http://www.pogowasright.org/article.php?story=20081209161523461
Fiserv online bill payment system hit by scam: Brookfield-based firm says CheckFree customer data is safe (follow-up)
Tuesday, December 09 2008 @ 04:15 PM EST Contributed by: PrivacyNews
Scammers hijacked the Web site of Fiserv Inc.'s online bill-payment unit for a few hours last week, but the Brookfield company said Monday its systems weren't compromised and none of the data it holds was breached.
Source - TradingMarkets.com
[From the article:
The takeover occurred just after midnight last Tuesday, when some users of Fiserv-owned CheckFree, which is the nation's biggest provider of online bill payment services, were routed to a site in Ukraine. The Internet intruders were trying to install "malware," harmful software that in some cases enables the theft of personal information.
... The intrusion that allowed users to be directed to the fraudulent Web site actually took place through CheckFree's Internet domain registrar, Network Solutions, a Herndon, Va., company that helps manage Web addresses. No details were available on how the scammers gained control of CheckFree.
... "It could have happened to anyone, and it's pretty scary stuff," Litan said. "It just violates the integrity of the Internet infrastructure and the addressing system."
Something seems wrong...
http://www.pogowasright.org/article.php?story=20081209152806150
Stolen laptop contained HP employee data
Tuesday, December 09 2008 @ 03:28 PM EST Contributed by: PrivacyNews
An employee laptop containing names and social security numbers of current and former Hewlett-Packard employees enrolled in benefits programs was stolen in the Houston area "several months ago."
The theft was immediately reported to the police, but the company's initial assessment of the situation indicated that no personal data was contained on the laptop. In a statement provided to PogoWasRight.org, an HP Corporate Media Relations spokesperson stated that during a more recent assessment of back-up files, they discovered that the laptop did contain personal information [Why weren't the backups examined immediately? Bob] about some participants in their benefits programs. All those affected have since been notified of the breach.
On December 3, HP notified the Maryland Attorney General's Office that 626 Maryland residents had names and social security numbers on the stolen laptop. The company is offering those affected two years of free credit monitoring.
In its notification to those affected, HP indicated that the laptop required a user name and password. The company declined to answer a question as to whether the data or files were encrypted. When asked by PogoWasRight.org how many employees had data on the laptop, they stated that they do not have exact numbers, [Hire a consultant who can count! Bob] but the the HP Security & Privacy groups have indicated that at least several thousand employee records were contained in the laptop.
HP is still trying to recover the laptop and reports that to date, there has been no report of misuse of any data.
Not sure how big, but 15 months to run them down?
http://www.pogowasright.org/article.php?story=20081209110239752
Computer fraud indictments stretch from Russia to NH
Tuesday, December 09 2008 @ 11:02 AM EST Contributed by: PrivacyNews
A Hampton man is charged in New York in an international theft ring that hacked into computers and stole log-in information, gaining access to users' online bank and brokerage accounts.
Alexey Mineev's role in the 15-month international scam, which allegedly involved a New York man and a Russian, is outlined in indictments issued Nov. 25 in U.S. District Court in Manhattan.
Source - Union Leader Related - Trio indicted over Trojan brokerage scam
[From the article:
Mineev, along with Aleksey Volynskiy of Manhattan and Alexander Bobnev of Volgograd, Russia, are charged with conspiracy to defraud the United States and multiple counts of bank fraud/money laundering.
[The indictments (PDF and PDF).
Ubiquitous surveillance?
Dec 10, 7:54 AM EST
GPS, hidden cameras watching over Baby Jesus
By ERIC GORSKI AP Religion Writer
Perhaps this partly explains why a sitting judge believes cases are leaving the Federal system?
Why E-Discovery is Ruining Litigation in America and What Can Be Done About It
... Runaway e-discovery costs are making it too expensive and uncertain to try cases. Litigants, especially large companies, are driven to ADR or forced to settle at inflated prices just to avoid e-discovery.
... To put it bluntly, most of us trial lawyers are not fully competent to practice law in today’s digital age of terabytes of potential evidence.
CyberWar!
http://it.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=08%2F12%2F09%2F2035240&from=rss
Botnets As "eWMDs"
Posted by kdawson on Tuesday December 09, @07:21PM from the trying-to-wake-sleeping-policymakers dept. Security The Internet
John Kelly writes
"The current issue of Policy Review has a paper by an American computer scientist and the recent Permanent Undersecretary of Defense for Estonia. Drawing on the Estonian cyber attacks a year and a half ago, as well as other recent examples, they argue that botnets are the major problem. They propose that botnets should be designated as 'eWMDs' — electronic weapons of mass destruction. The paper also proposes a list of reforms that would help to limit the scale and impact of future botnet attacks, beginning with defining and outlawing spam, internationally."
