August 31, 2001 Programmer hacks Microsoft e-book code A programmer in the US claims to have written a program that cracks the encryption that stops people sharing e-books created with Microsoft Reader. The encryption protection that stops the copying of e-books stored in Microsoft Reader formats has been broken by an anonymous programmer, according to MIT's Technology Review. http://news.zdnet.co.uk/story/0,,t269-s2094327,00.html http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1005-200-7026815.html - - - - - - - - Police clear MP of hacking allegations The mystery surrounding the NSW Parliament "hackergate" controversy remained yesterday when police cleared the Upper House Labor MP Mr Tony Kelly. They found that there were computer files belonging to Liberal Party MLC Mr Charlie Lynn on a computer from his office. A letter to Mr Kelly's lawyer from Detective Inspector Colin Dyson only served to confuse the issue and anger the Opposition leader, Mrs. Chikarovski, whose complaint had prompted the investigation. http://it.mycareer.com.au/breaking/2001/08/31/FFXL614V0RC.html - - - - - - - - AOL sued over chat room harrassment A group of current and former subscribers of AOL Time Warner's Internet service complaining about racial harassment in online Muslim chat rooms said on Thursday they have sued the company for not living up to its terms of service. The group argued that AOL did not sufficiently monitor and edit out harassing incidents, some of which lasted a few minutes while others lasted hours, and that the world's largest Internet service provider monitored harassment more aggressively in other chat rooms. http://www.zdnet.com/zdnn/stories/newsbursts/0,7407,2809876,00.html http://www.msnbc.com/news/622286.asp? - - - - - - - - Jailed teen hacker gets fresh start Dennis Moran, an 18-year-old high school dropout, earned international notoriety and a nine-month jail sentence last year for his computer-hacking exploits. He was accused by the FBI of hacking into a computer security firm's Web site and the computer systems of four U.S. military bases. He also hacked into an anti-drug site connected to the Los Angeles Police Department, adding a cartoon of Donald Duck with a hypodermic needle in his arm. http://www.siliconvalley.com/docs/news/tech/045362.htm http://www.msnbc.com/news/622283.asp http://www.wired.com/news/culture/0,1284,46472,00.html http://www.cnn.com/2001/TECH/internet/08/31/hackers.fresh.start.ap/index.html - - - - - - - - Design Flaw Stops InvalidSSL Worm A potentially dangerous new Internet worm has been rendered sterile, thanks to a weakness in the program's code, anti-virus experts said today. The data-destroying worm, which has been dubbed InvalidSSL and other aliases, travels as a Trojan horse program attached to an e-mail message masquerading as a Microsoft security bulletin. http://www.newsbytes.com/news/01/169608.html - - - - - - - - Law enforcers report spike in cybercrime Cybercrime cases are rising in high-tech regions, say U.S. law-enforcement officials. Prosecutors and investigators are seeing more cases related to computer hacking, theft of trade secrets and hardware, and other tech crimes. In Silicon Valley, the Santa Clara District Attorney's Office is tackling almost 30 tech-related cases this year — twice as many as last year, investigator John McMullen says. http://www.usatoday.com/life/cyber/tech/2001-08-31-cybercrime-wave.htm - - - - - - - - Computer virus costs reach $10.7 billion this year The worldwide cost of the Code Red computer worms that were unleashed on the Internet in July and August has reached about $2.6 billion, an independent research firm said Friday. While hefty, that was just a part of the total cost of attacks on computer systems this year. http://www.siliconvalley.com/docs/news/tech/038349.htm http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1003-200-7026411.html - - - - - - - - India to open first cyber police station India's first police station to exclusively handle cyber crimes such as computer hacking, data damage and Internet fraud will start work in Bangalore on Sept. 15, police said Friday. The station, which would cover the state of Karnataka, was launched on Thursday, a senior police official told Reuters. The station, which would cover crimes under India's information technology law passed last year, was aimed at taking quick action on solving cyber crimes, taking the burden from local police. http://www.siliconvalley.com/docs/news/tech/079134.htm http://www.msnbc.com/news/622442.asp http://www.cnn.com/2001/TECH/internet/08/31/india.crime.reut/index.html - - - - - - - - Top Hacking Tools Site Restricts Access Citing a desire to thwart "script kiddies" and security companies, a popular site that provides free hacking tools has closed its doors to the general public. Hack.co.za will no longer allow all visitors to download its collection of exploits, according to its operator, a South African who uses the nickname Gov-Boi. http://www.newsbytes.com/news/01/169648.html - - - - - - - - Consumer privacy bill mired in debate Governor wants measure softened as legislative session nears close. California consumers could benefit from the nation's strongest protections against the sale or trade of their private financial information if a compromise can be reached on a contentious bill before the legislative session ends in two weeks. http://www.siliconvalley.com/docs/news/depth/privac083101.htm - - - - - - - - "Sickie" site given privacy warning An Australian-based Web site that allows businesses to dob in serial “sickie” takers and compensation claimants for the benefit of potential future employers has been reminded of its obligations under the new privacy laws to be implemented this year. Coming under the battle cry “Wayne and Diana’s employment service”, the contentious Web site sports what it calls The Australian national register for workers that have taken a sickie or claimed compo (worker’s compensation). http://www.zdnet.com.au/news/internet/story/0,2000020814,20258117,00.htm - - - - - - - - Sklyarov boss exhibits cojones Russian programmer Dmitry Sklyarov stood in the dock (so to speak) Thursday and pleaded not guilty to five charges that he violated the (purely American) Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) by trafficking in and committing conspiracy to traffic in a copyright circumvention device. The device in question is the Advanced eBook Processor which cracks the access controls on Adobe's eBook Reader, made and marketed by Russian software company ElcomSoft, where Sklyarov works. http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/6/21397.html Russia tells computer experts to stay home Russia warned its computer experts Friday of the dangers of visiting the United States after a Russian software designer was arrested there for violating a controversial new law. Last July, Dmitry Sklyarov became the first person to be arrested on charges of selling technology designed to circumvent a 1998 U.S. copyright protection law. Formally arraigned Thursday, he faces up to 25 years in jail if convicted. http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1005-200-7024730.html http://www.msnbc.com/news/622397.asp Cold War II? Russia warns tech experts http://www.zdnet.com/zdnn/stories/news/0,4586,2809895,00.html - - - - - - - - Trademarks Don't Guarantee Domain Name Rights - Court A federal court judge this week issued another rebuff to a $200-million-per-year company that figured it deserved to control the Internet domain name that best matched its well known business moniker. In a decision released this week, U.S. District Court Judge Bruce W. Kauffman wrote that transport-trailer maker Strick Corp. had no more right to the domain Strick.com than computer consultant James Strickland from Tarpon Springs, Fla. http://www.newsbytes.com/news/01/169655.html - - - - - - - - Security software: blind lead blind It's incredible that in this day and age some of the most popular security products, products that are marketed as protecting you from the evils of computers, are so badly designed. Case in point: The many antivirus products that failed to detect and stop the highly effective SirCam worm, even when updated with the latest signatures and when configured correctly. http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/4/21384.html - - - - - - - - Marriott to erase Web comment on Thai prostitutes U.S.-based hotel chain Marriott International Inc said on Friday it would delete a dress code tip on its Web site which links women wearing blouses and shorts in Thailand to prostitutes. One of the pages in the www.marriot.com site advising the dress code in Thailand says: ``No Thai men wear shorts. Among women, only prostitutes wear sleeveless blouses and/or shorts.'' http://www.siliconvalley.com/docs/news/reuters_wire/1449714l.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 2000-2001, NewsBits.net, Campbell, CA.