September 9, 2002 Spam killing Haikus come to Europe Habeas, a start-up which embeds haikus in email headers to certify messages are from opt-in lists and not spam, has clinched its first deal in Europe. Netherlands-based ISP Villa Hosting has adopted the Habeas Sender Warranted Email service to improve its ability to distinguish between genuine email and spam. http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/6/27029.html - - - - - - - - Venezuela cracks down on CD pirates A chance discovery at a Caracas market stall has highlighted the dangers and extent of Venezuela's booming trade in pirated computer information. Normally the authorities choose to turn a blind eye to the activities of the thousands of street vendors across the country, but the discovery by police agents of traders selling confidential records along-side the latest salsa mixes, Disney video releases and Microsoft programs could not be overlooked. Investigators found vendors selling compact discs containing police files, confidential records from the telephone company CANTV, and stolen copies of the electoral register, all for $7 each. http://www.nandotimes.com/technology/story/528257p-4184052c.html - - - - - - - - Firms urged to remain vigilant in virus battle Anti-virus experts say some sectors of the UK industry still aren't taking email viruses seriously enough. New research from Message Labs suggests one in every 24 emails received by retailers is infected. Their run-down cites entertainment and local government as other sectors still suffering a deluge. http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_666878.html - - - - - - - - Bush administration considering creation of cybersecurity fund The Bush administration is considering creation of a fund that would combine tax dollars and money from the technology industry to pay for Internet security enhancements, according to internal documents from the government's effort to develop a national cyberprotection plan. Federal officials writing the plan, set to be disclosed this month, also are discussing sweeping new obligations on companies, universities, federal agencies and home users designed to enhance security of the Internet, according to more than 30 pages of working papers obtained by The Associated Press. http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/computersecurity/2002-09-09-cybersecurity_x.htm - - - - - - - - Study criticizes White House computer export policy The government failed to screen requests by thousands of immigrants in the United States seeking permission to work with sensitive technology that hostile nations could use to develop new weapons, congressional investigators found. The study released Monday by the General Accounting Office, the investigative arm of Congress, was the second within weeks to criticize the Bush administration's oversight of U.S. export restrictions on technology, such as the latest generation of powerful computer chips. http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/techpolicy/2002-09-09-computer-exports_x.htm - - - - - - - - Domain firm sets rules for children Internet zone Sex, violence and the ``seven dirty words'' prohibited by the U.S. Federal Communications Commission would be banned from a children's Internet domain, according to preliminary guidelines released Monday by the domain manager. Washington-based NeuStar Inc., which plans to set up the kid-friendly Internet zone, said it would rely on existing guidelines for television and advertising to determine what material would be appropriate for the ``.kids.us'' domain. http://www.siliconvalley.com/mld/siliconvalley/news/editorial/4037261.htm - - - - - - - - Greek geeks fight gaming ban Greek gamers are preparing to fight legislation banning them from playing any electronic game in public. New laws barring PC and console games in places like internet cafes came into force at the beginning of August, as part of a policy to clamp down on illegal gambling in the country. But Hellenic games players have slammed the law for not making a distinction between interactive gambling and computer games. http://www.vnunet.com/News/1134884 - - - - - - - - Report finds support for Web scrubbing A new study has found that a majority of Americans support the removal of information from government Web sites if the information could assist terrorists. But the same survey also found respondents are divided over whether such removal would make a difference in combating terrorism. The report by the Pew Internet and American Life Project of Washington also found that more people are turning to government sites for information since the attacks of Sept. 11. http://www.gcn.com/vol1_no1/daily-updates/19939-1.html - - - - - - - - Intel to arm some of its hardware against hacking, viruses In the latest attempt to protect digital information from viruses and hackers, Intel Corp. will integrate advanced security features into its microprocessors and other hardware. The security features, announced Monday at the Intel's conference for developers, will be implemented in processors as early as next year, said Paul Otellini, Intel's president and chief operating officer. Code-named LaGrande Technology, the features will create a "vault" in which data is safely stored and processed. Intel also will secure the path-ways within the computer, such as between the vault and the display or keyboard. http://www.nandotimes.com/technology/story/529870p-4195135c.html http://www.siliconvalley.com/mld/siliconvalley/news/editorial/4038363.htm Intel looks to performance, security http://news.com.com/2009-1001-957141.html - - - - - - - - China Net users find search blocked Chinese Internet users trying to access the blocked search engine Google are being routed to an array of similar sites in China, the latest sign of an escalating media clampdown ahead of Novembers Communist Party congress. http://www.msnbc.com/news/805582.asp http://zdnet.com.com/2100-1105-957154.html http://www.cnn.com/2002/TECH/internet/09/06/china.internet.block/index.html http://www.wired.com/news/politics/0,1283,55030,00.html - - - - - - - - Microsoft "solves" hacking mystery Microsoft has put a new spin on a mysterious rash of Windows 2000 hacks. An advisory from the software giant last week warned companies