Tuesday, February 28, 2006

Credit Card Payment Co. Settles Charges . Credit Card Payment Co. Settles Charges . WASHINGTON -- A data breach that left some 40 million customer accounts vulnerable to hackers will lead to tighter security measures to protect millions of credit and debit card users, Federal Trade Commission officials said Thursday. By JENNIFER C. KERR. [washingtonpost.com - Technology - Industry News, Policy, and Reviews] 10:51:02 PM  PermaLink   / trackback []

Security Fix Live Security Fix Live . Security Fix blogger Brian Krebs will be online to answer your questions about the latest computer security threats and offer ways to protect yourself and your personal information. By Brian Krebs. [washingtonpost.com - Technology - Industry News, Policy, and Reviews] 10:44:27 PM  PermaLink   / trackback []

Plan for Fees on Some E-Mail Spurs Protest. Plan for Fees on Some E-Mail Spurs Protest. A campaign is beginning to protest plans by America Online and Yahoo to charge high-volume senders of e-mail fees to guarantee preferred delivery of their messages. By SAUL HANSELL. [NYT > Technology] 10:39:23 PM  PermaLink   / trackback []

China's media censorship rattling world image. China's media censorship rattling world image. The deposing of an editor is part of a two-year campaign to control public debate. [Christian Science Monitor | Top Stories] 10:31:41 PM  PermaLink   / trackback []

Ernst & Young loses four more laptops. Ernst & Young loses four more laptops. Gear pinched while auditors dined [The Register] 10:24:17 PM  PermaLink   / trackback []

Minnesota GOP's CD Raises Privacy Concerns. Minnesota GOP's CD Raises Privacy Concerns. doginthewoods writes to tell us the ThinkProgress blog is reporting that the Minnesota Republican Party has been distributing a new CD about a recent proposed amendment. The CD poses questions about some of the hot-button issues like abortion, gun control, and illegal immigration. The problem with this CD, however, is that it "phones home" to the Minnesota GOP, without making it clear that your name is attached. So, if you take a look at the CD and take time to answer the questions, beware. Once you are finished they will know not only who you are, but where you stand on the issues at hand.  [Slashdot] 10:16:49 PM  PermaLink   / trackback []

Think Progress - The Minnesota GOP's Stealth Attack On Privacy A story by Minnesota Public Radio reveals a disturbing new way that a political party is secretly grabbing sensitive personal information about voters. This week the Minnesota Republican Party is distributing a new CD about a proposed state marriage amendment. Along with flashy graphics, the CD asks people their views on controversial issues such as abortion, gun control, illegal immigration, and so on. The problem - the CD sends your answers back to headquarters, filed by name, address, and political views. No mention of that in the terms of use. No privacy policy at all. The story concludes: "So if you run the CD in your personal computer, by the end of it, the Minnesota GOP will not only know what you think on particular issues, but also who you are." 10:15:28 PM  PermaLink   / trackback []

IT Conversations: Steve Gibson - Internet Privacy Internet security expert Steve Gibson says that "the use of the internet is not as anonymous in fact as it appears to be in practice." In this conversation with Larry Magid, Gibson explains how internet anonymity is generally a myth, but that it takes a lot of effort and usually a court order to get real life personal information about people based on their surfing history. Gibson is not worried about how his personal information may be aggregated and used, but recognizes that there are legitimate privacy concerns with the way websites collect information. He offers examples of how Internet Service Providers currently and regularly provide information about customers to law enforcement. Gibson also provides practical ways that users can take steps to increase their online privacy while explaining what negative impact these processes can have. This talk focuses particularly on Google and the information about individual users that Google collects. Gibson does point out, however, that modern life is full of opportunities for governments and others to collect and aggregate personal information without even looking at the internet. 9:57:44 PM  PermaLink   / trackback []

Spam King Busted by Secret Service. Spam King Busted by Secret Service. An anonymous reader writes "Adam Vitale, aka Batch1 aka Baxter, 25, of Boynton Beach, FL, and his partner Todd Moeller, aka M3rk, of New Jersey, are accused of sending nearly 50,000 pieces of spam e-mail to more than 1.2 million AOL subscribers. US Secret Service agents used a confidential informant to hire Moeller and Vitale to deliver spam, which advertised a computer security product." [Slashdot] 6:48:15 PM  PermaLink   / trackback []

Bulk E-Mail Fee Draws Fire. Bulk E-Mail Fee Draws Fire. AOL's plan to charge businesses and other bulk mailers a fee to bypass the company's junk-mail filters unites interest groups across the political spectrum in opposition. They accuse AOL of favoring the haves at the expense of the have-nots. [Wired News: Top Stories] 6:45:32 PM  PermaLink   / trackback []

STLtoday - Lawyers for tanning salon owner challenge anti-taping law SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (AP) -- Does a tanning-salon operator break the law by videotaping unwitting customers? Not according to lawyers for the former owner of a Springfield tanning parlor who is accused of using hidden cameras to videotape customers in various stages of undress. Brett Kent, 33, is charged with 22 counts of first-degree invasion of privacy. He waived a preliminary hearing Monday, the same day the law was challenged. Arraignment is set for Friday in Greene County Circuit Court. His lawyers are challenging Missouri's invasion-of-privacy law as unconstitutional. 6:36:54 PM  PermaLink   / trackback []

