NewsBits for August 15, 2005 ************************************************************ Florida Man Convicted in Data Theft Case A Florida man was convicted of stealing information from data management company Acxiom Corp. of Little Rock, Ark., in what prosecutors said was the largest federal computer theft trial ever. The jury convicted Scott Levine, the owner of defunct e-mail marketing contractor Snipermail.com, on 120 counts of unauthorized access to data, two counts of access device fraud and one count of obstruction of justice. http://www.siliconvalley.com/mld/siliconvalley/news/editorial/12368176.htm http://www.latimes.com/technology/la-fi-rup13.4aug13,1,2761627.story http://www.theregister.co.uk/2005/08/15/acxiom_trial_verdict/ - - - - - - - - - - Former pastor accused of fraud Fifty-two-year-old Victor Whitworth has been charged with defrauding a credit union and using the money to take part in an e-mail scam in which operators pose as Nigerian government officials. Police say Whitworth forged his name on a check for more than $16,000, then used the money to participate in an e-mail scam that they said has cost victims millions of dollars. http://www.wtnh.com/Global/story.asp?S=3708957&nav=3YeXdCyC - - - - - - - - - - Man Living Near School Charged With Allegedly Possessing Child Porn A man who allegedly owned thousands of pornographic photographs and movies showing young boys faces 44 criminal charges. Scott Russell Sparks, 39, who was advised of the charges Friday, is scheduled to enter a plea during a Sept. 23 court hearing. The charges include 23 felony counts alleging sexual exploitation of a child by selling or publishing child pornography. The other 21 charges are for allegedly possessing material that sexually exploits children. http://www.thedenverchannel.com/news/4848805/detail.html - - - - - - - - - - Worm spreading through Microsoft Plug-and-Play flaw A worm started spreading on Sunday using a flaw in the Windows operating system's Plug-and-Play functionality, according to two security groups, who advised users to update systems using a patch released by Microsoft five days ago. http://www.securityfocus.com/news/11281 http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/computersecurity/2005-08-15-msn-windows-worm_x.htm http://computerworld.com/securitytopics/security/virus/story/0,10801,103929,00.html Zotob worm exploits Windows 2000 Plug and Play New worms have surfaced that attack a critical vulnerability in Microsoft Corp.'s Windows 2000 Plug and Play service. Over the weekend, two variants of a new worm, dubbed Zotob, have begun circulating, though neither variant has become widespread, researchers say. http://computerworld.com/securitytopics/security/virus/story/0,10801,103929,00.html Zotob worm spreading like sasser http://www.vnunet.com/vnunet/news/2141144/microsoft-worm-less - - - - - - - - - - Symantec patches Veritas bug Symantec Corp. has released software that fixes critical vulnerabilities in the company's Veritas Backup Exec and Veritas NetBackup software. The patches were published Saturday, a day after the company first warned of the problem. A flaw in the Network Data Management Protocol agent, used by the Veritas backup software, could allow an attacker to gain access to the system and download files, according to a Symantec statement released today. http://computerworld.com/securitytopics/security/story/0,10801,103941,00.html - - - - - - - - - - Chain attack Trojan nets 3m email addresses Can infect victim PCs with up to 19 malicious malware programs. Security experts have uncovered a highly sophisticated global 'chain' attack, which uses the pamNet.A Trojan to infect victim PCs with up to 19 malicious malware programs. http://www.vnunet.com/vnunet/news/2141148/chain-attack-trojan-nets-3m - - - - - - - - - - Mobile viruses could score big at soccer World Cup Next year's FIFA World Cup soccer tournament in Germany could be fertile ground for mobile phone viruses if the World Athletics Championships in Finland, which ended Sunday, are any indication, security experts warn. Visitors to the athletic event in Helsinki not only had to brave wind and rain, but also face the threat of catching the Cabir mobile phone worm. http://computerworld.com/securitytopics/security/story/0,10801,103947,00.html - - - - - - - - - - Chinese Hackers Could Use Korea in Attacks against Japan Chinese hackers have put Korea on emergency alert as they will reportedly carry out a large-scale attack through Korea against Japanese Internet websites. Korean servers are highly likely to be chosen as routes for Chinese hackers to avert Japans defenses. Netizens fear of a potential cyber Sino-Japanese war, comparing the current situation to the Sino-Japanese War that broke out on the Korean peninsula. http://english.donga.com/srv/service.php3?bicode=020000&biid=2005081537228 - - - - - - - - - - Hackers rake it in with crash attacks CYBERCRIMINALS are making a mint bringing e-commerce firms to a standstill with distributed denial of service attacks (DDoS), according to the UK's National Criminal Intelligence Service. http://www.newscientist.com/channel/info-tech/mg18725125.900 - - - - - - - - - - Phishers target good