December 4, 2001 'Goner' worm hitting corporations, individual PCs A new computer worm named ''Goner'' was spreading quickly through corporate and personal e-mail inboxes Tuesday, deleting system files and clogging networks in what could be the the biggest outbreak since last year's ``Love Letter'' virus, security software vendors said. The worm, a virus that propagates itself to other computers through the Internet or other networks, is affecting users of Microsoft Corp.'s Outlook and Outlook Express, said Ian Hameroff, business manager of security solutions at Computer Associates International Inc. http://www.siliconvalley.com/docs/news/tech/072374.htm http://www.siliconvalley.com/docs/news/reuters_wire/1694262l.htm http://www.techtv.com/news/virus/story/0,24195,3363415,00.html http://www.cnn.com/2001/TECH/internet/12/04/goner.worm/index.html Goner Worm Goes To Top Of Virus Charts In Just One Day http://www.newsbytes.com/news/01/172686.html http://www.securityfocus.com/news/295 'Goner' worm spreading fast http://www.zdnet.com/zdnn/stories/news/0,4586,5100282,00.html http://www.msnbc.com/news/667238.asp http://www.wired.com/news/technology/0,1282,48837,00.html http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/56/23186.html http://www.nandotimes.com/technology/story/186921p-1809733c.html Goner is a script kiddie-inspired worm that disables firewalls, antivirus http://www.zdnet.com/products/stories/reviews/0,4161,2825281,00.html "Pentagone" virus still spreading http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1003-200-8065378.html - - - - - - - - Fremont man pleads guilty of selling pirated Microsoft software. A man pleaded guilty in federal court to selling pirated Microsoft software and now faces possible deportation. Eric Pang, 37, of Fremont, pleaded guilty in the court of U.S. District Judge Claudia Wilken Monday to a count of conspiracy to infringe copyrights. http://www.siliconvalley.com/docs/news/tech/020781.htm - - - - - - - - Computer Security Advisory Site Suffers Attack The Web site of the Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT) is undergoing a distributed denial of service attack, officials at the federally funded computer security clearinghouse confirmed today. As a result of the attack, the CERT.org site was intermittently unreachable today for many Internet users. http://www.newsbytes.com/news/01/172687.html - - - - - - - - Hard-Coded Into E-Mail Hell By BadTrans You think the handful of BadTrans.B worm-infected messages you've received are a pain? Imagine what life is like for Linda Anderson, a Florida resident who's been getting over 500 BadTrans- related e-mail daily for the past week. The latest widespread infectious code to hit the Internet, BadTrans.B has been particularly unkind to 15 people whose e-mail addresses were programmed into the worm by its unidentified author. http://www.newsbytes.com/news/01/172673.html - - - - - - - - FBI builds cybercrime division The FBI announced Monday that, as part of its latest reorganization, the agency is forming a Cybercrime Division to handle intellectual property, high-tech and computer crimes. The new organization shifts 11 existing divisions into four new units, said spokeswoman Deborah Weierman. http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1005-200-8055680.html http://www.zdnet.com/zdnn/stories/newsbursts/0,7407,5100254,00.html - - - - - - - - OMB orders agencies to boost spending on computer security The Office of Management and Budget will require federal agencies to submit budget plans that include funds for boosting computer security because the government has continued to get failing grades in that area, a key administration official said Tuesday. http://www.govexec.com/dailyfed/1201/120401td1.htm http://www.nandotimes.com/technology/story/187314p-1812328c.html - - - - - - - - Adviser wants Internet users to get free security software. The president's computer security adviser asked technology executives Tuesday for a shopping list of changes, including bundled security software for high-speed Internet users and a new way to get software updates on personal computers. Richard Clarke told software companies that their responsibility doesn't end when they fix a hole in their products that could let hackers in. http://www.siliconvalley.com/docs/news/tech/033011.htm http://www.siliconvalley.com/docs/news/reuters_wire/1694088l.htm http://www.usatoday.com/life/cyber/tech/2001/12/04/attacks-security.htm http://www.nandotimes.com/technology/story/186883p-1809439c.html http://www.gcn.com/vol1_no1/daily-updates/17563-1.html - - - - - - - - U.S. approves new 256-bit encryption standard The U.S. government has updated its encryption standard for computer transmissions, replacing an aging standard first put in place in 1977, the Commerce Department said Tuesday. When the new Advanced Encryption Standard, or AES, is adopted by the government and private businesses, it should significantly strengthen the privacy and security of a wide variety of computer transactions, from cash-machine withdrawals to Internet shopping to sensitive e-mails. http://www.siliconvalley.com/docs/news/tech/076110.htm - - - - - - - - Attorney general's task force to study computer terrorism A state committee is studying protection of computer systems that are the "central nervous system of industrial society," Attorney General John Cornyn said. The Attorney General's State Infrastructure Protection Advisory Committee will examine protection of computer systems that oversee telecommunications, transportation, energy and water systems. It will work closely with the governor's Task Force on Homeland Security, Cornyn said. http://www.reporternews.com/2001/texas/task1129.html - - - - - - - - Spam, Porn Costing U.K. Firms $4.6 Billion A Year - ISP Spam and pornographic e-mail costs British firms 3.2 billion pounds ($4.6 billion) a year, according to figures compiled by business Internet service provider (ISP) Star Internet. The research was conducted in recent months by the ISP to publicize its partnership with e-mail filtering company MessageLabs, spokeswoman Helen Desmond told Newsbytes. http://www.newsbytes.com/news/01/172659.html - - - - - - - - Digital Dealers Sellers