March 31, 2006

Attorney General Says Feds Balance Privacy, Security (eWeek)
U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzalez says his department is very conscious of the sensitive balance between privacy rights and the need to defend the nation from terrorist threats.

Security firms launch new anti-phishing task force (SC Magazine)
Two security firms have teamed up in a bid to create an anti-phishing task force of volunteers to help consumers and businesses combat phishing scams and online identity theft.

Experts detect sharp hike in ‘script kiddie’ phishing tools (SC Magazine)
Almost a third of phishing attacks during February 2006 were generated by technically unskilled individuals using so-called script kiddie kits, new monitoring data has revealed.
  _____________________________________________________________________________________

March 30, 2006

Arrests Made in Debit Card Fraud Case (PC World)
Fraud forces reissue of millions of debit cards nationwide.

NTT joins Liberty Alliance management board (SC Magazine)
The Liberty Alliance Project, the global consortium dedicated to developing open federated identity, strong authentication and identity-enabled web services, today announced Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation (NTT) as the newest member of the its management board.

Microsoft Updates E-Mail Protection (AP)
Microsoft Corp. is releasing new versions of its software packages for safeguarding and archiving e-mails and other corporate messages.

U.K. clamps down on 145 software pirates (SC Magazine)
Up to 145 of the 150 individuals identified following a recent U.K. court order for illegally sharing software over peer-to-peer (P2P) networks have been targeted in an anti-piracy initiative launched today by the Federation Against Software Theft (FAST).

Microsoft Security Advisory Notification (Microsoft)
Vulnerability in the way HTML Objects Handle Unexpected Method Calls Could Allow Remote Code Execution
  _____________________________________________________________________________________

March 29, 2006

Hackers Serve Rootkits with Bagles (eWeek)
Anti-virus researchers find rootkit features in the latest Bagle mutants, confirming fears that existing malware threats present new, stealthy dangers.

Experts warn of 'aggressive' rise in child porn spam (SC Magazine)
Security experts yesterday warned computer users of an increase in highly offensive emails designed to lure traffic to child-porn websites. As a result of these new "aggressive" spam campaigns, security firm Sophos has recorded a threefold increase in the amount of illegal child-porn websites over the past week.

Tips & Tweaks: Matters of Importance (PC World)
Copyright issues, phishing scams, hearing loss, Macs, and a hot new video game.

Web Analytics Association outlines anti-spyware principles (SC Magazine)
The Web Analytics Association (WAA) has adopted an anti-spyware statement of principles to help differentiate honest web analytics vendors that use browser cookies to legitimately measure website traffic from the deceptive makers of spyware. The move was endorsed by an overwhelming vote of more than 750 of WAA's corporate and professional members.
  _____________________________________________________________________________________

March 28, 2006

Microsoft Security Advisory (Microsoft)
Vulnerability in the way HTML Objects Handle Unexpected Method Calls Could Allow Remote Code Execution

Small Businesses Get Security Help (PC World)
Business group, tech vendors launch a program to protect against data breaches.

Critical Internet Explorer Flaw Patched by Third Party (NewsFactor)
While Microsoft works on a patch for a critical Internet Explorer 6 script vulnerability that can allow a hacker to take control of a Windows PC, another firm has released a fix for the problem.

Spam Slayer: Don't Can Spam, Cube It (PC World)
Device called the Spam Cube protects computers on a small network from junk e-mail, viruses, and phishing attacks.

U.K. firms suffer from the enemy within (SC Magazine)
Staff misusing the internet by accessing inappropriate websites or engaging in excessive web surfing remains the second largest cause of reported security incidents after viruses for large U.K. companies.
  _____________________________________________________________________________________

March 27, 2006

Trojan-creating couple gets prison time (SC Magazine)
An Israeli couple that created a trojan that helped Israeli companies spy on each other were sentenced to prison today, several media outlets reported.