Samaritans An 89 year old needs your money. A novel phishing scam against eBay is spreading which attempts to take advantage on people's good natures. Emails have been sent out widely claiming to be from a wheelchair-bound 89 year old called Greta. She claims to be having problems finding a particular auction and asks for help. http://www.vnunet.com/vnunet/news/2141151/phishers-target-samaritans - - - - - - - - - - New focus on cyber-terrorism for power grids, refineries Buried deep in America's new energy legislation is a requirement that power companies step up their safeguards against computer attack. Why does a law aimed at boosting energy production address the dangers of hackers, software "worms," and computer viruses? Because the automatic networks that run so-called "critical infrastructure" are emerging as a vital and weak link in America's defense against terrorism. http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/techpolicy/2005-08-15-cyber-power-companies_x.htm - - - - - - - - - - Pirated version of Mac OS for x86 available for install Instructions on how to install Apple Computer Inc.'s Mac OS X operating system on any PC with a chip from Intel Corp. or Advanced Micro Devices Inc. were posted to the Internet this week, and they could be found on several Web sites as of Friday. http://computerworld.com/softwaretopics/os/macos/story/0,10801,103928,00.html http://www.vnunet.com/vnunet/news/2141118/hackers-free-apple - - - - - - - - - - Tools drive point-and-click crime New software tools make stealing data from users as easy as browsing the web. The easy- to-use tools are being created by malicious and criminal hackers to run the networks of compromised home computers they control, said security firm Websense. The tools mean hackers can react instantly to what users are doing and re-direct them to fake websites set up to harvest personal data. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/4152626.stm - - - - - - - - - - Latest Internet fraud Experts at SophosLabs, Sophos's global network of virus, spyware and spam analysis centers, have warned users about a new phishing campaign which tries to get innocent computer users to fax their credit card and bank information directly to the phishers rather than visit a bogus website. http://www.crime-research.org/news/15.08.2005/1428/ Internet crooks phishing for your money http://www.thisismoney.co.uk/money-savers/article.html?in_article_id=402958 - - - - - - - - - - Crackdown due on violent web porn Coutts was obsessed with violent porn sites The government is set to announce a crackdown on brutal internet porn to block access to sites depicting rape, strangulation, torture and necrophilia. Methods used to combat child porn are set to be drawn upon and police officers could be given greater powers. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/4151862.stm - - - - - - - - - - NIST to evaluate iris recognition technology Iris recognition is receiving its first major government technical review under an evaluation launched this month by the National Institute of Standards and Technology. NISTs Iris Challenge Evaluation is being billed as the first large- scale, open, independent technology evaluation for iris recognition, according to the institutes announcement. http://www.gcn.com/vol1_no1/daily-updates/36673-1.html - - - - - - - - - - Spammers scaring users into replying Spam claiming to offer protection against crime and child abusers is rising and is proving more effective than pornography in attracting the gullible, says Clearswift. Spam is taking a nasty turn as cybercriminals try to capitalise on computer users' fears of crime, terrorism and sexual predators, according to the latest research from content security company Clearswift. http://news.zdnet.co.uk/internet/security/0,39020375,39213376,00.htm From Russia with spam http://news.zdnet.com/2100-1009_22-5833397.html - - - - - - - - - - Malaysians get tough on mobiles Most of Malaysia's 16 million mobile users using prepaid services. The Malaysian government is to put a stop to the anonymous use of mobiles in response to security fears. From the end of the year, people using a prepaid service will have to register their details with phone companies. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/4153060.stm - - - - - - - - - - So You Think Your Data Is Secure? Everything I'm about to tell you is true. And if you're a corporate executive who's serious about information security, corporate governance and compliance, you will cut this column out and nail it to your CEO's office door. http://computerworld.com/securitytopics/security/story/0,10801,103869,00.html - - - - - - - - - - Creepy Cams Abound in NYC Six could be seen peering out from a chain drug store on Broadway. One protruded awkwardly from the awning of a fast-food restaurant. A supersized, domed version hovered like a flying saucer outside Columbia University. All were surveillance cameras and -- to the dismay of civil libertarians and with the approval of law enforcement -- they've been multiplying at a dizzying rate all over Manhattan. http://www.wired.com/news/privacy/0,1848,68530,00.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.