service is investigating whether unauthorized people gained access to sensitive taxpayer and bank account information but has not found any privacy breaches, officials said Friday. The U.S. tax agency whose databases include suspicious activity reports from banks about possible terrorist or criminal transactions launched the probe after the Government Accountability Office said in April that the IRS "routinely permitted excessive access"to the computer files. http://www.latimes.com/technology/la-fi-irs25jun25,1,1043916.story - - - - - - - - - - Child porn suspect says his home was improperly searched by police A Larsen man this week will seek to suppress physical evidence in his child pornography case, arguing that police found it through an unlawful search of his home. Jed A. Giebel, 47, will appear Friday in Winnebago County Circuit Court to argue that items seized from his home shouldnt be used against him in his 10-count child pornography case. http://www.wisinfo.com/postcrescent/news/archive/local_21589091.shtml - - - - - - - - - - Lawsuit seeks disclosure in credit card heist A lawsuit was filed Monday intended to help consumers and merchants left in the dark after a digital break-in that put millions of credit card accounts at risk of fraud. The class action suit was filed in California Superior Court in San Francisco against CardSystems Solutions, Visa and MasterCard on behalf of California credit card holders and card-accepting merchants, according to a copy of the suit. http://news.zdnet.com/2100-1009_22-5765383.html Identity theft scares online consumers http://news.zdnet.co.uk/internet/security/0,39020375,39205868,00.htm Targeted attacks pose new security challenge http://computerworld.com/securitytopics/security/story/0,10801,102779,00.html - - - - - - - - - - Ukrainian hacker robbed European banks The officials of Ukrainian Department on Struggle with Organized Crime in Donetsk region arrested professional hacker who stole $300,000 in different European banks. In 2003 the hacker from Khartsyzsk worked out the system of illegal transferring of money from the bank accounts through World Wide Web. Using cracked code of credit card belonging to residents of Western Europe and the USA, the hacker withdrew driblets of money form their accounts. http://www.crime-research.org/news/25.06.2005/1318/ - - - - - - - - - - Supreme Court: File-Sharing Firms Can Be Sued Distributors of popular software for sharing music and videos online can be sued if they encourage their users to illegally swap copyrighted works, a unanimous U.S. Supreme Court ruled today. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/06/27/AR2005062700471.html Supreme Court rules against file swapping America's top judges have found against Grokster and StreamCast, ruling that peer-to-peer services can be held responsible for copyright infringements committed by their users. The US Supreme Court handed movie studios and record labels a sweeping victory against file-swapping, ruling on Monday that peer-to-peer companies such as Grokster could be held responsible for the copyright piracy on their networks. http://news.zdnet.co.uk/0,39020330,39205891,00.htm - - - - - - - - - - Congress Tunes In to WiFi Mick Jagger said it best: 'The summer's here and the time is right for fighting in the street, boy." The streets run through U.S. cities and towns, where the heat is on local governments to provide free or low-cost Internet access. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/06/27/AR2005062700482.html - - - - - - - - - - To catch a thief Over the last eight months, there seemed to be at least 140 different men and women living in the same apartment at 2978 Nostrand Ave., in Brooklyn. Every one of them appeared to have a credit card and an insatiable appetite for jewelry from the glittering collections hawked on ShopNBC, a shopping network based in this suburb of Minneapolis. http://news.com.com/To+catch+a+thief/2100-1009_3-5762023.html - - - - - - - - - - Weak security makes HK top hacker target Hong Kong's unsuspecting broadband Internet users are the most vulnerable on the planet to attacks by so-called ''zombie'' computers, according to a report by a British Internet security firm. http://www.thestandard.com.hk/stdn/std/Front_Page/GF27Aa01.html - - - - - - - - - - Trojan horses pose silent threat to computer systems Government agencies in the United States and the United Kingdom are being targeted by malicious e-mail messages containing Trojan horse software stealth programs that direct infected computers to transmit information elsewhereaccording to a key British agency tasked with thwarting the disguised programs. http://www.gcn.com/vol1_no1/daily-updates/36234-1.html - - - - - - - - - - Viruses, Security Issues Undermine Internet E-mails were flooding in from all over the country. Something strange was going on with the Internet, alarmed computer users wrote. Google, eBay and other big sites had suddenly disappeared. Kyle Haugsness scanned the reports and entered crisis mode. