NewsBits for January 27, 2006 ************************************************************ Hackers steal credit card info from R.I. Web site Russian hackers broke into a Rhode Island government Web site and allegedly stole credit card data from individuals who have done business online with state agencies. The story was first reported by The Providence Journal this morning and comes two days after state and local government officials released national surveys indicating they need more cybersecurity guidance and help in strengthening their systems. http://www.fcw.com/article92132-01-27-06-Web http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/11064775/ - - - - - - - - - - Hacker 'illwill' gets 2 year prison term A federal judge Friday sentenced a convicted hacker known as "illwill" to two years in prison for selling the code, or software blueprint, for Microsoft Corp.'s closely guarded Windows programs. William Genovese, Jr., 29, pleaded guilty last year to one count of unlawful distribution of trade secrets for putting Microsoft's source code for its Windows 4.0 and Windows 2000 programs on his Web site and selling it. http://www.cnn.com/2006/TECH/internet/01/27/microsoft.hacker.reut/index.html http://www.wired.com/news/technology/0,70106-0.html - - - - - - - - - - 10 Men Charged in Online Piracy Probe Ten men were charged with violating federal copyright laws as part of an investigation into online piracy of movies, games, software and music, federal prosecutors said. The men from eight states were charged in San Jose as part of an investigation called Operation Copycat, the U.S. attorney's office in San Francisco said. The probe targeted "warez" groups the first sources for pirated entertainment distributed online. (LA Times article, free registration required) http://www.latimes.com/technology/la-fi-calbriefs227.1jan27,1,3913866.story Authorities search German anti-piracy group http://www.theregister.co.uk/2006/01/27/gvu_bribes_warez/ - - - - - - - - - - Seven cough to copying Star Wars DVD The loan of an illicitly obtained pre-release copy of Star Wars III: Revenge of the Sith has left seven friends each facing up to a year in jail and a fine of up to $100,000 (PS56,000). Albert Valente, 28, took a copy of the final Star Wars film from the Los Angeles post-production facility where he worked last May, a week before its theatrical release. http://www.theregister.co.uk/2006/01/27/star_wars_piracy_case/ - - - - - - - - - - UK file-sharers told to pay more than PS20,000 The English High Court has ordered two men to pay a combined PS6,500 in damages after deciding they illegally distributed music through P2P file-sharing networks. The two cases were brought separately by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI), the UK's equivalent of the Recording Industry Ass. of America (RIAA), and are the first of their kind in the UK. Both men were offered the opportunity to settle, but neither chose to do so, the BPI said. Neither man was named. http://www.theregister.co.uk/2006/01/27/uk_p2pers_fined/ http://news.zdnet.co.uk/0,39020330,39249601,00.htm - - - - - - - - - - Student who downloaded child porn is freed on probation A student who admitted downloading child internet pornography was freed on probation because of the delay in bringing his case to court. Belfast Recorder Judge Tom Burgess told 24-year-old Damien Green he was also taking the wholly exception course because of his guilty pleas indicating his remorse, regret and an acceptance he had done wrong. http://www.utvlive.com/newsroom/indepth.asp?id=69758 - - - - - - - - - - Computer security breach in urban affairs, agriculture Two recent computer security breaches at the University of Delaware have resulted in the possible exposure of names and Social Security Numbers that were stored on the machines. A computer in the University's School of Urban Affairs and Public Policy was hacked, and a back-up hard drive in the UD Department of Entomology and Wildlife Ecology was stolen. http://www.udel.edu/PR/UDaily/2006/jan/breach012506.html - - - - - - - - - - Google porn probe gets court date The US Department of Justice is continuing its battle to get hold of search and index information from Google, and will be in court on 27 February to do so. Google's attempt to fend off the US government's request forms of search terms will move to a federal court in San Jose, California, on 27 February. http://www.siliconvalley.com/mld/siliconvalley/news/editorial/13730720.htm http://news.zdnet.co.uk/internet/0,39020369,39249375,00.htm http://computerworld.com/governmenttopics/government/legalissues/story/0,10801,108138,00.html - - - - - - - - - - Feds' wiretapping rules challenged in court Universities, libraries and technology companies are asking a federal court to block controversial wiretap rules designed to facilitate police surveillance of the Internet. In a 71-page brief sent to the U.S. Court of Appeals in Washington, D.C., on Thursday, they ask the judges to overturn a wiretap ruling from the Federal Communications Commission that applies to "any type of broadband Internet access service" and many Internet phone services. http://news.zdnet.com/2100-9595_22-6032300.html - - - - - - - - - - City Attorney Sues Maker of 'Grand Theft Auto' Take-Two Interactive Software Inc. was sued by Los Angeles City Atty. Rocky Delgadillo, who said the video game maker failed to disclose that its "Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas" game contained "pornographic" content. http://www.siliconvalley.com/mld/siliconvalley/news/editorial/13728065.htm http://www.latimes.com/technology/la-fi-grand27jan27,1,6277655.story http://www.cnn.com/2006/TECH/fun.games/01/27/video.game.lawsuit.ap/index.html http://www.wired.com/news/culture/0,70103-0.html http://www.vnunet.com/vnunet/news/2149368/rockstar-rapped-gta-porn-gaffe - - - - - - - - - - Sprint latest to sue to protect customer data Sprint Nextel Corp. on Friday followed some of its competitors in filing a lawsuit against companies that sell mobile phone call details. Sprint Nextel's suit charges 1st Source Information Specialists Inc. with using illegal and deceptive practices to obtain and sell call records of Sprint Nextel cell-phone users. http://www.computerworld.com/securitytopics/security/story/0,10801,108136,00.html - - - - - - - - - - Kama