of illegal drugs are finding a brand-new marketplace on the street corners of the information superhighway. Webvan. Kozmo. Peapod. Amazon.com. Fueled by the Internet revolution, companies like these changed the way many of us shop, letting us make purchases from our living rooms and have products delivered to our doors. And though many of these businesses have disappeared as the economy has taken a downturn, one segment of the online delivery industry is booming: drug dealing. http://www.techtv.com/cybercrime/viceonline/story/0,23008,3342926,00.html - - - - - - - - Tauzin Wants To Pass Privacy Bill Early Next Year Seeking to prevent California and a handful of other states from enacting strict Internet privacy laws, House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Billy Tauzin, R-La., today said he would seek to introduce and pass a federal electronic privacy package soon after Congress returns from its holiday break. http://www.newsbytes.com/news/01/172681.html - - - - - - - - California opens first state privacy office The California Consumer Affairs office says it has opened the first state agency in the United States to address consumer privacy. The Office of Privacy Protection will be chiefly concerned with identity theft, one of the fastest growing crimes in the nation, said Consumer Affairs Director Kathleen Hamilton. Identity theft cases are expected to mushroom this year, adding 500,000 to 750,000 victims nationwide, according to the Privacy Rights Clearinghouse. http://www.zdnet.com/zdnn/stories/newsbursts/0,7407,5100287,00.html - - - - - - - - Identity crisis: Birth records online People-search and family history Web sites have come under fire from California lawmakers, residents and privacy advocates concerned that personal data available online can be used to aid identity theft. http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1005-200-8055175.html - - - - - - - - Banks Learn To Write Readable Privacy Policies Unless you're the type of person who prefers to deposit his savings under the mattress, you likely received at least one lengthy and indecipherable notice this summer describing how your bank handles your personal and financial information. And if you're anything like most consumers, you probably took one look at the notice and promptly tossed it into the trash. http://www.newsbytes.com/news/01/172682.html - - - - - - - - 'Magic Lantern' Rubs the Wrong Way Anti-virus products could detect the FBI's new spyware. But should they? The notion of programming anti-virus software to deliberately ignore a particular program, despite malicious characteristics, is nothing new. http://www.securityfocus.com/columnists/44 - - - - - - - - Could XP allow hackers into your fridge? Microsoft's release of a version of Windows XP that can squeeze into all sorts of devices, from slot machines to set-top boxes to cash registers, has a catch: If you're not careful, you could find that a virus has crashed your video recorder, or a hacker has invaded your refrigerator. http://www.zdnet.com/zdnn/stories/news/0,4586,2829738,00.html http://news.zdnet.co.uk/story/0,,t269-s2100308,00.html - - - - - - - - AOL pledges allegiance to Liberty AOL Time Warner has joined a coalition of technology companies creating a common online registration and identity system to counter Microsoft's ambitions with its Passport service, an AOL spokesman confirmed Tuesday. AOL will become a founding member of the 34-company Liberty Alliance Project. The group will hold a governance meeting later this week to map out the steps it plans to take to establish this new technology. http://www.zdnet.com/zdnn/stories/news/0,4586,5100270,00.html - - - - - - - - Light shed on Novell's darkest security secret Novell users are finally able to find out why they needed to apply a patch to fix a GroupWise security problem deemed so serious the firm decided to keep it secret. Back in August, Novell sent an email to GroupWise 5.5 Enhancement Pack and GroupWise 6 users asking them to apply the Padlock Fix patch to their servers immediately. It wouldn't tell anybody why it's needed, lest hackers exploit the problem on unpatched systems. http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/55/23182.html - - - - - - - - Ellison donates software for U.S. security Oracle Chief Executive Larry Ellison said Tuesday that he has donated Oracle software to the U.S. government to create a database for national security. After the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, Ellison has championed the need for the United States to create a national standard for identification cards. http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1004-200-8070437.html - - - - - - - - Olympics Net Security Is His Game At least one of the techies in charge of securing the 2002 Olympic Winter Games' computer network is having a lot of fun. Despite general security concerns and fears of attacks directed at the Olympics computer system, Matt McClung of Salt Lake City security firm Satel is excited about a job that would leave many systems administrators in a catatonic state. http://www.wired.com/news/technology/0,1282,48665,00.html - - - - - - - - Help for parents with kids on the Net How to keep porn away from kids on the Net has been debated in the courts — not to mention among struggling parents — for years. The Supreme Court is now considering the question and is expected to rule next spring. But until then, parents should know that more tools than ever are available to help make their job easier. http://www.usatoday.com/life/cyber/bonus/qa/2001/12/04/parents-kids-online.htm - - - - - - - - Technology helps in search for missing children New computerized age-progression technology lets law enforcement agents keep searching for missing kids years after they disappear. Jonathan Ortiz was 2 years old when his mother allegedly kidnapped him from his California home after poisoning his father in 1992. Eight years later, he still hadn't been found and the pictures circulated of him were now pretty much useless. http://www.techtv.com/cybercrime/viceonline/story/0,23008,3344944,00.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. 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