November 13, 2001 Man fined for posting fake investor note The ex-securities dealer who posted a fraudulent news release on the Internet that said Singapore Exchange-listed Venture Manufacturing was being taken over was fined nearly $44,000. Kenneth Chan Yen Yau had doctored an earlier news release by U.S.-based Celestica, saying it was taking over Venture, a locally based contract manufacturer. This came after Celestica's earlier purchase of Omni Industries, another local contract manufacturer. http://www.zdnet.com/zdnn/stories/newsbursts/0,7407,2824285,00.html - - - - - - - - Thai pirates crack Microsoft's new Windows system Thai computer users are buying thousands of pirated copies of Microsoft's new Windows XP operating system a week ahead of its official launch in Thailand, vendors said on Monday. Shops at Bangkok's Pantip Plaza -- a multi- storey rabbit's warren of computer goods outlets -- said pirates had found ways of getting around the new operating system's security features. http://www.siliconvalley.com/docs/news/tech/015176.htm http://news.zdnet.co.uk/story/0,,t269-s2099017,00.html http://www.techtv.com/news/hackingandsecurity/story/0,24195,3359934,00.html http://www.wired.com/news/business/0,1367,48326,00.html WinXP piracy report - from Bangkok to Bristol http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/4/22778.html - - - - - - - - Vietnam fights rampant copyright piracy The merchandise -- piles of counterfeit CDs, DVDs and computer software -- was back in the shop in Hanoi's tourist-heavy Old Quarter just a few hours after it was seized in a police raid. ``We paid a bribe to a person I know in the police station, and they let us have it back,'' said Tuan, the shop owner. http://www.siliconvalley.com/docs/news/tech/032312.htm - - - - - - - - Sites spotlight reports of copy-protected CDs UK and US sites are listing music CDs with the latest controversial copy-protection. A handful of Web sites are popping up to report sightings of copy-protected CDs, and already it's clear that there is far more confusion than solid information. The sites, located in the United States and United Kingdom, are part of a swelling consumer backlash to record companies' experimentation with CDs that can't be copied or turned into MP3 files. http://news.zdnet.co.uk/story/0,,t269-s2099110,00.html - - - - - - - - An Avalanche of Child Porn Investigators use subscription list found in raid to track down pedophiles around the world. It began on September 8, 1999, when federal agents raided the Fort Worth, Texas, home and offices of Thomas and Janice Reedy. The Reedys had been operating a business called Landslide Productions, which the FBI suspected sold subscriptions to websites offering child pornography. http://www.techtv.com/cybercrime/viceonline/story/0,23008,3359078,00.html - - - - - - - - Singapore Telecom rescues site from porn Those who have been using a "SingTel Mobile" site to access pornography for the last few months will get a new view when they next visit the site. That is because locally-based Singapore Telecommunications has managed to recover the "SingTel Mobile" Web site, which used to redirect surfers to a multimedia- enabled pornography site. http://www.zdnet.com/zdnn/stories/newsbursts/0,7407,2824238,00.html - - - - - - - - Cybersecurity czar urges more spending to protect infrastructure. U.S. cybersecurity czar Richard Clarke said yesterday that cyberattacks on the nation's critical IT infrastructure could potentially cause "catastrophic damage to the economy" and urged more spending on IT infrastructure and security. http://www.computerworld.com/storyba/0,4125,NAV47_STO65468,00.html Defending America against cyberterrorism Anyone following cybercrime may think the whole concept of "cyberterrorism" is an overhyped myth. With Web defacements and short denial-of-service attacks the norm, few fear a future attack from the Net. But Richard Clarke, the newly appointed special adviser to the president for cybersecurity, is one of those few. http://www.zdnet.com/zdnn/stories/news/0,4586,2824322,00.html Govt. Tech Security Officials Visit Key Net Facility http://www.newsbytes.com/news/01/172126.html - - - - - - - - Justice will share data, fund states’ battles against terrorism Attorney General John Ashcroft today reinforced the Justice Department’s attack on terrorists by ordering U.S. attorneys to develop by Dec. 1 communications protocols for disseminating information to government agencies and to appoint antiterrorist CIOs. He’s backing up those orders with a $9.3 million pledge. http://www.gcn.com/vol1_no1/daily-updates/17477-1.html FBI promises to share more information with local law enforcement The FBI pledged Tuesday to improve its efforts to share information on possible terrorist activity with local police, but at the same time pointed out the legal and logistical hurdles it faces in releasing sensitive data. http://www.govexec.com/dailyfed/1101/111301m1.htm - - - - - - - - Agency examines security of mission-critical computers. Imagine if someone were able to switch all interstate highway signs so motorists never reached their intended destinations. The Sept. 11 attacks have heightened concerns that the Internet could be vulnerable in that way, prompting a security review by the body that oversees the worldwide network's core computers. http://www.siliconvalley.com/docs/news/tech/065237.htm - - - - - - - - CIO Council folds security panel The Office of