[iwar] Historical posting


From: Fred Cohen
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Mon, Jan 1, 1999


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Date: Mon, Jan 1, 1999
From: Fred Cohen 
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Subject: [iwar] Historical posting

          

U.S. probes Internet access of Los Alamos computer
Federal prosecutors are investigating whether someone outside
the family of Wen Ho Lee, charged with illegally copying
nuclear weapons secrets, may have gained access to those
secrets via the Internet, The Washington Post reported on
Monday. The paper said someone on the campus of the
University of California at Los Angeles used the password
of the former government scientist on numerous occasions
in 1994 to enter the Los Alamos National Laboratory's
unclassified network via the Internet. Lee's attorneys say
it was his daughter, Alberta, playing a computer game.
http://www.sjmercury.com/svtech/news/breaking/internet/docs/123358l.htm

Smart card crypto genius sent to trial
A French computer programmer has landed himself in the soup,
after designing a spoof credit card that could "talk any cash
terminal into handing him an unlimited supply of money".
Serge Humpich, 36, was arrested when he offered his invention
for #20 million to French banks. Humpich was in court on Friday,
Jan 21, where the "procureur giniral" (i.e. state prosecutor,
the french equivalent to a US district attorney) demanded a two
year suspended jail sentence along with FFr50,000 (roughly #5000)
in fines. Sentencing is due on February 25. Humpich's invention
exploited flaws in the design of French electronic point of sale
systems and could pick out all 35 million French PINs used on
Visa and other credit cards.
http://www.theregister.co.uk/000123-000005.html

In wake of attack on Thomas site, library evaluates its online security
practices. The recent hacking of one of the Library of Congress's main
sites has put a plan to upgrade the library's Web systems this year.
Most of the upgrades are designed to meet increased traffic and create
redundancy and reliability, said Herbert Becker, director of information
technology services. But last Monday's attack gave the upgrades new
urgency. Computer vandals on the evening of Jan. 17 defaced the home
page of the library's Thomas legislative search site, at thomas.loc.gov.
The library staff discovered the site had been hacked about an hour
after the 6 p.m. incident. Library officials at 7:20 p.m. blocked
access to the site; the site was back online the next day.
http://www.gcn.com/vol19_no2/news/1196-1.html

Dangerous Frontier
But Some Hackers Use Powers for Good. Some hackers claim they can
shut down the entire Internet in less than 30 minutes. Computer
crime is on the rise. And as more people start purchasing online,
entrusting their credit card numbers and other personal details to
the ether, many experts say it is time to step up the battle for
online security.
http://abcnews.go.com/onair/dailynews/wkn_000122_netsecurity.html

Stalkers find their victims on internet
BRITAIN faces a new wave of cyber-stalking. The number of people
being stalked by malicious internet users has increased more
than fourfold in the past year. Experts blame the proliferation
of detailed personal information available on the internet -
from home telephone numbers to personal interests and the
identity of lovers. With just a few clicks on a computer mouse,
stalkers are able to pull off the name, address, street map and
telephone number of an intended victim. The number of
prosecutions involving harassment has increased in the past year,
largely because of new laws giving courts greater powers to
prosecute stalkers. More than 1,000 people were sentenced for
harassment in 1998 compared to 248 the previous year.
http://www.sunday-times.co.uk/news/pages/sti/00/01/23/stinwenws02012.html

Linux viruses from China predicts Russian expert
A Russian anti-virus expert has warned that an influx of viruses
targeted at the Linux operating system (OS) is on its way courtesy
of hackers in China. Eugene Kaspersky, founder of Kaspersky Lab
Anti-Virus in Moscow, says the increasing popularity of the open
source operating system in the West, combined with the dramatic
uptake of Linux in China, will result in a plague of Linux viruses
spreading their way across the globe.
http://www.zdnet.co.uk/news/2000/3/ns-12862.html

Myanmar issues tough Internet rules
Myanmar's military regime has issued tough restrictions
that forbid the posting of political writings in cyberspace
-- even though the public does not have access to the Internet.
Myanmar Post and Telecommunications, a government agency,
announced the Internet regulations on state-run television on
Wednesday. Prohibitions include publishing anything on the
Internet that is ``directly or indirectly detrimental to the
current policies and secret security affairs of the government.''
``Writings related to politics are not to be posted,'' the TV
Myanmar broadcast also said.
http://www.sjmercury.com/svtech/news/breaking/ap/docs/117546l.htm

French Spies Listen To UK Wireless Calls - Paper
The French government covertly eavesdropped on wireless calls made
to and from UK mobile phones, according to a report in the Jan. 23
issue of the UK's Sunday Times. French intelligence services routinely
monitor British cellphone calls from at least eight centers scattered
across France, which are "aiming" their receivers at "British defense
firms, petroleum companies and other commercial targets," the paper
reported. The Sunday newspaper hints that the British government and
relevant defense company senior managers are well aware of the problem,
and are being told not to discuss sensitive matters on their mobiles as
a result. The GSM cellular standard - as used in the UK - has a maximum
range between the mobile and a base station of around 35 kilometers, to
allow up to eight wireless calls to occupy a single GSM channel. However,
GSM transmissions can reach up to 150 kilometers or more, a facility that
is exploited using GSM cellular base stations located in coastal regions.
http://www.newsbytes.com/pubNews/00/142612.html

FC