Li verdict shows Yahoo played key role, group says. Li verdict shows Yahoo played key role, group says. Yahoo Inc. played an important role in the Chinese government's prosecution of Li Zhi, Reporters Without Borders said Wednesday, citing a copy of the court's verdict to back up its claims. [Computerworld Privacy News] 6:32:53 PM  PermaLink   / trackback []

Four lose jobs after data breach at Oregon health care facility. Four lose jobs after data breach at Oregon health care facility. One worker was fired and three others resigned after the theft of backup disks and tapes that held personal data and medical records on about 365,000 hospice and home health care patients. The data was stolen from an employeeÂ[base ']s parked car on Dec. 31. [Computerworld Privacy News] 6:30:13 PM  PermaLink   / trackback []

BioBouncer Might Make Bars Safer. BioBouncer Might Make Bars Safer. A new facial-recognition technology could make club-going safer. But privacy groups worry that innocent patrons could get permanently 86'd. By Rachel Metz. [Wired News: Security Blanket] 6:27:42 PM  PermaLink   / trackback []

NYT Sues Pentagon Over Domestic Spying - New York Times The New York Times sued the U.S. Defense Department on Monday demanding that it hand over documents about the National Security Agency's domestic spying program. The Times wants a list of documents including all internal memos and e-mails about the program of monitoring phone calls without court approval. It also seeks the names of the people or groups identified by it. The Times in December broke the story that the NSA had begun intercepting domestic communications believed linked to al Qaeda following the September 11 attacks. That provoked renewed criticism of the way U.S. President George W. Bush is handling his declared war on terrorism. Bush called the disclosure of the program to the Times a ''shameful act'' and the U.S. Justice Department has launched an investigation into who leaked it. The Times had requested the documents in December under the Freedom of Information Act but sued upon being unsatisfied with the Pentagon's response that the request was ``being processed as quickly as possible,'' according to the six-page suit filed at federal court in New York. 4:51:15 PM  PermaLink   / trackback []

Year Into Revamped Spying, Troubles and Some Progress - New York Times A year after a sweeping government reorganization began, the agencies charged with protecting the United States against terrorist attacks remain troubled by high-level turnover, overlapping responsibilities and bureaucratic rivalry, former and current officials say. Progress has been made, most of the officials say, toward one critical goal: the sharing of terrorist threat information from all agencies at the National Counterterrorism Center. But many argue that the biggest restructuring of spy agencies in half a century has bloated the bureaucracy, adding boxes to the government organization chart without producing clearly defined roles. John O. Brennan, the interim director of the center until July, said the Bush administration was "still struggling" with the redesign. 4:42:59 PM  PermaLink   / trackback []

New York Times sues DoD over Domestic Spying. New York Times sues DoD over Domestic Spying. gbobeck writes "Yahoo News is reporting that the New York Times has filed suit against the U.S. Defense Department. The suit is seeking the release of all relevant documents and a list of people targeted by the NSA domestic spying program. As stated in the article: 'The Times had requested the documents in December under the Freedom of Information Act but sued upon being unsatisfied with the Pentagon's response that the request was being processed as quickly as possible, according to the six-page suit filed at federal court in New York.'" [Slashdot: Your Rights Online] 4:38:17 PM  PermaLink   / trackback []

How to bypass your BIOS Password - The Community's Center for Security Basic BIOS password crack - works 9.9 times out of ten. This is a password hack but it clears the BIOS such that the next time you start the PC, the CMOS does not ask for any password. Now if you are able to bring the DOS prompt up, then you will be able to change the BIOS setting to the default. Read this full article at InfoDirectory Editor: Keep this article in mind when thinking about the lost laptop from Ernst & Young. 4:33:29 PM  PermaLink   / trackback []

Ernst & Young fails to disclose high-profile data loss | The Register Ernst and Young should go ahead and pony up for its own suite of transparency services. The accounting firm failed to disclose a high profile loss of customer data until being confronted by The Register. Ernst and Young has lost a laptop containing data such as the social security numbers of its customers. One of the people affected by the data loss appears to be Sun Microsystems CEO Scott McNealy, who was notified that his social security number and personal information have been compromised. While pushing all out transparency for its customers, Ernst and Young failed to cop to the security breach until contacted by us. "We deeply regret that a laptop containing confidential client information was stolen, in what appears to be a random act, from the locked car of one of our employees," said Ernst and Young spokesman Charles Perkins. "The security and confidentiality of our client information is of critical importance to us. The computer was password-protected, and we have no reason to believe the data itself was targeted or that the information was accessed by anyone. We are notifying those clients whose information was contained on the computer." 4:29:27 PM  PermaLink   / trackback []

Virus Passes From PCs to Mobile Devices. Virus Passes From PCs to Mobile Devices. Proof-of-concept malware infects a PC, then spreads to a handheld and erases files. [PCWorld.com - Latest News Stories] 4:24:43 PM  PermaLink   / trackback []

Outsmarting the Online Privacy Snoops. Outsmarting the Online Privacy Snoops. Internet privacy controversies drive interest in tools for anonymous Web surfing. [PCWorld.com - Latest News Stories] 4:22:45 PM  PermaLink   / trackback []