Microsoft Launches IE Bug Database (TechWeb)
Microsoft is launching a public bug database for Internet Explorer 7, which is currently in beta, but it isn't for reporting security issues. That would be another site, the Microsoft Security Response Center.

Check Point Misses Critical Opportunity (VarBusiness)
Check Point says it will look for ways to collaborate with its former acquisition target, Sourcefire.

Most U.K. staff would report their bosses for illegal software use (SC Magazine)
Almost half of U.K. employees have suffered from exposure to "illegal or inappropriate activities" at work including being asked to use pirated software, research has claimed.

Protegrity snaps up OmniSecure (SC Magazine)
Data security management solutions firm Protegrity has announced the acquisition of OmniSecure, a privately held data security company based in Santa Clara, California. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Colo. Police Use MySpace to ID Suspects (AP)
Detectives used profiles posted on the MySpace social networking Web site to identify six suspects in a rape and robbery that began when a party turned violent, leaving blood "in almost every room of the house," officials said.

March 24, 2006

Microsoft Security Advisory Notification (Microsoft)
Vulnerability in the way HTML Objects Handle Unexpected Method Calls Could Allow Remote Code Execution

Check Point Software boosts board of directors (SC Magazine)
Check Point Software Technologies yesterday announced that it has appointed Dan Propper to its board of directors.

DNS servers do hackers' dirty work (CNET)
A new twist on denial-of-service attacks intensifies threats to online businesses by cybercriminals.

No Copying With First HD Video Players (PC World)
First version of antipiracy rules for next-gen DVD doesn't allow consumer copies.

One in five firms has no disaster recovery plan (SC Magazine)
One in five global companies have no formalized business continuity (BC) plans, new research has claimed.
  _____________________________________________________________________________________

March 23, 2006

Microsoft Warns Of Dangerous IE Exploit (TechWeb)
An exploit for a new zero-day bug in Internet Explorer appeared Thursday, causing security companies to ring alarms and Microsoft to issue a security advisory that promised it would patch the problem.

Serious security bug found in Sendmail (SC Magazine)
Security experts at Internet Security Systems (ISS) yesterday revealed the existence of a serious vulnerability in the Sendmail SMTP server software.

Tech thieves target U.S. citizens filing online tax returns (SC Magazine)
As the April 15th annual tax deadline approaches, cyber fraudsters are ramping up attacks against online American tax filers to steal confidential information, security experts warned today.
  _____________________________________________________________________________________

March 22, 2006

DoS Attack Brings Down Sun Grid Demo (eWeek)
A text-to-speech translation application that Sun offered on the public Internet to demonstrate the power of its Grid computing system was quickly brought down by a denial-of-service attack.

Sendmail Race Condition Vulnerability (US-CERT)
Sendmail contains a race condition caused by the improper handling of asynchronous signals. In particular, by forcing the SMTP server to have an I/O timeout at exactly the correct instant, an attacker may be able to execute arbitrary code with the privileges of the Sendmail process.

Microsoft Confirms 'Highly Critical' IE Hole (eWeek)
Microsoft plans to release a pre-patch advisory to provide mitigation guidance and workarounds for a code execution browser flaw that could lead to PC takeover attacks.

Double attack fires 650,000 trojan-laden emails at UK firms (SC Magazine)
A double virus attack hit UK businesses with an estimated 650,000 trojan-laden emails before antivirus vendors were able to issue patch against the new malware, a security firm claimed yesterday.

Watchdog Group Releases Software Report (AP)
A corporate-backed watchdog group that monitors software for deceptive and abusive practices on Wednesday named a widely used file-sharing program and three other applications as violators of its guidelines.

Internet industry unites against child pornography (SC Magazine)
In a bid to clamp down on internet child pornography eighteen of the world's most prominent financial institutions and internet industry firms have joined with the International Centre for Missing & Exploited Children (ICMEC), and its sister organization, the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC). The goal of the alliance is to eradicate commercial child pornography by 2008.
  _____________________________________________________________________________________

March 21, 2006

Spyware Trail Leads to Kazaa, Big Advertisers (eWeek)
Google-funded anti-spyware coalition StopBadware.org releases its inaugural report to coincide with a study on how big-name advertisers are helping fund the virulent spread of unwanted software.