Management and Budget and the federal CIO Council have decided to disband the council's Security, Privacy and Critical Infrastructure Committee to move beyond general issues to the "nitty-gritty details," said Mark Forman, OMB's associate director for information technology and e-government. http://www.fcw.com/fcw/articles/2001/1112/web-cio-11-13-01.asp - - - - - - - - EU Parliament backs anti-terrorist data protection bill. The European Parliament voted Tuesday to allow anti-terrorist investigators to eavesdrop on private data on the Internet and endorsed improved police cooperation in hunting down terrorists. http://www.siliconvalley.com/docs/news/tech/020811.htm http://www.newsbytes.com/news/01/172116.html http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/6/22810.html - - - - - - - - Europe: Time to crunch the cookies? In a move that has riled Internet vendors and publishers, the European Commission is backing a plan to prohibit the placement of files on people's computers without their explicit permission. The European Parliament is expected to debate the proposal Monday and vote on it on Tuesday in the context of a controversial draft law governing privacy in electronic communications such as faxing, e-mail and mobile-phone use. http://www.zdnet.com/zdnn/stories/news/0,4586,2823996,00.html http://www.siliconvalley.com/docs/news/reuters_wire/1649027l.htm Euro Parliament Tackles Spam, Cookies This Week http://www.newsbytes.com/news/01/172086.html http://www.zdnet.com/zdnn/stories/news/0,4586,2824264,00.html - - - - - - - - Cybercrime treaty ready for signatures A controversial international treaty to combat online crime is ready for adoption by participating countries after ministers of the Council of Europe approved the final draft Thursday. The cybercrime treaty will be opened for countries to sign at an international conference on cybercrime in Budapest on November 23, the council said in a statement. http://www.cnn.com/2001/TECH/internet/11/12/cybercrime.treaty.idg/index.html http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/sci/tech/newsid_1651000/1651381.stm - - - - - - - - Security concerns dominate Internet meeting Computer geeks and public-policy wonks arriving here to take part in the annual meeting of the body that sets standards for the Internet's addressing system will find that, like everything else, September 11 has profoundly changed the online world. In the wake of the devastating hijacking attacks in Washington and New York, the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers decided to devote its annual meeting to a discussion of computer security. http://www.siliconvalley.com/docs/news/reuters_wire/1644856l.htm Japanese Tech Official Urges Enhanced Net Security A senior Japanese technology official today urged Internet addressing authorities to make the safety and security of the global Domain Name System (DNS) a top priority. Kenji Kosaka, Japan's Senior Vice Minister for Public Management, Home Affairs, Posts and Telecommunications today gave the opening keynote at the annual meeting of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN). http://www.newsbytes.com/news/01/172119.html - - - - - - - - House Subcommittee To Debate Need For National ID Once again, Congress is prepared wade into the debate over whether Americans should be made to carry national identification cards, an idea that has gained substantial currency in the wake of Sept. 11. http://www.newsbytes.com/news/01/172071.html - - - - - - - - Justice officials shift priorities for wartime It was only this summer that Attorney General John Ashcroft and then newly minted FBI Director Robert Mueller III showed up at Verisign in Mountain View to make the prosecution of cybercrime the first major federal law enforcement initiative of the Bush administration. But that was then, and this is post-Sept. 11th. http://www.siliconvalley.com/docs/news/depth/prior111101.htm - - - - - - - - Small firms respond to government's plea for anti-terror tech Long before Sept. 11, small companies here and across the nation were at work on a remarkable array of gadgets and strategies to counter terrorists. Some have been trying to develop electromagnetic beams or ``sonic fields'' for neutralizing toxic chemicals, blast-proof fabrics to wrap around buildings and orbiting radar for detecting ships carrying weapons of mass destruction. http://www.siliconvalley.com/docs/news/svfront/countr111201.htm Cybersecurity firms rush to capitalize on attacks http://www.siliconvalley.com/docs/news/tech/052376.htm - - - - - - - - Recording artists file brief supporting Napster A group of recording stars led by Don Henley Tuesday said they recently filed a brief in a San Francisco federal court that may give song-swap service Napster a shot in the arm in its ongoing copyright infringement battle with the recording industry. http://www.siliconvalley.com/docs/news/tech/082413.htm http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1005-200-7867029.html TVT, MP3.com Settle Differences, End Copyright Suit http://www.newsbytes.com/news/01/172125.html Napster Bumped Off Lycos 50 List After 88 Weeks http://www.newsbytes.com/news/01/172124.html - - - - - - - - Post-attacks, privacy takes back seat to security The Statue of Liberty stands gracefully alone in New York Harbor, averting her gaze like many New Yorkers from the ghastly site of what was once the World Trade Center. The statue, a symbol of America's