Many of the proposed solutions are common-sensical and won't be news to this audience, but it is interesting to see the botnet threat painted in such stark terms for readers of the Hoover Institution's Policy Review. For a more comprehensive overview of cyber-security threats, listen to NPR's interview with security experts on the occasion of the release of a new report, "Securing Cyberspace for the 44th Presidency," which recommends creating a cyber-security czar reporting to the President.
Includes Privacy...
http://www.bespacific.com/mt/archives/020026.html
December 09, 2008
CDT Releases Transition Papers on Internet Policies
"The Center for Democracy and Technology (CDT) today released a series of papers [Transition Materials for President Obama] that outline Internet policy proposals for President-elect Obama's Transition Team in the areas of security and civil liberties; preserving free speech on the Internet; keeping the Internet an open platform; protection of consumer privacy; and promoting open government. The 2-3 page memos provide a concise overview of the issues and recommend practical, achievable actions the new administration can take to keep the Internet open, innovative and free. The Internet played an integral part in this election, making it the most participatory in history. CDT believes the Internet can play an equally critical role in other areas, including health care, economic development and education, given the right government policies."
You have no right to your opinion!
http://news.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=08%2F12%2F09%2F1711247&from=rss
Maryland Court Weighs Internet Anonymity
Posted by timothy on Tuesday December 09, @12:58PM from the when-first-grade-never-ends dept. The Courts Privacy The Internet United States
Cornwallis writes
"In a First Amendment case with implications for everything from neighborhood e-mail lists to national newspapers, a Maryland businessman argued to the state's highest court yesterday that the host of an online forum should be forced to reveal the identities of people who posted allegedly defamatory comments. The businessman, Zebulon J. Brodie, contends that he was defamed by comments about his shop, a Dunkin' Donuts in Centreville, posted on NewsZap.com. The shop was described as one 'of the most dirty and unsanitary-looking food-service places I have seen.' Talk about a Negative Nellie! At least the article didn't say the shop was the 'most dirty and unsanitary-looking food-service places I have seen.'"
Ditto?
http://news.cnet.com/8301-17852_3-10119982-71.html?part=rss&subj=news&tag=2547-1_3-0-5
Teen sues after suspension for Facebook-hating teacher
Posted by Chris Matyszczyk December 9, 2008 11:59 PM PST
Katherine Evans, an 18-year-old from Pembroke Pines, Florida, thought her English teacher, Sarah Phelps, was "the worst teacher I've ever met."
As any fine young citizen of the 21st century does, she thought it aloud on Facebook.
The principal of Pembroke Pines Charter High School, Peter Bayer, didn't think much of her thoughts. He suspended her for "bullying and cyber bullying harassment towards a staff member.''
So, now that she is all grown up and in college, Katherine has decided to sue. With the help of the American Civil Liberties Union. The lawsuit claims that Katherine's First Amendment Rights were violated. You know, the ones about "the free and unfettered exchange of ideas and opinions in the public arena."
Imagine how Barbara Streisand feels, having an “effect” named after her! Here a “Don't Watch” Foundation had to change its name when it realized it was pointing everyone to the very images it was trying to suppress!
http://yro.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=08%2F12%2F09%2F210230&from=rss
IWF Backs Down On Wiki Censorship
Posted by kdawson on Tuesday December 09, @04:10PM from the that-streisand-thing-again dept. Censorship
jonbryce writes
"The Internet Watch Foundation, guardians of the Great Firewall of Britain, have stopped censoring Wikipedia for hosting what they considered to be a child porn image. They had previously threatened to block Amazon for hosting the same image."
Here is the IWF's statement, which credits the Streisand Effect for opening their eyes: "...in light of the length of time the image has existed and its wide availability, the decision has been taken to remove this webpage from our list. Any further reported instances of this image which are hosted abroad, will not be added to the list. ... IWF's overriding objective is to minimize the availability of indecent images of children on the internet, however, on this occasion our efforts have had the opposite effect."
Research
http://www.bespacific.com/mt/archives/020029.html
December 09, 2008
Search and find magazines on Google Book Search
Official Google Search Blog: "Today, we're announcing an initiative to help bring more magazine archives and current magazines online, partnering with publishers to begin digitizing millions of articles from titles as diverse as New York Magazine, Popular Mechanics, and Ebony... You can search for magazines through Google Book Search...you'll find magazine articles alongside books results. Magazine articles are tagged with the keyword "Magazine" on the search snippet."
Because the Spanish equivalent of Facebook is more interesting than the President of the US?
http://news.cnet.com/8301-13953_3-10120008-80.html?part=rss&subj=news&tag=2547-1_3-0-5
Google's 2008 Zeitgeist lists of most popular searches
Posted by Dan Farber December 10, 2008 3:57 AM PST
... These latest lists include these categories: U.S., top of mind, politics, trendsetters, showbiz, sports, and around the world.
In the category of fastest rising global searches (comparing 2007 with 2008 searches), Sarah Palin comes in at No. 1 and President elect Barack Obama at No. 6, trailing "beijing 2008," "facebook login," Tuenti" (the equivalent of Facebook in Spain), and "Heath Ledger."
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