VeriSign Service Catalogs Business Cyber Threats (TechWeb)
VeriSign launches Security Risk Profiling Service, a service that is designed to help businesses pinpoint vulnerable parts of a their digital infrastructures.

Security: A Continuing Federal Challenge (Security Pipeline)
The latest FISMA scorecards are out, with the grades for different agencies' efforts in the computer security arena. Amazingly, the overall grade--for all 24 major agencies in the federal government--has moved not a notch. Last year's D+ remains intact.

IRS, Security Company Warn of Tax Phishers (PC World)
Taxpayers should be leery of e-mails that purport to come from the IRS.

Microsoft Takes On Global Phishers (NewsFactor)
As part of its ongoing enforcement actions against phishers, Microsoft has created a global initiative designed to thwart large-volume scam artists, no matter where they are in the world.

Bogus Amazon email hides phishing trojan (SC Magazine)
IT security experts yesterday warned internet users to be wary of emails claiming to come from online retailer Amazon that threaten to delete more than 300 pounds sterling from recipients’ credit cards.

Microsoft gets tough on cybercriminals (SC Magazine)
Microsoft yesterday unveiled a global law enforcement campaign aiming to bring down cybercriminal masterminds behind large-scale phishing attacks.
  _____________________________________________________________________________________

March 20, 2006

Third of U.K. business fail to test disaster plans (SC Magazine)
A third of U.K. businesses fail to test their business recovery regularly, says a new study.

Tracer Utility Is Likely Culprit In Visa's Fujitsu POS Security Alert (eWeek)
Fujitsu claims Visa overreacted and it's up to customers to use credit-card software properly.

Microsoft stamps on eBay software pirates (SC Magazine)
Microsoft has filed eight lawsuits against sellers whom the firm alleges sold counterfeit copies of its Windows and Office software using eBay auctions.

Pyrotek Finds Hot Security Fix (eWeek)
Case Study: The materials maker is undergoing a rapid acquisition strategy that challenges its security infrastructure; AIS and Symantec help fight the fires.

NCL leads calls for action against phishing (SC Magazine)
An initiative led by the National Consumers League (NCL) has brought together law enforcement organisations, financial services and technical industries to combat the growing threat of phishing.

March 17, 2006

Cyber criminals turn to extortion with Zippo-A trojan (SC Magazine)
Security experts have identified a tojan horse that encrypts victims' computer files, and then attempts to extort a ransom of $300 to restore the hijacked data.

Spyware-killing Vista could take out rivals (CNET)
Updated OS has tougher tools than ever to fight sneaky programs. Some analysts think it spells trouble for other anti-spyware makers.

Experts expose global botnets controlling 150,000 PCs (SC Magazine)
Acting on an anonymous tip-off security researchers have uncovered two global botnets that are collectively controlling up to 150,000 compromised computers.
  _____________________________________________________________________________________

March 16, 2006

Music Web Site: Breach Exposed Accounts (AP)
A musical instrument and sound gear Web site that advertises its relationship with artists such as Dave Matthews, Carlos Santana and Mary J. Blige notified some customers that their credit card information may have been stolen.

Banks take on debit-card theft (CNET)
roundup Banks offer programs to alert customers to potential fraud as concerns over debit-card theft build.

Federal IT security well below self-set standard (SC Magazine)
The U.S. House Government Reform Committee released its Federal Computer Security Scorecards today, and the results were not good for most government agencies.

New denial-of-service threat emerges (CNET)
Attacks targeted 1,500 IP addresses and delivered a heftier blow than normal DOS threats, VeriSign security chief says.

