Cyber Law Update September 2008 - Issue no. 9

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CYBER LAW NEWS
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Perils of wireless Internet

Recent blasts expose the safety gaps in cyberspace and underscore the need for smart vigilance.

R.K.Raghavan

It is the same old story again. As in the case of a few past blasts, such as the series of UP explosions (November 2007) and Ahmedabad (August 2008), terrorists involved in the five explosions of Delhi on September 13 sent e-mails to the media just a few minutes before the bombs took off, warning the authorities of their action. There are, however, several unexplained issues here. Published in The Hindu Businessline

Centre to issue guidelines to internet service providers (Article published in Hindu)

The Winds of Cyber War

The computer attacks Russia allegedly orchestrated against Georgia in August have raised the cyber warfare bar to a new threat level. The cyber assault that accompanied Russia's armed maneuver into its former territory of Georgia escalated to an international event.
The concept of hurting a nation's technological infrastructure as part of a wider conflict is not new. The extent to which the digital warfare was waged, however, clearly added to a growing concern that has already led U.S. officials to prepare for the next wave of computer warfare. Published in TechNewWorld

Homeland Security found to be unprepared for 'cyber' threats

WASHINGTON--When politicians got together six years ago and decided to glue together a medley of federal agencies to create the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, one of the justifications was a better focus on cybersecurity.

….Now, Homeland Security is weathering a deluge of criticism of its lackluster cybersecurity efforts on grounds that they have proven to be inefficient, bureaucratic, and not even able to do a decent job of monitoring federal computer networks. Published in CNET News

Experts call for united global action against cyber attacks

The world has to unite against the growing menace of cyber terrorism, IT experts said Thursday, evoking a recent "cyber war" against Georgia as the latest example of the threat.
"The world has finally woken up and understood that cyber security needs a global approach and is a very serious matter," Estonian politician Mart Laar told a cyber security forum in the Estonian capital Tallinn. Published in Pak Tribune

Cyber-crooks sting South Africa for A$26m

A cyber-crime syndicate is believed to have defrauded the South African government of more than £12.8m (A$26m) in a series of spyware frauds. Published in Secure Computing

Cyber-Ark Highlights the Seriousness of Data Security

Security firm Cyber-Ark has slammed a data breach in the UK that has seen the personal details of 5,000 Ministry of Justice staff go missing, saying that the situation highlights the need for EU controls on data security. Published in IDM

Cyber attack launched on Shiite websites: Iran report

Sunni Muslim computer hackers have attacked hundreds of Shiite websites including Shia Islam's most popular site linked to the community's leader in Iraq, Iran's Fars news agency reported on Friday (19 September 2008). Published in AFP

Anti cyber crime measures are 'a threat to privacy'

The world's leading international telecommunications organisation thas been slammed by privacy advocates for trying to stem the number of DoS attacks by limiting the amount of anonymity on the web. Published in ComputerWorldUK

Cyber attacks cripple opposition Myanmar media

The Internet sites of three Myanmar opposition media groups in exile suffered widespread cyber attacks, the anniversary of last year's failed uprising against the Southeast Asia country's military dictatorship. Published in eTaiwan

Cyber Attack Data Sharing Is Lacking, Congress Told

U.S. intelligence agencies are unable to share information about foreign cyber attacks against companies for fear of jeopardizing intelligence-gathering sources and methods, cyber security expert Paul B. Kurtz told lawmakers yesterday. Published in Washington Post

The Generals Go Cyber?

Burma's military junta has so successfully suppressed the media that Internet sites based outside the country are one of the few remaining sources of reliable news for Burmese people. Now it appears not even those sites are safe. Shortly before yesterday's anniversary of the 1988 pro-democracy uprising and last year's Buddhist-monk-led Saffron Revolution, the Web sites of my newspaper, The Irrawaddy, and other Burmese news portals came under cyber attack. I am not alone in believing that the junta is behind the attack, just as it was behind the shutdown of Internet access in Burma during last year's uprising. Published in Wall Street Journal

Hacker tool can watch you through webcam

Cover your webcams and unplug your microphones, because the latest freely-available hacker tools could use your own hardware against you without your knowledge.
Security specialist Prevx showed us some of the latest scary techniques being used to take unsuspecting web users' credit card details, passwords and personal information, as well as turn on your webcam and watch you. Published in TechRadar.com

Cops identify cyber cafe from where email threat to Advani was sent

Police have claimed to have identified the cyber cafe from which the email, purportedly sent by Indian Mujahideen terrorists, to eliminate BJP leader L K Advani during his Shillong visit on September 29, was sent. Published in Times of India

Teenage cyber terrorist sent to jail

Hammaad Munshi, from Dewsbury, West Yorkshire, England, was 15 when he was recruited into a worldwide plot to wipe out non-Muslims.
He was arrested in 2006 after police found material promoting "murder and destruction", including a guide to making napalm, on his computer and under his bed. Now 18, he has been convicted of making a record of information likely to be used for terrorist purposes. Published in Irish Independent