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/06/25/AR2005062501284.html - - - - - - - - - - Inboxes sizzle as junk mailers resurrect the old scams The volume of pornographic spam almost trebled during May, according to newly published research. Security vendor Clearswift reported in its monthly email analysis that spam relating to pornography rose from 5.6 per cent to over 14 per cent of total spam sent in May. Healthcare spam remains the dominant form at 44 per cent. http://www.vnunet.com/vnunet/news/2138867/spam-summer-porn - - - - - - - - - - Bluetooth needs long PINS for security Bluetooth, the wireless connection used on PDAs and phones, is not safe unless you use an eight- digit PIN number to secure devices, users have been warning. The Bluetooth Special Interest Group has told users to set eight-digit PINs when pairing two devices, and take other precautions, after a report described a way for hackers to crack the security codes on Bluetooth devices and seize control of them. http://news.zdnet.co.uk/internet/security/0,39020375,39205871,00.htm - - - - - - - - - - Spoofing Flaw Hits Major Browsers "The problem is that JavaScript dialog boxes do not display or include their origin, which allows a new window to open, for example a prompt dialog box, which appears to be from a trusted site," Secunia wrote in a security advisory on its Web site. http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=13100002VC21 - - - - - - - - - - Sun patches image handling flaw Brief: A program used in both Solaris and Java Desktop System contains a highly critical vulnerability. Sun Microsystems issued an alert on Thursday for a patch for a software flaw discovered last September. http://news.zdnet.co.uk/internet/security/0,39020375,39205854,00.htm - - - - - - - - - - iPass puts safety first for remote laptop links Universal Policy Enforcement checks laptops are patched and protected before allowing a VPN connection. Connectivity services company iPass will today unveil new tools to increase connection options for remote staff and lock down laptops used to access company networks. http://www.vnunet.com/itweek/news/2138811/ipass-puts-safety-first-remote-laptop-links - - - - - - - - - - Thefts of U.S. technology boost China's weaponry Second of two parts. China is stepping up its overt and covert efforts to gather intelligence and technology in the United States, and the activities have boosted Beijing's plans to rapidly produce advanced-weapons systems. http://washingtontimes.com/national/20050627-124855-6747r.htm - - - - - - - - - - Grand Theft Identity Be careful, we've been told, or you may become a fraud victim. But now it seems that corporations are failing to protect our secrets. How bad is the problem, and how can we fix it? Millions of Americans now have a new reason to dread the mailbox. In addition to the tried-and-true collection of Letters You Never Want to See the tax audit, the high cholesterol reading, the college rejection letterthere is now the missive that reveals you are on the fast track to becoming a victim of identify theft. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/8359692/site/newsweek/ - - - - - - - - - - Worry, but don't stress out over data theft The theft of computer data at an Arizona company that put as many as 40 million credit card accounts at risk for fraud may have been the largest case of stolen consumer information yet. But the incident, which was revealed last week and may have occurred months ago, surely will not be the last. In fact, the theft was only the latest in a series of incidents, not all of which involved criminal activity. http://news.com.com/Worry%2C+but+dont+stress+out+over+data+theft/2100-1029_3-5763303.html - - - - - - - - - - Lose the file cabinets About three years ago, when Enron and other corporate giants were crumbling, they left behind a mountain of records. Around that same time, the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts began collaborating with Adobe to create a file format that would retain data from those and other records, maintain the data's formatting and visual presentation and adopt to future generations of technology. http://www.fcw.com/article89385-06-27-05-Print *********************************************************** 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.