Sutra wipeout Windows users are been urged to make sure their systems are clean from an email worm which is programmed to overwrite user's files on 3 February. Blackworm (AKA Nyxem, MyWife or Tearec) has infected more than 300,000 systems worldwide, based on analysis of logs from counter web sites used by the worm. http://www.theregister.co.uk/2006/01/27/blackworm_warning/ http://software.silicon.com/security/0,39024655,39155968,00.htm Blackmal virus spreads in India, Peru The mass-mailing Blackmal.E virus has spread to more than 300,000 machines, far less than the 9 million hits indicated by a Web counter used by the program, according to an analysis of the data retrieved from the affected Internet service provider. http://www.securityfocus.com/brief/120 - - - - - - - - - - Good worms back on the agenda A researcher has reopened the subject of beneficial worms, arguing that the capabilities of self-spreading code could perform better penetration testing inside networks, turning vulnerable systems into distributed scanners. http://www.securityfocus.com/news/11373 - - - - - - - - - - Cybercriminals set to target PC users PC users are now the weakest link in the security chain, IBM has suggested in its Security Threats and Attack Trends Report for 2005. This has happened, the company claims, because computing systems became more secure, prompting criminals to try to by-pass them in other ways. http://www.techworld.com/security/news/index.cfm?RSS&NewsID=5258 - - - - - - - - - - Bot attacks could hide in VoIP traffic A discovery by a Cambridge professor this week highlights an easy to perform denial-of-service (DoS) attack using VoIP as a wrapper for the malicious traffic. As a growing amount of VoIP traffic is passed across the internet, concern is being raised that bot networks could be orchestrated to overlay VoIP on their attacks, thereby preventing detection of the source. Without the ability to trace control messages -- as is the method with current DoS attacks -- the attacks will be difficult to shut down, further complicating an already troublesome problem. http://www.securityfocus.com/brief/119 http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=130000036X8A Skype is a good tool for hackers, claim http://www.theinquirer.net/?article=29263 - - - - - - - - - - U.S. cuts spam output The United States, with anti-spam laws in place, still tops the "Dirty Dozen" list of countries that spew the most unsolicited e-mail, a new survey says. Security experts at Sophos, in Lynnfield, Mass., said in an announcement Monday that although the U.S. is still the most prolific spam source, its output has dropped dramatically, from 42.5 per cent of the world's spam in late 2004 to 24.5 per cent in late 2005. http://www.globetechnology.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20060123.gtdirty1123/BNStory/Technology/ - - - - - - - - - - Could your laptop be worth millions? The average laptop could contain data worth almost $1 million, according to new research. A report released Friday by security-software company Symantec suggests that an ordinary notebook holds content valued at 550,000 pounds ($972,000), and that some could store as much as 5 million pounds--or $8.8 million-- in commercially sensitive data and intellectual property. http://news.zdnet.com/2100-1009_22-6032177.html - - - - - - - - - - Gates: Beating piracy in Asia will take 10 years Microsoft Corp. Chairman Bill Gates said today that beating software piracy in China and India and getting compliance up to U.S. and European levels will take 10 years. "In India and China, it will be a decade before we get to that level," Gates told business leaders http://www.computerworld.com/securitytopics/security/story/0,10801,108131,00.html http://www.siliconvalley.com/mld/siliconvalley/news/editorial/13728059.htm http://computerworld.com/securitytopics/security/story/0,10801,108131,00.html - - - - - - - - - - Experts: Countries make dangerous cyber adversaries When other countries launch cyberattacks, the United States should expect to see more robust ways to crack systems and more dangerous methods to manipulate them, two cybersecurity experts said yesterday. Countries have many resources and can attack at least as effectively as independent cybercriminals can, said Matthew Devost, president and chief executive officer of the Terrorism Research Center. http://www.fcw.com/article92121-01-27-06-Web - - - - - - - - - - Government outlaws Photoshopped passport pics Since the UK Passport Service started to go digital last year, some applicants have run into a little Rise of the Machines-related trouble. Maybe your skin's the wrong colour (which takes you back, but they don't mean it in the old sense), or your baby's too shiny, or for some reason won't look straight at the camera. http://www.theregister.co.uk/2006/01/27/ukps_outlaws_digital_enhancement/ - - - - - - - - - - What is the single most challenging Sarbanes-Oxley issue today? One of the most interesting challenges in Sarbanes Oxley compliance is the interaction (and sometimes contradiction) between compliance with Sarbanes Oxley and simultaneous adherence to the requirements of the many other federal and state regulations that affect large organizations. http://www.it-observer.com/news.php?id=5662 - - - - - - - - - - 5 Steps to Home Wireless Security One of my friends recently bought a wireless router for his home. After he bought the router, he asked me about what he should doat a minimumto secure the router. He had the following simple requirements: First, secure the router so that no one except him could change its settings, and second, prevent any unauthorized users from connecting to the router or gaining access to the network. http://www.it-observer.com/news.php?id=5663 - - - - - - - - - - Cell phone sex -- dial P for porn? Cell-phone pornography is a fast-growing business that analysts expect will generate about $2 billion in global revenue by 2009. And porn-on-the-go was the focus of a two-day Mobile Adult Content Congress that wrapped up in Miami on Thursday amid expectations, according to at least some participants, that it will soon catch on in the United States. http://www.cnn.com/2006/TECH/ptech/01/27/cell.phone.porn.reut/index.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 2000-2006, NewsBits.net, Campbell, CA.