open society, is closed to visitors for now, a victim of the trade-off between personal freedoms and domestic security — a trade-off that has far-reaching implications for the technology industry. http://www.usatoday.com/life/cyber/tech/2001/11/13/privacy-vs-security.htm - - - - - - - - IE flaw puts credit card info at risk Personal data contained in cookies may be at risk from an Internet Explorer vulnerability. Microsoft has warned that versions of Internet Explorer can expose consumers' personal data contained within cookies. The vulnerability exists within IE 5.5 and 6.0, but earlier browser editions "may or may not be affected," according to a security bulletin posted to Microsoft's Web site on Thursday. http://news.zdnet.co.uk/story/0,,t269-s2099008,00.html http://www.techtv.com/news/hackingandsecurity/story/0,24195,3359674,00.html - - - - - - - - MS 'Security Framework' is another .NET vulnerability In late October 2001, Microsoft's Security Manager Scott Culp published a missive calling for 'responsible disclosure' of security vulnerability information on the Internet, claiming it was because of the public availability of such information that major Internet security problems or cyber-terrorist events could occur. His commentary was well-received by large commercial companies and security vendors, and panned by nearly everyone else. http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/55/22816.html - - - - - - - - Virus False Alarm Bugs InstallShield Users Symantec has confirmed that its Norton AntiVirus software was erroneously detecting a virus in InstallShield, a popular software installation tool. Due to an error in virus definition files dated Nov. 9, Norton AntiVirus reported that InstallShield was infected with a variant of the Nimda Internet worm, according to a bulletin at Symantec's site. http://www.newsbytes.com/news/01/172115.html - - - - - - - - Apple strengthens AirPort security Apple Computer on Tuesday announced a new version of its AirPort wireless networking technology, with software that offers better security and the ability for Macs to wirelessly connect to the Internet using America Online. AirPort 2.0 base stations, which use the 802.11b networking standard, now include a built- in firewall, along with stronger 128-bit encryption for added security, and the ability for up to 50 computers to share a single base station. http://www.zdnet.com/zdnn/stories/news/0,4586,5099557,00.html - - - - - - - - Handspring: Security could be our business Handspring co-founder Jeff Hawkins said demand for better security technology in the wireless industry is a potential business opportunity for his company. In a keynote speech at Comdex Fall 2001, Hawkins identified a number of directions in which the cell phone and handheld computer industries are headed, and he identified improved security as a top concern. http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1006-200-7865649.html - - - - - - - - Gates stresses the need for trustworthy core systems Security and mobility will be key elements in a network landscape that will change drastically over the next five years, Microsoft Corp. chairman Bill Gates said today in his annual state of the industry address at the Comdex Computer trade show in Las Vegas. Gates said the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11 showed the need for both physical and digital security to guard against tragedy. http://www.gcn.com/vol1_no1/daily-updates/17468-1.html - - - - - - - - Personal firewalls could leak private info Protecting your PC with a personal firewall may not stop malicious programs sending out personal information onto the Web. Consumers protecting their PCs with personal firewalls should not feel too comfortable in their defence methods, according to a security researcher. http://news.zdnet.co.uk/story/0,,t269-s2099013,00.html http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/55/22788.html - - - - - - - - Companies Prepare Airport Security Technology Imagine this scenario: Upon arrival at the airport, you show the ticket agent your government-issued identification card, place your thumb in a fingerprint reader to verify your identity, and it gets checked against a database of known terrorists. http://www.newsbytes.com/news/01/172079.html - - - - - - - - A Novice Tries Steganography With the war on terrorism and the hunt for those responsible for the September 11 attacks mounting, steganography is increasingly in the news. Some experts theorize the al Qaeda terrorists used the Internet to plan the attacks, possibly using steganography to keep their intentions secret. http://www.techtv.com/cybercrime/privacy/story/0,23008,3359041,00.html - - - - - - - - Bug secrecy vs. full disclosure Microsoft is leading the charge to restrict the free flow of computer-security vulnerabilities. Last month Scott Culp, manager of the security response center at Microsoft, published an essay describing the current practice of publishing security vulnerabilities to be "information anarchy." He claimed that we'd all be a lot safer if researchers would keep details about vulnerabilities to themselves, and stop arming hackers with offensive tools. Last week, at Microsoft's Trusted Computing Forum, Culp announced a new coalition to put these ideas into practice. http://www.zdnet.com/zdnn/stories/comment/0,5859,2824251,00.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 2000-2001, NewsBits.net, Campbell, CA.