June 4, 2002 Reporter Subpoenaed in Hacking Probe Without required approval, U.S. prosecutors sent a subpoena to MSNBC demanding a reporter's notes, e-mails and other information as part of an investigation into a nomadic young hacker who acknowledged breaking into computers at The New York Times earlier this year. The subpoena, which was withdrawn weeks later, also demanded any similar material from MSNBC involving another journalist who contacted The New York Times on behalf of the newspaper hacker after the break-in, then wrote about it for an online publication. http://www.msnbc.com/news/761938.asp - - - - - - - - Tech firms, Hollywood near copyright pact Movie studios and consumer-electronics companies are close to reaching an agreement that would protect digital TV broadcasts from being copied and traded Napster-style over the Internet, negotiators said Monday. The group will likely report that most industry players agree that digital TV, recordable DVDs and other devices should recognize a "broadcast flag" that would allow consumers to make personal copies but prevent them from distributing those copies online, said negotiators involved in the process. http://zdnet.com.com/2100-1105-931693.html - - - - - - - - Online Hackers, Insecure Data Open Door to Theft While the computers contained last names and first and middle initials, as well as Social Security numbers, they didn't hold information such as addresses or credit card numbers. When hackers electronically invaded state computers in April, they got access to information that included the Social Security numbers of virtually every one of the 265,000 people on California's payroll. http://www.newsfactor.com/perl/story/18056.html - - - - - - - - Government training targets computer crimes In an attempt to reduce criminal activity in the PC world, additional training on investigating and prosecuting cyber criminals will be available this fall to personnel in the offices of the attorneys general in each of the 50 states. The National Center for Justice and the Rule of Law (NCJRL) and the National Association of Attorneys General have collaborated in preparing for the upcoming training programs. http://www.fcw.com/geb/articles/2002/0603/web-train-06-04-02.asp - - - - - - - - Digital Rights Put to Test Music and movie moguls crowded a Capitol Hill reception last month to toast the four-year-old Digital Millenium Copyright Act, the landmark law guarding copyrighted material from digital pirates. Jack Valenti, the snowy-haired chief of the Motion Picture Association of America, stepped to the microphone to laud congressional efforts on behalf of Hollywood. Hilary Rosen, president and CEO of the Recording Industry Association of America and the sworn enemy of legions of Napster fans, beamed nearby. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A56664-2002Jun4.html - - - - - - - - Gopher Attacks Are Latest IE Security Threat Browser's support for archaic technology lets attackers burrow in. The Gopher protocol has been forced underground since the advent of the World Wide Web. But the original Internet surfing technology can still put a nasty bite on users of Microsoft's Internet Explorer browser, a security researcher warned today. A Gopher client nestled in the darkest corners of IE's code contains an exploitable buffer overflow bug that could allow a malicious server to run arbitrary code on a victim's computer, according to an advisory issued today by Jouko Pynnonen of Finland's Online Solutions. http://online.securityfocus.com/news/464 http://www.siliconvalley.com/mld/siliconvalley/news/editorial/3400353.htm - - - - - - - - Open source invites terrorism - study A Washington think tank calling itself the Alexis de Tocqueville Institution is preparing to release a 'study' warning that the widespread use of open source software will allow international terrorists to have their way with us. "Terrorists trying to hack or disrupt U.S. computer networks might find it easier if the federal government attempts to switch to 'open source' as some groups propose," the group warned in a press release. http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/4/25569.html - - - - - - - - Security Appliance Blocks Viruses At Gateway Celestix Networks Inc. later this month will deliver a security appliance that adds anti- virus scanning at the corporate gateway. The Celestix Anti-Virus F1400 detects viruses and other malicious code thatOs hideen in e-mail, web apps and file transfers, and disinfects at the gateway before passing data through the firewall. http://www.internetwk.com/story/INW20020603S0002 - - - - - - - - Ultimate Computer Security Devices Yankee Group senior analyst Anil Phull told NewsFactor that the best practice for companies using biometric devices is to deploy them with other identification tools. Biometrics have long been the basis of the ultimate security technologies in science fiction -- but can these safeguards, which rely on fingerprints, eyeballs and other personal traits