NewsBits for February 8, 2006 ************************************************************ Spanish hacker sentenced to two years in jail Experts at Sophos have welcomed the news that a hacker who stopped over a third of Spanish computer users from using the Internet has been sentenced to two years in jail. http://itvibe.com/news/3912/ http://www.theregister.co.uk/2006/02/08/spanish_hacker_jailed/ - - - - - - - - - - Music Producer Denied Bail in Pellicano Wiretapping Case Robert Pfeifer is deemed a flight risk. Former police officer, software engineer and phone technician accused in scheme are released. A music producer indicted in the Anthony Pellicano wiretapping case was ordered held without bail Tuesday after a federal magistrate judge ruled that he was a risk to flee the court's jurisdiction. http://www.latimes.com/technology/la-me-pellicano8feb08,1,3510360.story - - - - - - - - - - Russian keyloggers hit bank customers Russian scammers used key logging Trojans to steal more than a 1m from French people accessing online bank accounts. The Trojans were sent by email but were not activated until people accessed their online bank accounts. Then the Trojan forwarded on user names and passwords to the crooks. http://www.theregister.co.uk/2006/02/08/france_keylogs_losses/ - - - - - - - - - - China reports closure of 76 Web sites in online piracy crackdown Chinese authorities say they have shut down 76 Web sites in a crackdown on illegal use of pirated material. Authorities also are pursuing eight criminal cases against Web site operators, the National Copyright Administration of China said in a report carried late Sunday by the official Xinhua News Agency. The report didn't give any details of the pirated material or what charges would be filed. http://news.findlaw.com/ap/ht/58/02-06-2006/2545000856ae8f48.html - - - - - - - - - - Anti-cartoon protests go online Almost 1,000 Danish websites have been defaced by Islamic hackers protesting about controversial cartoons mocking the Prophet Muhammad. The attacks typically replace home pages with pro-Islam messages and condemn the publication of the images. Hack attack monitoring group Zone-H said the defacements were done both by hacker groups and individuals. Zone-H said some hackers left moderate messages but many called for a violent response to the cartoons' publication. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/4692518.stm http://www.computerworld.com/securitytopics/security/hacking/story/0,10801,108472,00.html http://news.com.com/Danish+Web+sites+hacked+over+Mohammad+cartoons/2100-1028_3-6036814.html http://www.vnunet.com/vnunet/news/2149965/mohammed-cartoon-war-moves - - - - - - - - - - Sober dominates virus-filled January January is the newest worst month on record for PC viruses, according to a report released by Sophos. The firm said that 2,312 new articles of malware appeared last month, an increase of more than one-third since December. The Sober worm, called W32/Sober-Z by Sophos, accounted for nearly 45 percent of all malware. However, its recent dominance as the most frequently seen type of malware is set to end, the firm warned, because it stopped spreading on Jan. 6. http://www.scmagazine.com/uk/news/article/539732/sober-dominates-virusfilled-january/ - - - - - - - - - - BT sounds child web porn warning The number of attempts to view illegal child pornography on the web has risen sharply since 2004, according to BT. The company uses a system to block sites carrying indecent images of children, which has been thwarting 35,000 hits a day for four months. When BT first began using the Cleanfeed system 18 months ago, there were 10,000 attempted hits every day. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/4687904.stm - - - - - - - - - - Keeping an Online Biz Secure from Hackers For any business operating online, nothing is more important than security. The best products or services, the most responsive customer service, the most effective marketing -- all are compromised if a business is left open to crippling viruses or to hackers looking to steal customer or business information. http://www.it-observer.com/news/5688/keeping_online_biz_secure_hackers/ - - - - - - - - - - Multiple Vulnerabilities in Mozilla Products Mozilla software, including the following, is affected: Mozilla web browser, email and newsgroup client, Mozilla SeaMonkey, Firefox web browser, Thunderbird email client Several vulnerabilities exist in the Mozilla web browser and derived products, the most serious of which could allow a emote attacker to execute arbitrary code on an affected system. http://www.uscert.gov/cas/techalerts/TA06-038A.html Exploit turns up heat for Firefox flaw http://news.zdnet.com/2100-1009_22-6036771.html - - - - - - - - - - Cisco confirms VPN vulnerability A vulnerability located for Ciscos 3000-series VPN concentrators running WebVPN appears to extend to all versions of the product, according to a security researcher