NewsBits for February 23, 2006 ************************************************************ Data thief gets eight years A bulk e-mailer who looted more than a billion records with personal information from a data warehouse has been sentenced to eight years in prison, federal prosecutors said Wednesday. Scott Levine, 46, was sentenced by a federal judge in Little Rock, Ark., after being found guilty of breaking into Acxiom's servers and downloading gigabytes of data in what the U.S. Justice Department calls one of the largest data heists to date. http://news.com.com/2100-7348_3-6042290.html http://www.techworld.com/security/news/index.cfm?RSS&NewsID=5443 http://www.computerworld.com/securitytopics/security/story/0,10801,108921,00.html http://www.theregister.co.uk/2006/02/23/acxiom_spam_hack_sentencing/ http://software.silicon.com/security/0,39024655,39156703,00.htm - - - - - - - - - - Netherlands arrests 12 in online probe Dutch authorities have arrested 12 suspects in two cities as part of a joint U.S./Dutch investigation into a criminal gang operating the so-called "419" e-mail scam. The arrests took place during raids of seven houses in Amsterdam and neighboring Zaandam this week, and authorities also seized computers and about $30,000 in cash, Amsterdam police said. http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/business/1700AP_Netherlands_E_mail_Scam.html http://www.securityfocus.com/brief/146 http://www.vnunet.com/vnunet/news/2150833/police-nabs-nigerian-scammers US demands extradition of '419 scammers' from Europe http://www.theregister.co.uk/2006/02/23/419_scammers_extradition/ - - - - - - - - - - Teen arrested over MySpace photos A 16-year-old boy was arrested Wednesday after postings on the popular Web site MySpace.com allegedly showed him holding handguns, authorities said. The teen was being held at a juvenile detention center facing three misdemeanor charges of juvenile possession of a handgun, said district attorney spokeswoman Pam Russell. He is due in court February 27. http://www.cnn.com/2006/TECH/internet/02/23/myspace.guns.ap/index.html - - - - - - - - - - Child porn teacher escapes jail A SWIMMING teacher who downloaded more than a hundred child porn pictures walked free from court. Paul Hassall, 43, of Greenleach Lane, Worsley, Salford, admitted keeping a library of images on his home computer, Manchester Crown Court heard. The teacher at a school in Bolton, Greater Manchester, was sentenced to a three-year community rehabilitation order and was banned from contact with children. http://www.tmcnet.com/usubmit/2006/02/23/1399909.htm - - - - - - - - - - Child porn nets 6 years A construction manager from Monson yesterday was sentenced to nearly six years in prison for collecting hundreds of pornographic images depicting children, in some cases bound or posing with animals. William J. Belisle, 46, uttered words of relief when agents raided his home in 2004, according to a sentencing hearing in U.S. District Court yesterday. http://www.masslive.com/metrowest/republican/index.ssf?/base/news-3/1140684519180210.xml - - - - - - - - - - Frederiksen makes deal on child porn charges A Charles City man who lived with 5-year-old Evelyn Miller when she was killed in July is expected to plead guilty today to federal child pornography charges, prosecutors say. Casey Frederiksen, 26, is expected to plead guilty in U.S. District Court to one count of receiving child pornography and two counts of possessing child pornography. This is part of a plea agreement that provides for the dismissal of 11 other related counts against Frederiksen. http://desmoinesregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060223/NEWS01/602230388/1001/NEWS - - - - - - - - - - Pastor Pleads No Contest In Online Sex Arrest A pastor arrested for allegedly trying to meet an underage girl online for sex pleaded no contest in court on Wednesday morning. Roy Burton was arrested last year for importuning and attempted unlawful sexual conduct with a minor. Prosecutors said Burton traveled from northern Ohio to Greene County to meet a 15-year-old girl who turned out to be an undercover police detective. http://www.whiotv.com/news/7327736/detail.html - - - - - - - - - - POLICE SAY MAN FELL FOR INTERNET CHILD SEX STING A retired Episcopal priest with ties to Charleston has been arrested and accused of trying to meet a person he thought was a 14-year-old girl for sex, authorities said Friday. Jim V. Bills, 68, of Urbana, Ohio, was charged with importuning and attempted unlawful sexual conduct with a minor. Bills is free on bond pending an appearance Tuesday in Fairborn (Ohio) Municipal Court. http://www.virtueonline.org/portal/modules/news/article.php?storyid=3652 - - - - - - - - - - City man indicted on child porn charges An Elwyn Road man has been indicted by a Rockingham County grand jury on five felony counts of possessing child pornography. The indictments support police charges that Michael Joseph Trotta, 34, of 1585 Elwyn Road, had "visual representation(s) of a child under the age of 16 engaged in sexual activity" at his residence. Portsmouth police filed those charges Sept. 21, 2005. http://www.seacoastonline.com/news/02232006/news/89208.htm - - - - - - - - - - Focus on cybersecurity compliance called ineffective Adherence to congressionally mandated IT security processes is a poor measure of the true state of cybersecurity across the government, a former federal chief information security officer said Wednesday. http://www.govexec.com/story_page.cfm?articleid=33439 - - - - - - - - - - Met police set up film piracy unit UK police have established a unit especially dedicated to fighting movie piracy. The new Metropolitan Police Film Piracy Unit will target gangs and individuals raking it in from the sale of fake DVDs. The police group, comprising one detective sergeant and four detective constables, will work alongside the Federation Against Copyright Theft (Fact) in collating intelligence on film piracy. http://www.theregister.co.uk/2006/02/23/dvd_piracy_unit/ - - - - - - - - - - Indiana U. student warns of new Internet fraud method As the ever-expanding age of the Internet develops further, so do the problems, such as identity theft and computer viruses, that