NewsBits for February 21, 2006 ************************************************************ "Verification" Phishing Scam Hits Indiana Scammers passing themselves off as the "Nationwide Verification Office" have popped up in Indiana this month. Indiana Attorney General Steve Bell says the scam that has targeted mostly seniors in other states has been reported recently all across the Hoosier state. http://www.consumeraffairs.com/news04/2006/02/scam_verification.html - - - - - - - - - - Child porn collector walks free A man who downloaded 90 images of abusive child pornography described by a judge as "abhorrent" has escaped a jail term. Brett Ashley Connor, 35, from Taringa in Brisbane's inner west, pleaded guilty in the Brisbane District Court today to one count of possessing child pornography. http://www.thesundaymail.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5936,18222191%5E1248,00.html - - - - - - - - - - Professor at BYU arrested A Brigham Young University assistant professor has resigned after being arrested Thursday night for investigation into allegations that he taped and watched pornographic videos of a 14-year-old girl on his computer. The 63-year-old man is being investigated for sexual exploitation of a minor, a second-degree felony, and voyeurism, a class-A misdemeanor, after Provo police found a video clip of a girl undressing on a laptop computer belonging to BYU. http://deseretnews.com/dn/view/0%2C1249%2C635185447%2C00.html - - - - - - - - - - RCPD investigates child porn case As a result of the ongoing investigation into the misuse of funds by the Manhattan Parks and Recreation department, a member of that depart- ment is being investigated on evidence that an employee used a city computer to access explicit child pornography. Bond was set at $10,000 for Thomas E. Utermoehlen, Recreation Coordinator for Adult Recreation, on charges that he used a city computer to access explicit child pornography. http://kstatecollegian.com/article.php?a=9019 - - - - - - - - - - Big rise in child porn on the Internet Recent local criminal cases involving men accused of perusing, producing or exhibiting child pornography via the Internet should not come as a surprise to area residents. Child pornography on the Internet has become a cottage industry throughout the country and is growing at exponential rates, officials with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children said. http://www.heraldnews.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=16159300&BRD=1710&PAG=461&dept_id=99784&rfi=6 - - - - - - - - - - Online Stores Are Caught In Jihad Web When Stacey Turmel placed an order online with Davida, an English motorcycle accessory company, she was looking for protective gear with style and comfort. But after plunking down $255 for a two-tone Deluxe Jet helmet, she found herself dragged into the shadowy world of global jihad. http://news.tbo.com/news/metro/MGB47AQ4WJE.html - - - - - - - - - - Online game ID thefts case reveal problems in SKorea South Korea-More than 220,000 South Koreans have been victims of online identity theft in connection with a popular Web-based game, the site's operator said Monday. The case reveals the growing problems with information protection in the world's most wired country. http://news.findlaw.com/ap/ht/58/02-20-2006/c5b40018bddc51aa.html Chinese hackers allegedly make a game of ID theft http://www.theregister.co.uk/2006/02/21/lineage_id_theft/ BT flogs ID theft insurance http://www.theregister.co.uk/2006/02/21/bt_id_theft/ - - - - - - - - - - Police nabbed sending "grossly offensive" racist emails Internal Merseyside investigation audited nearly one million staff emails. Police officers and staff at Merseyside Police have been caught sending "grossly offensive" racist, homophobic and pornographic images over the force's email system. http://software.silicon.com/security/0,39024655,39156614,00.htm - - - - - - - - - - Google denies acting unlawfully in China Questions have arisen about the license used for its Chinese Web site. Internet search engine company Google Inc., which has agreed to block politically sensitive items on its new China site, rejected Chinese newspaper reports today that the platform does not have the correct license. http://computerworld.com/developmenttopics/websitemgmt/story/0,10801,108873,00.html - - - - - - - - - - Fight brewing in Congress over net neutrality Lawmakers, companies debate about control broadband providers will have over content traveling on their pipes. Someday soon, your broadband provider may allow you to get faster results on one search engine, while your favorite search site is slower. http://computerworld.com/governmenttopics/government/policy/story/0,10801,108885,00.html - - - - - - - - - - Large scale successes for viruses in January An unusual number of virus attacks succeeded on a large scale in January, according to figures released last week, with an increasing number of viruses managing to wreak havoc before anti-virus vendors could respond. Israel-based Commtouch, which makes spam and virus protection technology, said there were four "massive attacks" in January, out of 19 new, significant e-mail-borne virus attacks. Eight of these were graded "low intensity" and seven were "medium intensity", the company said. http://www.techworld.com/security/news/index.cfm?RSS&NewsID=5417 - - - - - - - - - - More Mac malware: Two OS X vulnerabilities detected Apple bitten three times in a week; could more be on the way? Apple users acustomed over the years to their