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.