November 5, 2001 Man sentenced for sabotaging IRS computer A Lusby, Md., man has been sentenced to 15 months in prison and fined $109,000 for sabotaging IRS computers at the agency’s New Carrollton, Md., office. Claude R. Carpenter II, who worked as a systems administrator for Network Resources Inc. of Charlotte, N.C., a subcontractor to the IRS on the agency’s Integrated Network Operations Management System database, pleaded guilty to intentionally damaging a protected computer in July. http://www.gcn.com/vol1_no1/daily-updates/17454-1.html - - - - - - - - Teen charged with £150,000 internet fraud An East London 19 year-old conned 200 on-line shoppers out of more than £150,000 Snaresbrook Crown Court has been told. The Crown alledge that Aun Sayal masterminded a global scam from his bedroom byoffering to sell goods including Sony Play Stations and digital cameras at bargin prices from his web site. http://www.vnunet.com/News/1126621 - - - - - - - - UK Web site accused over anthrax drug sales The US Food and Drug Administration has emailed 11 Web sites that it believes to be selling illicit batches of anthrax antibiotics. The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has accused a British online pharmaceutical supplier of allegedly selling illegal drugs to the American public in wake of the recent bio-terrorist attacks on the US. http://news.zdnet.co.uk/story/0,,t269-s2098620,00.html - - - - - - - - Adult sites pay $30 million to settle fraud charges The operators of www.playgirl.com and several other Web sites offering adult-oriented content agreed to pay $30 million to settle charges that they illegally billed thousands of customers for what were advertised as free services, the Federal Trade Commission said on Monday. http://www.siliconvalley.com/docs/news/reuters_wire/1628068l.htm http://www.zdnet.com/zdnn/stories/newsbursts/0,7407,2822475,00.html http://www.techtv.com/news/internet/story/0,24195,3358337,00.html http://www.newsbytes.com/news/01/171847.html http://www.msnbc.com/news/653035.asp http://www.cnn.com/2001/TECH/internet/11/05/tech.porn.reut/index.html - - - - - - - - Anti-U.S. Hackers May Step Up Attacks - FBI The FBI's National Infrastructure Protection Center warned Friday of an increased threat of distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks on computer networks. According to an advisory released at the NIPC Web site, the organization "has reason to believe that the potential for future DDoS attacks is high." The NIPC advised network infrastructure operators to "take a defensive posture and remain vigilant at a higher state of alert." http://www.newsbytes.com/news/01/171850.html http://www.securityfocus.com/news/278 - - - - - - - - Adviser enlists support to fight cyber-attacks President Bush last month named Richard Clarke to the newly created post of cyberspace-security adviser to the president. Clarke will report to both the Office of Homeland Security and national security adviser Condoleezza Rice. http://www.siliconvalley.com/docs/news/depth/clrkqa110301.htm Cyberspace Security Czar Worries About 'Digital Pearl Harbor' Back in the early 1990s, when crashing planes and anthrax in the mail were the stuff of movies or at least far-away places, Richard Clarke was already warning of terrorism on U.S. soil. Attacks on our skyscrapers. Biological warfare in Washington and New York. All sorts of havoc worked up by none other than Osama bin Laden and his associates. http://www.newsbytes.com/news/01/171829.html - - - - - - - - NET Guard calls techies into service Cyber corps would help smooth communications From floods and forest fires to civil unrest, the National Guard has often mobilized to help the nation in times of crisis. Now a U.S. senator is proposing a new corps of part-time warriors to help the nation recover from technological catastrophes. http://www.siliconvalley.com/docs/news/depth/netgrd110301.htm - - - - - - - - $1B IT fund in the works A Senate proposal would set up a $1 billion fund that some agencies could use to pay for information technology security projects to help protect the nation against terrorist attacks. The proposal, which may be tucked into the Senate Democratic economic stimulus package to be introduced this week, would fund homeland security investments, ranging from software to help manage traffic if a city has to be evacuated to early warning systems in the event of biological warfare. http://www.fcw.com/fcw/articles/2001/1105/news-fund-11-05-01.asp - - - - - - - - Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court gets new powers Congress has just given the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court new powers - even as some fear the court's growing power. "The secrecy surrounding the court's proceedings is a real problem for democratic accountability and for the rule of law," said Lee Tien, senior staff attorney with the Electronic Frontier Foundation. http://www.nandotimes.com/technology/story/164031p-1563913c.html - - - - - - - - Law Creates Intelligence Behemoth Molded by wartime politics and passed a week and a half ago in furious haste, the new anti- terrorism bill lays the foundation for a domestic intelligence-gathering system of unprecedented scale and technological prowess, according to both supporters and critics of the legislation. http://www.washtech.com/news/regulation/13537-1.html - - - - - - - - Dutch Police 'Bombard' Stolen Cell Phones With SMS The Amsterdam police have been using short messaging system (SMS) missives to block the use of stolen cell phones, and while the campaign has been successful, mobile providers are concerned about the cost and bandwidth strain of the campaign. About four months ago, the Amsterdam police began cooperating with the national telecommunications provider, KPN Telekom. http://www.newsbytes.com/news/01/171836.html - - - - - - - - 3M's Cybersquatting Allegations Fail To Stick At 118th on the Fortune 500 list, the Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company raked in nearly $17 billion in sales last year. And, if it could have ponied up more than just $210 for three Internet domains bearing its famous "3M" moniker, it might also have snatched those addresses from a man it claimed was a cybersquatter. http://www.newsbytes.com/news/01/171863.html - - - - - - - - Oops! MS.de 'pirates' its own WinXPs Microsoft Deutschland seems to have accidentally pirated itself by shipping the same copy of Windows XP over and over again. Sort of, anyway. German sites 3Dwin.de and Heise Online report that numerous copies of XP with the same product key have been turning up, and naturally these won't activate, because they've been activated already. http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/4/22651.html - - - - - - - - MS Passport cracked with Hotmail Passport and Wallet users are going to be disappointed to learn that these feature-rich tools can't be used until MS fixes a little bug which makes sport of taking over someone else's account. Passport authenticates a user for access to his credit cards and Web site accounts and passwords, to make life easy for on-line merchants and shoppers, and hackers and identity thieves. http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/4/22655.html http://www.nandotimes.com/technology/story/163542p-1557643c.html - - - - - - - - Software that puts porn in the trash But e-mail image recognition software still far from perfect. Can a computer be programmed to recognize pornographic images? Several firms are betting on new software that opens e-mail attachments, recognizes porn, and throws it in the trash before it even gets to you. http://www.msnbc.com/news/653155.asp - - - - - - - - Trojan programs improve attack methods Security watchers have warned that Trojan programs, feared for their ability to compromise a network and go unnoticed, are getting sneakier about sending data out of the network. Typically, Trojans sit on a compromised machine and wait for incoming connections to deliver instructions. http://www.vnunet.com/News/1126643 - - - - - - - - Comdex without laptops? In an effort to improve security after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, the organizers of next week's Comdex trade show have banned the most ubiquitous of technology tools: laptop computers. "This year at Comdex Fall, expect to see more security," states a notice on the Comdex Web site. "Security officers will be roving the conferences and marketplace floor." http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1003-200-7788363.html http://www.usatoday.com/life/cyber/tech/2001/11/05/comdex-no-laptops.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.