Adobe Macromedia Flash Products Contain Vulnerabilities (US-CERT)
There are critical vulnerabilities in Macromedia Flash player and related software. Exploitation of these vulnerabilities could allow a remote, unauthenticated attacker to execute arbitrary code or cause a denial of service on a vulnerable system.

Milosevic murder trojan spreading rapidly (SC Magazine)
An email purporting to contain proof that the recently deceased Yugoslav permier Slobodan Milosevic was murdered is being used to spread a malicious trojan, security watchers warned.

Hackers Get Intel Mac to Run Windows XP (PC World)
Making Microsoft's OS run on Apple's hardware was not an easy task, but it has been done.

Computer Researchers Warn of Net Attacks (AP)
A new variety of unusually powerful Internet attacks can overwhelm popular Web sites and disrupt e-mails by exploiting the computers that help manage global Internet traffic, according to security researchers.
  _____________________________________________________________________________________

March 15, 2006

Child porn ring transmitted acts live on Web (Reuters)
U.S. and Canadian authorities said on Wednesday they had cracked an international child pornography network that in some cases transmitted molestations live over the Internet.

Has FISMA helped? (SC Magazine)
After blasting federal agencies with an average grade of D+ in information security practices last year, the U.S. House of Representatives Government Reform Committee will announce on Thursday whether the federal government has improved its preparedness against major cyber attacks.

FrSIRT Puts Exploits Up for Sale (eWeek)
The go-to site for exploits and proof-of-concept code has shut down public access to its database and launched a paid-subscription service.

Israeli court to jail husband and wife trojan team (SC Magazine)
A married couple are to be jailed for developing and selling an industrial espionage spyware trojan horse that helped private investigators spy on their clients' business competitors.

Tribble on Apple's security troubles (CNET)
When it comes to patches, software honcho Bud Tribble says the company doesn't believe in schedules or severity rankings.

Skype branded danger to enterprise IT security (SC Magazine)
Although cost savings and improved communications are luring enterprises to consider Skype, the popular Voice over IP service may violate security policies, industry experts have warned.
  _____________________________________________________________________________________

March 14, 2006

Study says RFID tags are vulnerable to viruses (CNET)
Researchers demonstrate that it is possible to insert a software virus into radio frequency identification tags.

Man Charged With Hacking Into GM Database (AP)
A former security guard at General Motors Corp.'s Warren technical center is accused of taking employee Social Security numbers and using them to hack into the company's employee vehicle database.

Faulty McAfee Update Wreaks Havoc (PC World)
VirusScan update prompted users to delete good software along with viruses.

Microsoft Office and Excel Vulnerabilities (US-CERT)
Microsoft has released updates that address critical vulnerabilities in Microsoft Office and Excel. Exploitation of these vulnerabilities could allow a remote, unauthenticated attacker to execute arbitrary code or cause a denial of service on a vulnerable system.

Microsoft Security Advisory Notification (Microsoft)
Adobe Security Bulletin: APSB06-03 Flash Player Update to Address Security Vulnerabilities and Vulnerability in Windows Service ACLs

Gartner warns of 'PIN block' hacking scams (SC Magazine)
Recent automated teller machine (ATM) fraud involving Citibank and other banks points to a new wave of "personal identification number (PIN) block" schemes, Gartner has warned.

Microsoft to offer free parental Web monitoring (Reuters)
Microsoft Corp. said on Monday it plans to include a free service to help parents control and monitor what their children are doing online in its upcoming Windows Live offering of Web services.

Phishers cast off with bogus Chase Manhattan poll (SC Magazine)
Internet users have been warned to guard against a newly detected email phishing scam that poses as a survey from Chase Manhattan bank.
  _____________________________________________________________________________________

March 13, 2006

Prosecutor: Debit card crime ring busted (CNET)
Authorities link 14 people to credit and debit card information that a prosecutor says was stolen from OfficeMax and other businesses.