Senate moves to criminalise ATM, mobile phone, cyber offences

A bill for an Act to provide for the prohibition of electronic fraud in all electronic transactions in Nigeria and for other related matters

The bill, which is being sponsored by Senator Ayo Arise (PDP, Ekiti), has passed through first reading.
Violators of provisions of the law are liable on conviction, to jail terms ranging from five to 14 years. Published in The Punch

Cyber security top priority for UAE government

Dubai: Cyber security of the UAE government's information and ensuring that its own citizens protect it has become a priority, said Dubai eGovernment eServices Director Salem Al Shair…Published in Gulf News

Nigeria: EFCC Develops Software to Combat Cyber Crime

The Economic and Financial Crimes (EFCC) says it is developing computer softwares that would monitor internet services in the country as a way to combat cyber crimes.
Spokesman of the Commission, Mr. Femi Babafemi, who disclosed this to IT World, said the Commission is partnering with Information and Communication experts to develop the software. He said already, the report of the technical committee on the development of the software has been submitted to the chairman, adding that so far, over 136 cyber crime suspects have been arrested since Mrs. Farida Waziri took over as chairman of the Commission. Published in All Africa

Improved OnGuardOnline.gov Site Teaches Cyber-Safety to the Average Person

One of the better places for the average person to learn about the sometimes murky waters of the Internet is free and sponsored by the Federal Trade Commission. Although OnGuardOnline.gov and AlertaEnLinea.gov, its Spanish-language counterpart, have been around for awhile, some new and exciting improvements have been made to the site with a just released Web 2.0 redesign. Published in Blogcritics

Banking crisis: Cyber squatters cash in

It is not just hedge funds and short-sellers that are looking to cash-in on the global financial meltdown. Cyber-speculators have got in on the act too, snapping up online domain names in a game of guess the brand and the hope of selling their piece of internet property to the highest bidder.
Yesterday (September 16 2008) the rather long-winded domain name www.bankofamericamerrilllynch.com went up for sale on auction site eBay with an asking price of $1500 (£832). Published in Guardian

Cyber sleaze hits city’s top business family

A well-known builder’s family was hounded out of its wits recently when all its members, including four women, started receiving phone calls from unknown persons propositioning them to provide ‘female escorts’ as advertised in an internet-based agency. The ‘escort agency’ advertised Punjabi women available as escorts in Nagpur and listed the phone numbers of all the members of the family. Shocked by the flurry of calls, the angry and embarrassed family approached the cyber crime cell of crime branch in July. The cyber cell team, cracking the case, exposed the role of a disgruntled relative who wanted to avenge the fact that he was distanced from the family business as a sub-contractor around a year ago over a dispute. Published in Times of India

Comments: Disgruntled employees, friends and even lovers had restored to e-revenge in past. Hence, you are advise not to sharing your personal details and photo online.

OPINION: Cyber-Bullying - A Dark Side of the Internet

The Internet places a profound and staggering degree of information and knowledge at our fingertips. The Internet is the ultimate library and encyclopedia. It enables an army of telecommuting working men and women to work at home. It facilitates instant back and forth communication by e-mail. Online, we read newspapers and listen to music. The Internet is where we can advertise goods for sale on e-bay and purchase all sorts of items at retail stores. However, there is a dark aspect to the Internet. Published in Southern Maryland Online

Cyber sex can cause depression

People who frequently indulge in online sex, fetish and swinging sites have “alarmingly high” rates of depression, anxiety and stress, says a shocking new research. What’s more, people who seek out cyber sex typically devote hours a day to the covert activity, the study found. The Australian research also revealed that overwhelmingly male, well-educated, and aged anywhere from 18 to 80 indulge in such kind of ‘pleasure’. Published in Times of India

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JOBS/ FREELANCE MARKETS

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Coming soon….

For posting cyber law or IS related jobs or assignments, please email details at dipak00001@gmail.com with subject line “Job”

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CYBER LAW OR IS EVENTS

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DIGITAL SOCIETY DAY 2008
Event in Bangalore on October 17, 2008
Sept 26: As in the previous years, Digital Society Foundation (Trust promoted by Naavi and others) will celebrate October 17, 2008 as the Digital Society Day of India in recognition of the fact that on October 17, 2000, ITA 2000 was given effect to bringing in the legal recognition for electronic documents for the first time in India. The theme for the current year is "Privacy and Data Protection in Cyber Space". The event will consist of a day long programme to be held at KLE Law College, Rajaji Nagar, Bangalore in association with KILPAR (Karnataka Institute of Legislative and Parliamentary Affairs) and KLE Society's Law College. The seminar will discuss the issues in balancing the demand for Privacy Rights Protection by Human Rights Activists with the Law Enforcement needs in the light of Cyber Terrorism and Cyber Wars. It is intended to collect the views of Legal Experts on the "Essential Features of a Suggested Data Protection Act of India" to be consolidated and presented to Nasscom and Ministry of Communications and Information Technology for further action.
(Law Students wishing to present a paper on the occasion may kindly submit the paper before October 10th to naavi , through e-mail (naavi@vsnl.com) and print copy. The best paper presenter may be invited to briefly present his views during the seminar)
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For posting cyber law or IS event, please email details at mailto:dipak@lawyer.comwith subject line “Events”
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BUSINESS STUFF

