 Security
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A Security Port Blog
| Guard Your Identity |
12/30/2007 | |
|
You know the drill when it comes to
safeguarding your identity. Do not give out your Social
Security number, do not lend your credit card to anyone
and do not surf the Internet with abandon.
But
with more credit cards in circulation now than at any
other time of the year and online shopping increasingly
seen as a better alternative to marching through the
crowds, a refresher course in ID protection is in
order.
Despite secure Internet networks and the
growing availability of insurance coverage for identity
fraud, a survey of 500 adults by the National
Association of Insurance Commissioners found 57 percent
of Americans are worried about becoming a victim of
identity theft this holiday season.
The Federal Trade
Commission estimates that about 3 percent of Americans
are victims of identity theft each year.
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| Kids
are Not Safe Online |
12/28/2007 | |
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Four out of every five children receive
inappropriate spam e-mail touting get-rich-quick
schemes, loan programs, and pornographic materials,
according to a study released by Internet security
provider Symantec Corporation. Parents want their
children to experience the information and communication
channels the Internet provides, but want to make sure
they are protected from many of the hazards that are
present.
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| Apple Files DRM Patent |
12/27/2007 | |
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Apple, Inc. has filed for a patent in the
U.S. for a Digital Rights Management (DRM) system for
controlling where software runs. The method described in
the application is one that allows for the injection of
code into an applications run-time instruction stream
that checks to see if the application is being run on a
specific hardware platform, and then repeats that
check to see if it is still being run on that authorized
platform. |
| Cyber Security Plan |
12/24/2007 | |
|
Homeland Security Secretary Michael
Chertoff plans soon to unveil a cyber-security strategy,
part of an estimated $15 billion, multiyear program
designed to protect the nation's Internet
infrastructure. The program has been shrouded in secrecy
for months and has also prompted privacy concerns on
Capitol Hill because it involves government protection
of domestic computer networks. |
| Law
Firm Accused of Piracy |
12/14/2007 | |
|
The SIIA charged in a lawsuit that law
firm Fox Rothschild is stealing software made by Adobe,
Corel, Sonic Solutions, and Symantec.
In a
lawsuit filed last week on behalf of the vendors by the
Software Information Industry Association, the firm of
Fox Rothschild is alleged to have "engaged in the
unauthorized reproduction and use" of software made by
Adobe, Corel, Sonic Solutions, and Symantec.
The
vendors claim that Fox Rothschild's alleged
copyright infringement is causing them
repeated and irreparable injury. The suit, filed in
federal court in Northern California, does not specify
which specific software products the firm is alleged to
be using without authorization, or their estimated
value. |
| Microsoft Attacks |
12/13/2007 | |
|
Microsoft today filed 52 lawsuits in 22
countries against resellers who allegedly sold
counterfeit Microsoft software online.
Some 15
of the 52 lawsuits filed involved software traced to the
largest-ever commercial counterfeit syndicate, which was
broken up earlier this year by Chinese authorities, the
FBI and Microsoft. Through its investigations, Microsoft
reported it had found that the counterfeit software
produced by the Chinese syndicate was distributed in
some markets through domestic online sellers.
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The head of Britains domestic spy agency
has warned that China is spying on the computer systems
of British corporations, The Times of London
reported.
The MI5 chief, Jonathan Evans, sent a
letter last week to 300 executives and security chiefs
at banks, accountancies and legal firms, warning them
that they were under attack from Chinese state
organizations over the Internet, the
newspaper reported Saturday. |
| Oak
Ridge Security Attack |
12/11/2007 | |
|
A cyber attack launched on the Oak Ridge
National Laboratory in Tennessee could have compromised
the personal records of thousands of lab visitors,
leaving them susceptible to potential identity theft.
ORNL Director Thom Mason issued an all-staff
e-mail earlier this week warning employees that the
institution had been a target of a sophisticated cyber
attack that appeared to be part of a coordinated attempt
to gain access to networks at Oak Ridge laboratories and
other institutions across the country.
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Those entering online dating forums risk
having more than their hearts stolen.
A program
that can mimic online flirtation and then extract
personal information from its unsuspecting conversation
partners is making the rounds in Russian chat forums,
according to security software firm PC Tools.
Complete Article
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| House Ups Porn Penalties |
12/10/2007 | |
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Internet service providers would be given
specific responsibilities to report child pornography on
their sites and face tough penalties for not doing so
under a bill passed Wednesday by the House.
The House also approved a bill to double
spending for the National Center for Missing and
Exploited Children, a private, nonprofit group created
in 1984 with a congressional mandate to act as a
clearinghouse for child abduction and sexual
exploitation cases.
House Ups Porn Penalties
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| Securing Adolescents From
Exploitation |
12/10/2007 | |
|
409 to 2 -- the U.S. House of
Representatives passed new legislation on Thursday aimed
at making the Internet safer for children. The Securing
Adolescents From Exploitation-Online (SAFE) Act was
sponsored by Texas Democrat Nick Lampson, one of the
founding members of the House Missing and Exploited
Children's Caucus.
Among other things, the
legislation imposes significant fines on Internet
service providers that fail to report evidence of child
exploitation to the National Center for Missing and
Exploited Children. According to a press release from
Rep. Lampson's office, ISPs would be fined $150,000 per
incident per day for first offenses, and $300,000 per
incident per day for second and succeeding
offenses.
complete article
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| HIV
and Hepatitis Test Results Available on
Internet |
11/27/2007 | |
|
A security breach has exposed the
confidential information of some patients who were
tested for such infectious diseases as HIV and
hepatitis.
The breach, at the Provincial Public
Health Laboratory, occurred Tuesday.
It involved
the exposure of files containing patient information
through an open Internet connection. Information held by
the lab included names, health card numbers, age, sex,
physician and test results for infectious diseases,
including HIV and hepatitis. |
| Internet Goes Down for Pirates |
11/26/2007 | |
|
Internet users in France who frequently
download music or films illegally risk losing Web access
under a new anti-piracy system unveiled on Friday.
The three-way pact between Internet service
providers, the government and owners of film and music
rights is a boon to the music industry, which has been
calling for such measures to stop illicit downloads
eating into its sales. |
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