NewsBits for May 19, 2005 ************************************************************ Computers Seized in Data-Theft Probe The federal investigation into the massive theft of sensitive financial records and information from database giant LexisNexis Inc. intensified this week with the execution of search warrants and seizure of evidence from several individuals across the country, according to a senior federal law enforcement official with direct knowledge of the case. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/05/19/AR2005051900704.html http://www.siliconvalley.com/mld/siliconvalley/news/editorial/11688003.htm Data theft involving four banks could affect 500,000 customers http://www.computerworld.com/securitytopics/security/cybercrime/story/0,10801,101831,00.html - - - - - - - - - - China hits net gambling hard More than 1,300 people have been detained in Shanghai after Chinese authorities continued to clampdown on internet gambling. Two of those arrested on Tuesday were on a national list of "most wanted" and collared in connection with running online gambling services. Net cafes, night-clubs and homes were raided as part of the crackdown, reported Xinhua Online. http://www.theregister.co.uk/2005/05/19/china_gambling/ - - - - - - - - - - Popular Japanese Web site hit by major hack It stayed online even though it may have been compromised by malware. Japan's largest price- comparison Web portal is scrambling with the fallout of a decision to keep its Web site up and running for three days despite knowing that it had been hacked and could be feeding Trojan horse programs to visitors. http://www.computerworld.com/securitytopics/security/hacking/story/0,10801,101840,00.html - - - - - - - - - - DPP calls for 14-year sentence for paedophile Queensland's top prosecutor has sought to have a 57-year-old Brisbane paedophile jailed for 14 years for molesting four young boys, and trading their images on the Internet. The man today pleaded guilty in the Brisbane District Court to 10 charges, including taking indecent images of children and maintaining a sexual relationship with a child. http://www.abc.net.au/news/items/200505/1372684.htm - - - - - - - - - - Court limits child porn defendant's Internet access A New Haven man, who pawned a laptop computer that allegedly contained child pornography, was restricted to using the Internet for business purposes only during a pretrial hearing in Superior Court Wednesday. Gary Bremer, 43, of Orange Street, was arrested in March on charges of possession of child pornography and importing child pornography. http://www.connpost.com/news/ci_2744883 - - - - - - - - - - Purported 'Star Wars' copies circulate over Internet Videos purported to be illegal copies of the final ``Star Wars'' movie circulated across parts of the Internet on Thursday, the same day the film opened in U.S. theaters. http://www.siliconvalley.com/mld/siliconvalley/news/editorial/11689153.htm http://www.waxy.org/archive/2005/05/19/star_war.shtml - - - - - - - - - - Computer virus may be aimed at German election The creator of a computer Trojan horse that unleashed a torrent of far-right spam e-mail messages in Germany on Tuesday may be trying to influence the outcome of the election Sunday in North Rhine-Westphalia, a German software expert said. http://www.iht.com/articles/2005/05/17/business/virus.php - - - - - - - - - - Calif. throws up RFID roadblock The California Senate has approved the first legislation in the country to block state and local government agencies from issuing identification cards containing radio frequency identification tags. http://www.gcn.com/vol1_no1/daily-updates/35857-1.html - - - - - - - - - - FA cries foul over internet streaming pirates Premier League bosses have blown the whistle on fans who stream live footage from games without permission. Football chiefs are considering whether to take sites to court in a bid to clamp down on the practice. http://www.theregister.co.uk/2005/05/19/football_piracy/ - - - - - - - - - - BSA 'piracy' report dismissed as scaremongering The software vendor alliance is pushing the UK government to use the 'full force of the law' against those driving the use of unlicenced software, but some are concerned this could impact competition. The Business Software Alliance (BSA) urged the UK government on Wednesday to take tougher action against copyright violation to combat the spiralling rate of unlicensed software. http://news.zdnet.co.uk/business/legal/0,39020651,39199120,00.htm - - - - - - - - - - Linux users still at risk from KDE flaw Linux users who patched their systems for a serious security vulnerability in K Desktop Environment last month will have to patch once again, because of errors in the original patch, according to the KDE project. http://www.computerworld.com/securitytopics/security/story/0,10801,101858,00.html - - - - - - - - - - Paris Hilton Hack Started With Old-Fashioned Con The caper had all the necessary ingredients to spark a media firestorm -- a beautiful socialite- turned-reality TV star, embarrassing photographs and messages, and the personal contact information of several young music and Hollywood celebrities. When hotel heiress Paris Hilton found out in February that her high-tech wireless phone had been taken over by hackers, many assumed that only a technical mastermind could have pulled off such a feat. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/05/19/AR2005051900711.html - - - - - - - - - - Cellphone acting sick? Might be a virus Computer viruses recently passed a milestone: The first ones aimed at electronic devices other than computers have started appearing "in the wild" rather than just in laboratory settings. http://www.globetechnology.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20050519.gtwvirus19/BNStory/Technology/ - - - - - - - - - - Strider HoneyMonkey: Trawling for Windows Exploits Microsoft Corp. is developing a network of Windows XP "honeymonkeys" to help detect rogue Web sites that exploit security holes to install malware on client machines. The project, code-named Strider HoneyMonkey Exploit Detection, is being created by the Redmond, Wash., company's Cybersecurity and Systems Management Research Group to help the software giant find the source of zero- day exploits targeting the Windows XP operating system. http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,1759,1817822,00.asp Hackers mimic Microsoft security updates http://www.theinquirer.net/?article=23339 - - - - - - - - - - Thieves hit Internet with sneakier software Online swindlers are using crafty new software to exploit security holes in computer programs and corporate networks to extend their enterprises, tech-security experts say. The emergence of so-called crimeware programs comes as law- enforcement officials aggressively prosecute cases involving spam and fraudulent e-mails used in phishing scams, which trick recipients into yielding personal data at fake Web sites. http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/2005-05-17-cyber-usat_x.htm - - - - - - - - - - My Cubicle, My Cell Twenty-six percent of U.S. companies have fired employees for misusing the Internet on company time, while 25 percent have done the same for e-mail abuse, according to a report released Wednesday by the American Management Association and the ePolicy Institute. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/05/19/AR2005051900698.html - - - - - - - - - - China goes undercover to sway opinion on Internet China has formed a special force of undercover online commentators to try to sway public opinion on controversial issues on the Internet, a newspaper said on Thursday. China has struggled to gain control over the Internet as more and more people gain access to obtain information beyond official sources. The country has nearly 100 million Internet users, according to official figures, and the figure is rising. http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml;?storyID=8542747 China Addresses Electronic Gaming, Censorship at E3 http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=103000025R77 - - - - - - - - - - Don't Maroon Security Sure, you can save money by working with a vendor in a faraway land. But don't trust the outsourcer to install the right security protections. Verify that your relationship is cost-effective and safe. This is what it's like to be an employee for Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), an Indian IT services vendor, when working for a big American insurance company (in this case CNA): http://www.it-observer.com/news.php?id=5101 Beyond intrusion detection: The next frontier in safeguarding corporate assets http://www.it-observer.com/news.php?id=5099 Sit Back and React http://www.securityfocus.com/columnists/328 - - - - - - - - - - Koran Ordered Online Contains Hate Slogans Amazon.com doesn't know how it happened but has apologized to the UCLA student. A Culver City woman said Wednesday that a secondhand Koran she ordered through a book dealer working with Amazon.com contained anti-Islamic hate messages, including profanity and "Death to all Muslims!" Azza Basarudin, a 30-year-old UCLA graduate student, said Amazon apologized, sent a new book and offered her a refund and gift certificate. (LA Times article, free registration required) http://www.latimes.com/technology/la-me-koran19may19,1,6661703.story - - - - - - - - - - Cyber-Prankster Entangles the Internet in a Web of Deception It's No. 12 on the "25 Hottest Urban Legends" list of the San Fernando Valley Folklore Society an e-mail that warns about a murderous blush spider (Arachnius gluteus) that lurks beneath toilet seats in public restrooms. It's false, says the society's website: http://www.snopes.com . (LA Times article, free registration required) http://www.latimes.com/technology/la-me-only19may19,1,5030172.column - - - - - - - - - - 'Amarillo' video crashes MoD PCs A spoof video of the song (Is This The Way To) Amarillo, performed by British soldiers in Iraq, has crashed Ministry of Defence computers. Troops in the Royal Dragoon Guards shot a home video at their Al Faw base of their version of the video sung by Tony Christie and mimed by Peter Kay. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/4554083.stm - - - - - - - - - - Net phone 911 mandate may hit nomads hardest Net phone operators that assign their customers telephone numbers regardless of where they actually live may be among the hardest hit by a new requirement that commercial voice over Internet Protocol providers offer 911. Meanwhile, game consoles and Instant Message makers, which have incorporated VoIP as a feature, appear for now to be untouched by Thursday's Federal Communications Commission mandate. http://news.com.com/Net+phone+911+mandate+may+hit+nomads+hardest/2100-1034_3-5714421.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 2000-2005, NewsBits.net, Campbell, CA.