Cryzip Trojan Encrypts Files, Demands Ransom (eWeek)
Security researchers discover a new "ransomware" Trojan that encrypts files on an infected PC and then demands $300 in exchange for a decryption password.

Security Hole Found in GPG Crypto Program (PC World)
Could allow attacker to place code in signed e-mail.

Analyst, End-Users Mad About Windows Live OneCare Updates (TechWeb)
Not everyone is happy with updates Microsoft issued for its OneCare security service. In fact, some are cautioning others to steer clear.

Experts warn users not to fall for ‘lipstick causes cancer’ chain letter (SC Magazine)
Security experts have warned users not to fall for a chain letter that is spreading across the internet, claiming that lipstick causes cancer.

Mac Skeptic: More on Mac Security (PC World)
Some advice after a handful of mostly harmless worms shows that Macs are vulnerable to attack.

U.K. firms under fire for ignoring internet acceptable usage policies (SC Magazine)
Widespread failure to implement or enforce internet Acceptable Usage Policies (AUPs) is leaving many U.K. companies open to potentially serious IT security breaches, newly published research has claimed.

March 10, 2006

Web banking fraud losses double in U.K. (SC Magazine)
A sharp hike in the volume and sophistication of phishing scams pushed British online banking fraud losses to record levels of £23.2m in 2005 – almost double the previous year’s losses of £12.2m, APACS, the UK payments association warned yesterday.

Court OKs computer searches for child porn (CNET)
U.S. appeals court rules police can do search if computer owner subscribes to child-porn Web site.

Several eerata have been patched (Red Hat Network Alert)
Patches for chkconfig, udev, libuser, and shadow-utils are now available.

Feds bust fans for pirated Ryan Adams tunes (CNET)
Defendants face up to 11 years in prison for violating FECA, law banning unauthorized prerelease distribution.

U.S. researchers pioneer digital fingerprint forensics to nab cyber thieves (SC Magazine)
US researchers have demonstrated a new forensics technology designed to help catch cyber thieves and digital pirates. The digital fingerprinting technology, which developed by academics at the University of Maryland's A. James Clark School of Engineering, is designed to help protect digital assets and identify national security leak sources.
  _____________________________________________________________________________________

March 9, 2006

No Citibank withdrawals north of the border (SC Magazine)
Citibank has blocked customers from using their ATM cards for cash withdrawals in three countries after detecting several hundred fraudulent withdrawals in those locations, the company said in a statement.

Microsoft Plans Two Patches Next Week (TechWeb)
Microsoft will issue security patches next week for Microsoft Office and Windows. The Windows Malicious Software Removal Tool will also be refreshed.

Several eerata have been fixed (Red Hat Network Alert)
Patches for bugs in gnome-pilot-conduits, evolution, iputils, sysstat, kernel-utils, and file are now available.

CeBIT: Fujitsu Shows Smaller, Faster Palm Vein Sensor (PC World)
Biometric security device is also cheaper than the company's previous model.

Industry clamps down on hackers selling custom trojans (SC Magazine)
A network of websites used by cyber criminals to create and sell custom-designed trojans that could be used for corporate espionage and ID theft has been shut down after a concerted effort by IT security firms.

Tech.gov: Your Phone Records in Peril (PC World)
Unscrupulous companies have conned phone records from carriers in order to sell them. Will Congress protect your privacy?

Google to Pay $90M in 'Click Fraud' Case (AP)
Google Inc. has agreed to pay up to $90 million to settle a lawsuit alleging the online search engine leader overcharged thousands of advertisers who paid for bogus sales referrals generated through a ruse known as "click fraud."

SSL tunnels create ‘invisible’ backdoors into corporate networks (SC Magazine)
Encrypted Secure Socket Layer (SSL) communications between internal corporate employees and external internet applications is "invisible" to companies and so comprises a "risk to the enterprise", new research has claimed.
  _____________________________________________________________________________________

March 8, 2006

Hack-My-Mac Challenge Leaves System Shipshape (TechWeb)
A senior systems engineer at the University of Wisconsin launches a contest by setting up a fully-patched Mac mini hosting a Web page, and challenging attackers to have at it, and the results are in.