to authenticate users, really secure the enterprise? http://www.newsfactor.com/perl/story/18052.html - - - - - - - - New tool to facilitate wiretapping VeriSign on Monday announced a service to help telecommunications companies comply with federal wiretap regulations and orders. The company's NetDiscovery Service, scheduled to launch by the end of June, will help carriers comply with a 1994 law requiring them to have equipment that supports content-intercept orders. http://www.usatoday.com/life/cyber/tech/2002/06/04/verisign-wiretaps.htm - - - - - - - - Beware the Wireless Worm "With cell phones and PDAs, I think it's almost pointless [to write viruses] until people start to gravitate toward the same platform," McAfee.com manager April Goostree said. Security experts estimate that as few as 3 percent of cell phone and other wireless-device users are protected by antivirus software, but, as it turns out, there is not yet much interest in creating worms for mobile devices. http://www.newsfactor.com/perl/story/18050.html - - - - - - - - Fans kick back at Mac hack flak Apple keeps mum as Macintosh users defend OS. Following vnunet.com's article exploding the myth that Mac users are not totally invincible to viruses and hack attacks, our post bag has been full. Mac evangelists from around the world have written in to state that MacOS is a more secure alternative to other operating systems. http://www.vnunet.com/News/1132303 - - - - - - - - Solving Kid Porn's 'Real' Problem In the aftermath of a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that computer-generated images of minors engaged in sexual acts are not illegal and are in fact protected by the First Amendment, some prosecutors and police investigators have found themselves at a loss for how to proceed in child porn cases. More suspects are claiming that the seemingly illicit pictures and videos found on their hard drives are ersatz, police say. And an Illinois man who had already pleaded guilty to possessing 2,600 images of kiddie porn was freed from jail when a judge ruled that the state's law was unconstitutional because it failed to distinguish between real and fake porn. http://www.wired.com/news/business/0,1367,52945,00.html - - - - - - - - MIT grad student shows how to read Xbox security key An MIT graduate student has successfully dismantled Xbox's security system and published (after what appears to have been some discussion with Microsoft and EFF lawyers) the results. Bottom line - Xbox security relies on a "chain of trust" built on a "seed of trust" key that is included in a physically secure, secret boot block and which is identical in all shipped hardware. http://online.securityfocus.com/news/463 - - - - - - - - Hong Kong embraces the Octopus card For years, the notion of a cashless society has been a futurist's dream deferred almost everywhere -- except, to some extent, in Hong Kong. Here, just about everyone carries an Octopus card -- a rechargeable, contactless card that is passed over a scanner to access almost every train, bus or ferry. The territory's 6.75 million inhabitants make nearly seven million Octopus transactions each day, worth about HK$48 million (US$6.12 million). http://www.siliconvalley.com/mld/siliconvalley/news/editorial/3398199.htm - - - - - - - - Bush says nation needs better anti-terrorism intelligence President Bush said Monday the nation needs better intelligence to prevent terrorism, as fresh evidence emerged that more details were known about terrorist hijackers before Sept. 11, the Associated Press reported. "We've got some work to do," Bush, in front of a backdrop of an American flag, told a rally of 2,000 people crammed into a downtown convention center in Arkansas. "In this new war, against this shadowy enemy, it's very important that we gather as much intelligence as we can." http://www.govexec.com/dailyfed/0602/060402cdam2.htm - - - - - - - - Rugged notebooks used in Pentagon bioterrorism drill The Defense Protective Service last month tested rugged notebook PCs configured for emergency workers during an exercise in the courtyard of the Pentagon. Federal and local agencies, including the Arlington, Va., fire department, responded to a simulated sarin poison gas attack during the drill. http://www.gcn.com/vol1_no1/daily-updates/18882-1.html - - - - - - - - Former Lucent exec now heads FBIs Trilogy program The FBIs Trilogy program to upgrade its antiquated systems is moving forward under its new program manager, Cheryl Higgins. FBI director Robert S. Mueller III also has approved a program management initiative that Higgins, a former executive of Lucent Technologies Inc. of Murray Hill, N.J., will implement across the agency, sources said. The program management function will include training for FBI employees involved in systems development projects. Higgins has led the Trilogy program since mid-March. http://www.gcn.com/vol1_no1/daily-updates/18883-1.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 2000-2002, NewsBits.net, Campbell, CA.