accompany it. University Information Technology Services provides Indiana University students with information about security to prevent identity theft over the Internet and even free anti-virus software for IU students at its Web site. Now, however, even that might not be enough protection for users. http://www.tmcnet.com/usubmit/2006/02/22/1398841.htm - - - - - - - - - - Data retention directive gets final approval Details of emails, mobile calls and more to be recorded The EU has given the final thumbs-up to a controversial data retention directive. The legislation, which the EU says is necessary to help fight terrorism and organised crime, was passed by justice ministers in Brussels yesterday. Internet service providers and fixed-line and mobile operators will now be forced to keep details of their customers' communications for up to two years. http://networks.silicon.com/telecoms/0,39024659,39156685,00.htm - - - - - - - - - - Viva E-Vegas: The State of Online Gambling "We are already seeing signs of successful online gambling brands separating themselves from the rest of the pack," said Calvin Ayres, founder and CEO of Bodog.com. He added that a wave of consolidation eventually will leave a few mass-market-friendly, online-entertainment giants with the lion's share of the gaming market. http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=11300002T3PS - - - - - - - - - - Study shows how photonic decoys can foil hackers A University of Toronto professor and researcher has demonstrated for the first time a new technique for safeguarding data transmitted over fiber-optic networks using quantum cryptography. Professor Hoi- Kwong Lo, a member of the school's Centre for Quantum Information and Quantum Control, is the senior author of a study that sheds light on using what's called a photonic decoy technique for encrypting data. http://www.computerworld.com/securitytopics/security/hacking/story/0,10801,108924,00.html Interviewing hackers http://www.it-observer.com/news/5770/interviewing_hackers/ - - - - - - - - - - Biometrics used to protect Germanys Olympic athletes To protect Germanys athletes, coaches and media representatives during the Olympic Games in Turin, Italy, Berlin-based Bundesdruckerei GmbH is using a biometric finger scanner -- the L Scan 100 from Cross Match Technologies Inc. -- to limit access at the German House, or Deutsches Haus. http://www.computerworld.com/securitytopics/security/story/0,10801,108902,00.html - - - - - - - - - - SAINTexploit Vulnerability and Penetration Testing Tool Saint has announced the launch of the SAINT exploit penetration testing tool. SAINTexploit allows administrators to quickly and easily evaluate the security, or vulnerability, of a network by running controlled exploits on targeted machines. SAINTexploit goes beyond simply detecting vulnerabilities to exploiting them. http://www.it-observer.com/news/5769/saintexploit_vulnerability_penetration_testing_tool/ - - - - - - - - - - Mac Attack a Load of Crap On Tuesday, there was news of a security hole in Apple's Safari web browser that allows a system to be compromised by merely visiting a website. And last week, the first worm to pose a serious threat to Mac OS X, Leap-A or Oompa Loompa, raised its ugly little head. These security woes prompted a rant from one of our editors in a daily story meeting. http://www.it-observer.com/news/5767/mac_attack_load_crap/ - - - - - - - - - - Data Storage Security Data in transit, across and between company networks, are usually the focus of extensive security efforts. However, organizations typically regard data residing on internal storage devices as secure enough. Databases and flat files stored on server drives or on SAN disk arrays dont move outside the security perimeter; so why worry? In this paper, well explore data storage vulnerabilities, the risks these vulnerabilities present to an organization, and ways to effectively manage those risks. http://www.it-observer.com/articles/1069/data_storage_security/ Backup or be damned http://www.it-observer.com/news/5768/backup_or_damned/ - - - - - - - - - - Too Many New Gadgets, Too Much Information at Risk It is the corporate version of keeping up with the Joneses: every day, it seems, someone arrives at the office with a shiny new gadget that combines a cellphone with all sorts of features you used to find only on your computer. They can get e-mail messages, surf the Web, manage contact lists and calendars, and even create Word and Excel documents that can run on a conventional PC. http://www.it-observer.com/news/5764/too_many_new_gadgets_too_much_information_at_risk/ - - - - - - - - - - Webex Security Overview WebEx assigns data security the highest priority in the design, deployment and maintenance of its network, platform and applications, and its offerings meet the most stringent security requirements of businesses and government agencies. The white paper provides information on the data security features and functions that are available in the various WebEx applications and are inherent to the underlying WebEx communication infrastructure known as MediaTone. http://www.computerworld.com/securitytopics/security/story/0,10801,108926,00.html - - - - - - - - - - Can Vista Save Enterprises from Themselves? Opinion: For years, Windows has provided ways for IT to administer systems securely. But until Vista it's been easier not to. During the announcement of the enterprise Community Technology Preview of Windows Vista Feb. 22, I was struck when the Microsoft rep said that, according to his company's research, 80 percent of enterprise users run as administrator. I just couldn't believe that's true. http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,1759,1930490,00.asp - - - - - - - - - - Eye scans: A high-tech hall pass? The brushed aluminum box on the brick wall glows purple, a rim of light around an unblinking HAL-like eye. Fourth grade teacher Erika Jimenez uses the iris scanner to enter Park Avenue Elementary School in Freehold, N.J. http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/techinnovations/2006-02-22-iris-school_x.htm *********************************************************** 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.