of a number of attacks targeting servers running Windows 2000, the cause of which had initially puzzled Microsoft. After following a trail of evidence left behind on compromised Windows 2000 servers, the company now believes that hackers have systematically exploited Windows 2000 servers that haven't been properly locked down, rather than a hole in the operating system. http://news.com.com/2100-1001-957159.html http://zdnet.com.com/2100-1105-957159.html - - - - - - - - US seeks 'game hacker' to beef up Xbox Microsoft is clearly serious about stopping people messing around with Xbox, whether via mod chips, bios replacements or unauthorised insertions of alternative operating systems. The company is currently running a help-wanted ad for some kind of crypto gumshoe for the Xbox design team. This individual, who will be known only by the codename "Software Design Engineer," will be responsible for "collecting, evaluating and conducting analysis of modification chips." http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/4/27020.html http://news.com.com/2100-1040-957160.html http://zdnet.com.com/2100-1104-957160.html - - - - - - - - Gartner slams Pocket PC security Microsoft rejects analyst report as 'mischaracterisation' Analyst. Gartner has slammed Microsoft's Pocket PC 2002 handheld operating system (OS) as unsuitable for enterprise computing, warning that it lacks even basic security features. In a new report, the analyst disputes Microsoft's contention that Pocket PC is designed as a platform for enterprise solutions. It said that enterprises face a significant risk of exposure due to these security shortcomings, and advises them to install third-party security software. http://www.vnunet.com/News/1134871 - - - - - - - - Warchalking a map for drive-by spammers The proliferation of insecure corporate wireless networks is fuelling the growth of drive-by spamming, a security expert warned on Thursday. Speaking at the First International Security Users Conference in London, Adrian Wright, managing director of Secoda Risk Management, warned that junk e-mailers are taking advantage of unprotected wireless local area networks to bombard e-mail users with unsolicited and unwelcome messages. http://zdnet.com.com/2100-1105-956886.html - - - - - - - - Year After 9/11, Cyberspace Door Is Still Ajar Sounding the alarm is not the same as paying for a deadbolt on the door. Which may explain why, despite the heightened fears of cyberterrorism and online security that followed last September's attacks in New York and Washington, few American businesses or organizations have responded with new measures to safeguard their computing systems from intruders. Harris Miller had hoped it would be otherwise. He recalls that warning Americans about cyberterrorism and online security before Sept. 11 had been an exercise in futility. (NY Times article, free registration required) http://www.nytimes.com/2002/09/09/technology/09SECU.html Internet Security Not Pressing to All http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A54670-2002Sep8.html Security pros: Our defenses need work http://news.com.com/2100-1001-957219.html - - - - - - - - Sound Security Policies Combat Cyberterrorism The bad news: Since Sept. 11, many security pros are expecting terrorists to attack their companies and the nation's critical infrastructure. The good news: By taking security precautions, companies should survive, albeit not unscathed. "Terrorists will attack the same types of vulnerabilities and probably use the attack tools we're already aware of," says Michael Erbschloe, VP at Computer Economics and author of Information Warfare: How To Survive Cyberattacks (McGraw-Hill, 2001). http://www.informationweek.com/story/IWK20020906S0034 - - - - - - - - We'll sell you tools to steal The computer software industry is firmly against violation of copyright - but it sells software that makes the practice rather easy. The latest demonstration of that irony comes from Cakewalk, the Boston-based music software giant, in Cakewalk Pyro 2003. Billed as "the complete MP3 and CD maker," the software has a slick, easy- to-use interface that can be used to manage your music collection, even transferring some of those old record albums to CD-ROM and using an included utility to edit out the pop and hiss. http://www.nandotimes.com/technology/story/529019p-4190492c.html - - - - - - - - Presentation: How hackers attack networks This PowerPoint presentation explains how hackers launch various types of attacks on networks and how you can thwart them. Use it to educate your IT staff and end users. http://www.techrepublic.com/download_item.jhtml?id=r00220020723rgi02.htm - - - - - - - - The hidden data in your driver's license ID cards go smart with encoded personal information It seems not too long ago that the highest tech device that a bouncer may have had was a flashlight to check out a driver's license. But these days, more and more bars and night clubs, convenience stores and liquor stores are using high-tech ID scanners in order to look at the information that's actually embedded in many driver's licenses. http://www.cnn.com/2002/TECH/ptech/09/08/id.scanners/index.html - - - - - - - - Archaic computer systems hamper war on terror After Richard Colvin Reid was arrested for allegedly trying to detonate explosives in his shoes on a U.S.-bound airliner in December, federal officials never searched electronic transportation incident reports to determine if this was a new pattern of terrorist activity. http://www.siliconvalley.com/mld/siliconvalley/4033433.htm - - - - - - - - Police fury at Evesham's speed trap ID Device alerts motorists to location of speed cameras. Angry police say that a new device that uses wireless network technology to warn of speed cameras could endanger people's lives. The origin blue i, made by computer maker Evesham Technology, taps into a computer database containing up-to-date information on the location of all the UK's 4,000 speed cameras. The gadget links with a car's global positioning system, and a built-in voice synthesiser warns the driver when they are 400m from a speed trap. http://www.vnunet.com/News/1134876 *********************************************************** 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.