preferred operating system's "virus-free" reputation find themselves in unfamiliar territory, as the second and third vulnerabilities in OS X have been announced. http://computerworld.com/securitytopics/security/story/0,10801,108876,00.html http://www.pcpro.co.uk/news/83795/another-worm-burrows-mac-os-xs-way.html Apple Safari Browser Automatically Executes Shell Scripts http://www.it-observer.com/news/5757/apple_safari_browser_automatically_executes_shell_scripts/ Critical browsing flaw found in Mac OS X http://www.securityfocus.com/brief/145 The Real Threat of Mac OS X Trojan http://www.it-observer.com/news/5753/the_real_threat_mac_os_x_trojan/ What Will Apple Do When the Malware Comes? http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,1759,1928716,00.asp - - - - - - - - - - Active cookies aim to thwart cyber-crooks Boffins have come up with a new technique to protect users against more sophisticated forms of cybercrime. Indiana University School of Informatics and affiliated start-up RavenWhite have developed an "active cookie" as a countermeasure against online scams such as pharming and man-in-the-middle attacks. http://www.theregister.co.uk/2006/02/21/active_cookie/ - - - - - - - - - - BP takes 18,000 laptops off LAN And plugs them securely into the net... Energy group BP has shifted thousands of its employees off its LAN in an attempt to repel organised cyber criminals. Rather than rely on a strong network perimeter to secure its systems, BP has decided that these laptops have to be capable of coping with the worst that malicious hackers can throw at it, without relying on a network firewall. http://software.silicon.com/security/0,39024655,39156608,00.htm - - - - - - - - - - Good locks down mobile devices. Mobile e-mail company Good Technology has launched a handheld security product that is intended to give IT managers control over Palm, Windows Mobile and Symbian devices. "As the world moves from wireless messaging to wireless computing, users will get the same control on mobile device as on the laptop. Good Mobile Defense lets you control handhelds, and push out a company policy over the air for different kinds of devices," said Richard Hudson, vice president of Good Technology for EMEA. http://www.techworld.com/security/news/index.cfm?RSS&NewsID=5415 - - - - - - - - - - Network Password Manager 2.0 Network Password Manager (NPM) is a multiuser, client-server software that allows employees to manage passwords within their company. Network Password Manager supports all standard password management functions, has flexible administrative options, convenient user interface and many advanced functions. http://www.it-observer.com/tools/19/network_password_manager/ - - - - - - - - - - Demand for security technology in Middle East increases OnLine Distribution has announced that its security division has recorded one of its most successful months to date, with sales of a new e-mail messaging security system at an all-time high. CipherTrusts award-winning IronMail application - which is designed to protect enterprise e-mail users worldwide from viruses, spam and outside intrusion - was launched in the Middle East last October and has found a hugely-appreciative audience. http://www.it-observer.com/news/5755/demand_security_technology_middle_east_increases/ - - - - - - - - - - Spyware and data protection Most countries now have laws which govern IT use for processing personal data. These laws establish how databases containing personal data should be managed and clearly specify what types of behavior are punishable. Some countries not only punish the traffic or inappropriate use of such data, but also stipulate that data owners must use suitable systems to prevent this data being accessed by unauthorized persons. http://www.it-observer.com/articles/1067/spyware_data_protection/ - - - - - - - - - - Door open for terror: expert MORE than 90 per cent of Australia's critical infrastructure was operated by corporations that were expected to protect themselves against e-crime as well as terrorists and overseas attacks, a conference has heard. The public and private sectors were interdependent and relied on national and global networks to do business and provide day-to-day services, a cyber-terrorism expert said. http://australianit.news.com.au/articles/0,7204,18214035^15319^^nbv^15306,00.html - - - - - - - - - - Private identities become a corporate focus During his keynote during the RSA Conference, Scott McNealy seemed almost apologetic. The Sun Microsystems CEO, infamous for his pronouncement, "You have zero privacy anyway - Get over it," took a conciliatory tone on the stage here, allowing that privacy might be something for which consumers should fight. He warned companies that, unless they protect consumer privacy, they could lose out on significant online growth. http://www.theregister.co.uk/2006/02/21/protecting_consumer_privacy/ - - - - - - - - - - Best-of-breed security efforts not enough, says ISS CEO Thomas Noonan, president and CEO of Atlanta-based Internet Security Systems Inc., sees the range of security threats facing companies changing continuously. And that means his strategy for ISS must also adapt continuously. ISS is a $330 million publicly traded vendor of security products and managed services with more 11,000 corporate customers -- including 17 of the largest banks in the world. http://computerworld.com/securitytopics/security/story/0,10801,108882,00.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 2000-2006, NewsBits.net, Campbell, CA.