who has been following the situation. Cisco on Tuesday acknowledged the problem and has confirmed that an advisory update is in the offing. http://www.networkworld.com/news/2006/020706-cisco-vpn-vulnerability.html http://www.computerworld.com/securitytopics/security/holes/story/0,10801,108467,00.html - - - - - - - - - - Sun issues patches for critical Java flaws Sun Microsystems issued a patch Tuesday to address seven "highly critical" flaws in its Java Runtime Environment that could allow a malicious attacker to gain remote control over a user's system. http://news.zdnet.com/2100-1009_22-6036730.html - - - - - - - - - - A new view of security in Vista Companies beta testing Vista have been quick to praise new security features in the operating system which is due out by year's end. Vista will include a number of new features, especially in its graphical user interface (GUI), that are not yet completely realized in competing operating systems such as Apple Computer's Mac OS X or the open-source Linux OS. http://www.it-observer.com/news/5691/a_new_view_security_vista/ Microsoft reports two bugs http://www.techworld.com/security/news/index.cfm?RSS&NewsID=5332 http://www.computerworld.com/securitytopics/security/story/0,10801,108470,00.html http://www.securityfocus.com/brief/133 Microsoft Gives Workarounds for New IE, Windows Flaws http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,1759,1922039,00.asp Microsoft set for June OneCare security launch http://www.vnunet.com/vnunet/news/2149925/microsoft-promises-june http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/computersecurity/2006-02-07-microsoft-paid-security_x.htm - - - - - - - - - - NIST experts craft data removal handbook Wonder no longer about how to remove sensitive data from the hard drives and optical disks you are about to toss. The National Institute of Standards and Technology has issued a set of draft guidelines on how to safely remove information from obsolete forms of storage. http://www.washingtontechnology.com/news/1_1/daily_news/27920-1.html - - - - - - - - - - IronPort enters Web security space Appliance designed to keep Web-based threats from entering an organization. IronPort Monday announced a new appliance designed to keep Web-based threats, including spyware, viruses, keyloggers, and phishing, from entering an organization. http://www.computerworld.com/securitytopics/security/story/0,10801,108480,00.html - - - - - - - - - - McAfee launches bot-killing system McAfee has become the first hardware vendor to use a new technique it claims can reliably protect companies from the threat of botnet- launched distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks. http://www.computerworld.com/securitytopics/security/story/0,10801,108474,00.html http://www.techworld.com/security/news/index.cfm?RSS&NewsID=5326 - - - - - - - - - - Gartner warning on corporate use of IM Gartner is warning enterprises to prepare carefully before they leap into the murky waters of public instant-messaging services, and should look at using new federated systems from the likes of Microsoft and IBM. Such services show that IM networks designed for consumers are penetrating ever-deeper into the enterprise, Gartner says. http://www.techworld.com/security/news/index.cfm?RSS&NewsID=5330 - - - - - - - - - - Expert: Anti-spam rules likely ineffective: Former hacker fun has now become big business, says computer engineer. Recent efforts by federal law enforcement to curb bulk e-mails -- called spam -- probably won't make much difference to the average computer user, local Internet providers and computer experts said. http://www.tmcnet.com/usubmit/2006/02/07/1350483.htm - - - - - - - - - - Proposed federal budget would boost spending at DHS President Bushs proposed budget for fiscal year 2007, which begins Oct. 1, allocates $42.7 billion for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and calls for more money going toward improved preparedness and information sharing, enhanced transportation security, better border security, a stronger Federal Emergency Management Agency and improved DHS performance. http://www.computerworld.com/securitytopics/security/story/0,10801,108473,00.html DHS wins big in fiscal 2007 budget proposal http://www.gcn.com/vol1_no1/daily-updates/38210-1.html - - - - - - - - - - Thieves outwit high-tech advances Automobile antitheft systems have gotten smart -- but so have networks of criminals. The recent thefts in Southern California of several Lexus LS 400s, known among security experts for their antitheft systems that tie into the car's central computer system, have created new concerns about the evolving expertise of organized crime rings to defeat the auto industry's most clever engineering. (LA Times article, free registration required) http://www.latimes.com/technology/la-hy-wheels8feb08,1,1199256.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. 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