NewsBits for January 23, 2004 sponsored by, Southeast Cybercrime Institute - www.cybercrime.kennesaw.edu ************************************************************ Suspected Movie Pirate Arrested The FBI arrested an Illinois man Thursday on criminal charges in connection with bootlegged copies of "The Last Samurai" and other Oscar candidates that have turned up on the Internet in recent weeks. Agents took Russell W. Sprague Sr. into custody in the Chicago suburb of Homewood on a federal complaint that charges him with copyright infringement and the illegal interception of a satellite signal. http://www.siliconvalley.com/mld/siliconvalley/news/editorial/7779834.htm http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/2004-01-23-film-piracy-bust_x.htm http://www.latimes.com/technology/la-fi-arrest23jan23,1,4614018.story Sony claims downloading crackdown drove music-sales recovery http://www.usatoday.com/tech/techinvestor/2004-01-23-sony-theory_x.htm - - - - - - - - - - Government shuts down Web site, investigates scam Federal investigators are seeking the source of a phony e-mail purportedly from the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. that asks recipients to click on a Web site and provide personal bank account information. FDIC spokesman David Barr said Friday the bogus Web site was shut down when the agency was alerted by consumers who received the e-mail. FBI and FDIC officials are investigating who set up the scam. http://www.siliconvalley.com/mld/siliconvalley/news/editorial/7782784.htm E-mail scam taps antiterrorist push, says FDIC http://zdnet.com.com/2100-1105_2-5146716.html http://www.gcn.com/vol1_no1/daily-updates/24752-1.html http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A42743-2004Jan23.html http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/4044775/ - - - - - - - - - - Mass. man pleads guilty in Internet child sex scheme A 39-year-old father pleaded guilty Thursday to setting up a sexual encounter with a 13-year-old girl he met on the Internet. Basil E. Doucette III arrived in Connecticut with bondage gear and camera equipment in November before learning that the little girl was actually a New Britain detective working with the FBI. http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/2004-01-23-another-net-predator_x.htm - - - - - - - - - - With This Law, You Can Spam California lawyers and law enforcement officials continued their assault on the Can-Spam Act Thursday, calling it ineffective and warning attendees at a conference on spam and the law that a solution to the spam scourge is still a distant dream. Signed into law by President Bush on Dec. 16, 2003, the Controlling the Assault of Non-Solicited Pornography and Marketing Act requires e-mail marketers to include legitimate return addresses and opt-out information in all e-mail messages that they send. http://www.wired.com/news/business/0,1367,62020,00.html EU anti-spam laws are OK http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/55/35072.html - - - - - - - - - - DVD Group Drops Lawsuit Saying it is pursuing other strategies to combat piracy, the group that licenses technology for encrypting DVDs on Thursday withdrew its lawsuit against a San Francisco man who posted software to crack DVDs on the Internet. The move ended a four-year battle between Hollywood and Andrew Bunner over DeCSS, a program that decrypts DVDs protected by the industry-standard Content Scrambling System. http://www.siliconvalley.com/mld/siliconvalley/news/editorial/7782788.htm http://www.latimes.com/technology/la-fi-dvd23jan23,1,2101654.story - - - - - - - - - - Linux threatens US security, SCO tells Congress The SCO Group has confirmed that it sent a letter to all 535 members of the US Congress which claimed that Linux and open-source software is a threat to the security and economy of the US. The letter, dated 8 January, was published on the internet this week by an open-source lobbying organisation called the Open Source and Industry Alliance (OSAIA). The letter states that the commoditising influence of open-source software such as Linux is bad for the US economy and argues that open source also skirts export controls governing commercial products. http://www.computerweekly.com/articles/article.asp?liArticleID=127789 - - - - - - - - - - Pentagon's Online Voting Program A new report says a Pentagon program for Internet voting in this year's presidential election is so insecure that it could undercut the integrity of American democracy and should be stopped immediately. One of the computer-security specialists who was asked to review the $22 million pilot plan, Avi Rubin, was online Friday, Jan. 23, 2004, at 11 a.m. ET to discuss his findings. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A38236-2004Jan22.html All Internet voting is insecure: report http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/6/35078.html - - - - - - - - - - Blaster clean-up tool was stellar success - MS Microsoft's recently released Blaster clean-up tool was downloaded 1.4 million times during the first few hours of its availability earlier this month. The strong need for the tool makes a case for greater automation of viral removal, according to Microsoft. http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/56/35082.html - - - - - - - - - - Security pros question flaw find Two Internet software developers who said they have uncovered a way to cause entire networks of computers to freeze or shut down may have simply rediscovered an old network issue. The network performance issues are described in a series of Web site forum postings recently publicized within the security community. The poster, who uses the alias NT Canuck, said he created a tool, with the help of another developer, that can shut down entire networks. http://zdnet.com.com/2100-1105_2-5145863.html - - - - - - - - - - 'Feedback' Forgers Suspended by EBay Online auction giant eBay said today it has suspended several sellers for uploading special programs to the eBay Web site that allowed them to remove negative "feedback" left by previous customers. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A42780-2004Jan23.html - - - - - - - - - - Computer firm helps military share its 'trusted' data The security of information that the Defense Department uses internally and in battle is a growing issue that technology firms are trying to address. The nation's military strength could depend on how much information can be shared among the armed services and with fighters in the field, and how secure that information is. http://www.govexec.com/dailyfed/0104/0123oftdpm2.htm Information protection in automated systems http://www.crime-research.org/library/Golubev01_2004.html - - - - - - - - - - Supermarket uses discount cards to inform customers of recall During the recent mad-cow beef recall, one supermarket chain used its "preferred customer" discount cards to identify and warn shoppers who had bought the suspect meat. In fact, many supermarket chains could do the same thing but they don't, largely for fear of being accused of violating customers' privacy. http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/2004-01-22-mad-cow-supermarkets_x.htm - - - - - - - - - - Security System for Buses Is Unveiled Israel unveiled a security system designed to keep suicide bombers off buses. The key element of the system is a simple turnstile that the driver can lock if anyone arouses suspicion while boarding. A more sophisticated version includes electronic sensors to detect explosives up to 3 feet away, setting off an alarm near the driver. (LA Times article, free registration required) http://www.latimes.com/technology/la-fg-briefs23.1jan23,1,3237720.story - - - - - - - - - - Sex offender data posting gains support Prospects for Californians to get better information about registered sex offenders living among them are the strongest they have ever been, after sharp scrutiny of the state's Megan's Law. After years of failed efforts, state leaders say they are optimistic about passing legislation to put the names, photographs and exact addresses of high-risk sex offenders on the Internet. A Mercury News investigation last month showed that most states already provide that information online, while California clings to a system that is one of the most restrictive and error-riddled in the country. http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/news/local/7778004.htm *********************************************************** Computer Forensics Training - Online. An intense, 150 hour, instructor lead program that teaches you computer forensics and helps prepare you for the Certified Computer Examiner exam. For more information see; www.cybercrime.kennesaw.edu *********************************************************** 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. 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