September 11, 2000 Western Union Web site hacked; credit cards number taken Hackers stole credit and debit card information from 15,700 online customers of Western Union, whose Web site was unprotected while undergoing maintenance. By Sunday evening, no cases of credit card fraud had been reported to the Englewood, Colo.-based company, and only customers who used the Web site to transfer money remain at risk, said Peter Ziverts, a Western Union spokesman. The company began notifying customers of the problem on Friday, when the computer attack was first detected. By late Sunday, Visa International and MasterCard International Inc. had been contacted so that cardholders' accounts could be monitored for possible fraud. http://www.mercurycenter.com/svtech/news/breaking/merc/docs/068986.htm http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1005-200-2743344.html - - - - - - - - - - - Online auctioneer jammed by hacker A hacker working through servers in Europe cost an online auctioneer hundreds of thousands of dollars in lost business over two days, the Tujunga-based company said Friday. The attack affects not only BidBay.com, the country's eighth largest online auction site, but sites run by the Ralphs supermarket chain, commodities dealer Monex and other clients of BidBay's Web host. Though the culprit, who has jammed BidBay's site, has been traced to servers in Bulgaria and Austria, officials said they believe the point of origin might be Southern California. http://www.sjmercury.com/premium/local/docs/bidbay10.htm - - - - - - - - - - - Car crash kid investigated for online fraud A 15-year-old kid from Florida is under investigation for fraud after crashing a car he is suspected of buying online. The lad bought the $15,000 Plymouth Neon last month by negotiating the price via email and telephone, police said. He used the CheckFree service - which lets users send cash electronically. In total he sent out more than $100,000 in other payments, but the car was the only product he got delivered. The cash was taken from the State of Florida Disbursement Unit which issues child maintenance payments, AP reported. The boy was caught when he ploughed his shiny new purchase through a fence and ran over a stop sign. He has now been charged with driving without a license and is being investigated for grand theft and fraud. http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/1/13165.html - - - - - - - - - - - Questions nip at Carnivore Carnivore, the FBIs’ e-mail bugging system, seems to be taking more bites out of the Justice Department than out of crime. Already under scrutiny by legislators and civil liberties groups, Carnivore’s integrity was further questioned Sept. 6 when lawmakers asked Justice officials why major universities are balking at reviewing the system. Respected institutions such as the Massachusetts Institute of Technology; the University of California, San Diego; the University of Michigan; Dartmouth College; and Purdue University have said they will not take part in the review, according to a USA Today report Sept. 6. http://www.fcw.com/fcw/articles/2000/0911/web-carn-09-11-00.asp - - - - - - - - - - - IE feature can track Web surfers without warning People surfing the Web incognito may want to think twice before using Internet Explorer. Microsoft today said it is investigating a possible privacy loophole in its Internet Explorer browser that could thwart efforts by people who want to surf the Web anonymously. The feature in IE 5 and above, referred to by Microsoft as "persistence," is designed to let Web pages remember information, such as search queries, entered by visitors. But privacy advocates complain, and Microsoft today acknowledged, that the trade-off for that convenience is that Web sites could uniquely identify visitors as they return over time-- without any warning from IE. Microsoft defended the feature and pointed out that the vast majority of Web surfers already are knowingly vulnerable to the same level of exposure. http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1005-200-2751843.html - - - - - - - - - - - New Law Lets Russia's Security Agency Monitor Internet Traffic For Russian computer users, the message ``You've Got Mail!'' might now well read, ``You've Got Company.'' Under a far reaching new law going into effect this month, Russia's intelligence agency, the Federal Security Service, or FSB, is now allowed to snoop on all Internet traffic and eavesdrop on cellular telephone and pager communications - all without the user's consent or knowledge. Russia's flourishing Internet service providers, or ISPs, say the government's demand that they install the eavesdropping equipment and train intelligence officers to use it will put the fledgling companies out of business. Meanwhile, civil rights groups say the surveillance measures, known by their Russian acronym SORM, are yet another sign of a return to Soviet-style political repression under current President Vladimir Putin. http://www.portablelife.com/news/story/0,1089,2629,00.html - - - - - - - - - - - Satellites help companies stay safe and secure As more and more computer viruses circulate, businesses are continuing to look for new ways to defeat the pernicious programs. Now some companies are starting to protect themselves with a satellite network that distributes virus cures quickly. Others are turning to smart software that can spot novel viruses before they do damage. But companies and consumers will have to continue to be watchful as the writers of the malicious programs target new groups of users and devices. The number of computer viruses circulating around the world has been steadily increasing for the last couple of years but has taken a leap upwards this year thanks to the ILOVEYOU virus. http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/sci/tech/newsid_909000/909706.stm - - - - - - - - - - - It's not easy to fool investigators with phony e-mail IDs False identities may be a time-honored tradition on the Web, but as the case of the e-mail messages about DFL U.S. Senate candidate Mike Ciresi illustrates, fake isn't the same as anonymous. Most Internet users probably don't realize how easy it is to trace the origin of an e-mail, and how willingly their internet service provider (ISP) or e-mail provider will aid in the search. "The general public doesn't understand how much fingerprinting goes on when you do these things," said Jennifer Zeller, an e-mail security expert at Ontrack Data International, an Eden Prairie data recovery firm. "It's not that hard to find someone." All e-mail contains identifiers that can help security experts or law enforcement officials determine where the e-mail came from. http://www.startribune.com/viewers/qview/cgi/qview.cgi?template=biz_a_cache&slug=isp09 - - - - - - - - - - - The Coming Internet Sting: Counterfeit Ecommerce Sites The multitude of high profile virus outbreaks that have occurred since the "Big Bang" of Melissa over a year ago seem to prove that either users are not getting any more careful or that virus authors are getting even better at promoting their "warez." While these viruses undeniably cause tremendous financial damage in terms of lost productivity and downtime, there has not been any monetary benefit to any sort of criminal group. These have been widespread acts of vandalism. http://securityportal.com/cover/coverstory20000911.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, NewsBits.net, Campbell, CA.