U.K. clamps down on online child porn (SC Magazine)
The number of web-based child abuse images hosted from U.K. servers has plummeted from 18 percent in 1997 to just 0.4 percent today, according to the Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) 2005 Annual Report.

Famed "computer terrorist" teaches anti-hacking (Reuters)
He can find George Bush senior's social security number and Leonardo DiCaprio's mother's maiden name in under 15 seconds, and led the FBI on a three-year manhunt as he hacked his way into the world's biggest firms.

Cyber criminals attempt to dodge phishing site shutdowns (SC Magazine)
Online fraudsters have developed a new phishing technique, in response to increasingly aggressive moves to identify and shut-down traditional phishing sites. Dubbed Smart Redirection Attacks the new type of threat is designed to ensure that potential phishing victims always link to a live website.
  _____________________________________________________________________________________

March 7, 2006

New IM Worms Delete Files, Hijack PCs (TechWeb)
An anti-virus vendor warned Tuesday that two new worms spreading on Microsoft's and America Online's instant messaging networks delete files and leave systems open to hijacking.

Profit driven hackers a growing threat (SC Magazine)
Quiet, targeted and profit-driven. These are the adjectives describing the current attacks ruling the IT threat landscape, according to Symantec’s latest Internet Security Threat Report, released today.

Mac OS X patch faces scrutiny (CNET)
Experts say Apple's most recent security patch doesn't completely fix a high-profile flaw, leaving users exposed to cyberattacks.

Cybercrime networks take over hacking and virus writing (SC Magazine)
Virus and other malware attacks directed against individuals or enterprises are increasingly motivated by financial gain, which has led to a higher number of increasingly dangerous attacks, industry experts warned today.

Does the GPL Violate Sarbanes-Oxley? (eWeek)
The Software Freedom Law Center refutes claims by embedded systems seller Wasabi Systems that companies using the GPL could be in violation of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act.

Cyber criminals stepping up targeted attacks: report (Reuters)
Cyber criminals are stepping up smaller, more targeted attacks as they seek to avoid detection and reap bigger profits by stealing personal and financial information, according to a report issued on Monday.

Husband and wife trojan team indicted for computer crimes (SC Magazine)
Two individuals who are alleged to have developed an industrial espionage trojan that helped companies spy on their competitors, were indicted this weekend in the Tel Aviv District court for a series of computer crimes.
  _____________________________________________________________________________________

March 6, 2006

Researcher Hacks Microsoft Fingerprint Reader (PC World)
Hackers could steal your fingerprint information.

Israeli Couple In Spyware Ring Confess, Strike Plea Bargain (TechWeb)
It is a tangled web, but authorities say there's been some action in an complex case involving Trojans, private investigators, raiding competitors' secrets from hacked databases and more.

Bagle mutant threatens legal action (SC Magazine)
IT security experts have warned users to guard against a new version of the Bagle worm which poses as a lawsuit against the recipient.

Boffins use quantum 'decoys' to secure data (SC Magazine)
A new system of protecting sensitive data while it is being transmitted over fibre optic cables has been described by its University of Toronto inventors as “the protective equivalent of a fire-breathing dragon”.

March 3, 2006

Apple Mac Products are Affected by Multiple Vulnerabilities (US-CERT)
Apple has released Security Update 2006-001 to correct multiple vulnerabilities affecting Mac OS X, Mac OS X Server, Safari web browser, and other products. The most serious of these vulnerabilities may allow a remote attacker to execute arbitrary code. Impacts of other vulnerabilities include bypassing security restrictions and denial of service.

Korean online RPG in class action suit (SC Magazine)
Lawyers in South Korea have brought a class action lawsuit on behalf of 224,000 online gamers whose identities were stolen by hackers.

Researcher develops 'active cookies' to take a bite out of cyber crooks (SC Magazine)
An Indiana University School of Informatics scientist claims that his newly developed active cookie technology provides a “strong shield” against identity theft and cyber attacks.

Worms turn to top malware threat list (SC Magazine)
For the ninth month running, Sdbot.ftp has topped the list of the most prevalent global IT security threats, according to a newly published monitoring report. The study, based on the malware most frequently detected by Panda Software’s online antivirus offering during February 2005, also notes that there have been “a significant number” of detections of Netsky.P, one of the oldest examples of malware in the ranking.

Feds serve up a stormy cup of tea to Check Point & Sourcefire (SC Magazine)
Government fears over national security have slowed the completion of Check Point Software Technologies’ $225 million acquisition of Sourcefire Inc.
_____________________________________________________________________________________

March 2, 2006

Bagle Bullies Users Into Infections (Security Pipeline)
A variant of the long-running Bagle worm appeared Wednesday, and tried to bully people into installing its payload.

FedEx Kinko's payment card cracked (CNET)
Anyone with some extra hardware and technical know-how could add value to the card, but FedEx says company and customers aren't at risk.

Teenager Claims to Find Flaw in Gmail (PC World)
Blogger says he has discovered a flaw in Google's e-mail service that allows JavaScript to run.

Symantec Offers Online Threat Meter (NewsFactor)
Symantec has launched a free online tool that promises to provide up-to-date info on the risk levels associated with e-mail and other common online activities.

Botnet threat growing at an 'alarming rate' (SC Magazine)
The trend of hackers and cyber criminals using botnets to conduct large-scale denial-of-service attacks increased at an “alarming rate” during the second half of last year, new research has revealed.

Hunt Intensifies for Botnet Command & Controls (eWeek)
The never-ending search for the command-and-control infrastructure that powers zombie machines in botnets has been expanded with a new open mailing list and a call for increased public participation.

Online banks must try harder to boost IT security (SC Magazine)
Banks offering online banking services to retail customers need to beef up their security features, especially in light of the Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council's (FFIEC’s) 2006 mandate, warns a recently published report.
_____________________________________________________________________________________

March 1, 2006

tar security update (Red Hat Network Alert)
An updated tar package that fixes a buffer overflow bug is now available for Red Hat Enterprise Linux 4.

Technology Facilitates Caller ID Spoofing (AP)
Last fall, U.S. Rep. Tim Murphy's office started getting phone calls from constituents who complained about receiving recorded phone messages that bad-mouthed Murphy.

Search Engines Are At the Center Of Privacy Debate (Security Pipeline)
The more user information gathered by Google, Yahoo and Microsoft MSN, the more often they will become the targets of governments.

NetSky, Mytob lead February virus counts (SC Magazine)
A couple of familiar faces are leading security firms' lists of top February viruses.

Mobile Phone Spam is Here to Stay (eWeek)
Spam, typically offering dating services, pornography and get-rich schemes, has moved beyond traditional e-mail and into text-messaging and mobile e-mail.

New mobile virus runs up huge bills (SC Magazine)
Hackers have a created a new trojan that infects Java-based mobile phones and sends text messages to premium rate phone numbers costing unwitting users $6 each time.

Mystery Surrounds PC-to-PDA Virus (PC World)
Antivirus vendors say they cannot confirm the existence of the Crossover virus.

Game on for FTC's battle against online auction fraud (SC Magazine)
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) today reported that it received 80,450 complaints related to internet auctions in 2005, representing about 12 percent of the total number of complaints. According to the organization, the latest figures indicate that web auction fraud has become responsible for the second most common kind of complaint after those about identity theft.

IP convergence paves way for ‘security over IP’ (SC Magazine)
As firms move towards single converged voice-data IP networks, IT departments will increasingly become responsible for the physical security of buildings via deployment of systems such as biometric access controls, IP-CCTV and card readers, new research has predicted.