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Advertise with us!!!
For more details email at mailto:dipak@lawyer.com with subject line “Advertise”

Domain name fraud: Hoax email to solicit business from .com owners

If you recieve an email information you that someone had made application for registration of domain name similar to your .com domain name.

It is a hoax email to solicit more business for the owner of .com domain name. They want you to register under different domains such as .asia .in .org net. and so on.

Sample of hoax email

From: Dr. ABC
Date: 9/23/2008 9:29:19 AM
To:
Subject: XXX Enquiry

Dear XXX,

We are one of the Domain Name Dispute Resolution (DNDR) Committee members authorized by ANIC(Asia Internet Network Information Center).

Now we have something urgent on intellectual property need to confirm with your company.

On the Sep 22, 2008, we received an application from one person from China Intellectual Property Protection Agency (Taiwan) Corporation named “Roger L. Forbes” who wants to register the “XXX” as Internet Brand,TradeMark Domain and Asia Pacific domains. Considering these domains and internet brand would involve the intellectual property of your company’s name,patents,trademarks,and copyright, and in order to avoid confusion between them, so we inform you urgently. If you considered these domains and internet brand are important to you and there was necessary to protect them by registering them first, please let someone who is responsible for trademark or domain name contact me as soon as possible.

Thank you for you cooperation.

I am waiting for your urgent reply,
Kind Regards,
Dr. ABC
Chief Law Officer,Senior Consulting Director

Internet Brand Justice & Safety Dept.
ABC xxx xxx Ltd (Branch Office)
Help Dispute Tel: ..........(Mon–Fri,9am to 6:30pm,GMT+8)

Misuse of wireless network to send terror email

Terrorists had allegedly used unsecured wi-fi networks to send terror emails to media and remained anonymous till date. Earlier terrorists were using cyber cafes to send terror emails but now they are exploiting wi-fi and tomorrow some other technology. Similar trend is being witnessed in other areas of information security. As the world catches on to the dangers of opening unknown e-mail attachments and better spam filters are created, the focus of attacks is turning to the web itself.[1] Trend Micro Incorporated, a global leader in Internet content security, reported that cybercriminals are not only leveraging new technologies to propagate cybercrime, but are also reinventing forms of social engineering to cleverly ensnare both consumers and businesses, according to the "Trend Micro Threat Roundup and Forecast 1H 2008" report.[2]

Is wi-fi technology is safe?

“The vulnerability is more in the negligence of the users of wi-fi rather than the technology itself” says Na.Vijayashankar, better known as Naavi, the well known Cyber Law Consultant in India. He was the author of the first book on Cyber Laws in India and a pioneer in the spreading of Cyber Law Education in the country.

The users are not taking sufficient measures to secure their wi-fi nor the service providers are take necessary steps to educate them on same. It is easier for users to secure its wired network because it is visible to them. This advantage is not available to wi-fi users. Naavi says, “The invisibility of the network users induces complacency. Psychologically, it is difficult for ordinary users to visualize that a person from out of our physical boundary may also have access to the device.” If this vulnerability of wi-fi is not plugged then the same can be misused by terrorists to send terror emails and remain anonymous as reported in the above mentioned two incidences.

How wi-fi works?

Wi-fi uses radio signals to connect and communicate with a hotspot and a PC or a laptop situated in a short distance of 100 to 200 feet in an office building, a university or even at homes. You can move around in a campus of university or an office without losing net connectivity.

When the hotspot is in open mode, it sends broadcast a message “I am available” in a vicinity of 100 to 200 feet and a laptop or a PC equipped with a wireless network receiver in this vicinity able to connected to the particular wi-fi and connect to net. One can access wi-fi network even from 800 feet by using an antenna. So if your wi-fi network is not secured then it can be misused by not only by your neighbours residing in your and nearby buildings but also by a stranger few streets away from your office or home.

Whereas in closed mode, the user sends a message “I want to connect with XYZ wi-fi hotspot”, which is responded by the hotspot “I am XYZ”. You can have additional security login id and password for connecting to wi-fi.

Wi-fi software faults make interception easier. Security Consultant Chris O’Ferrell has been able to connect to wireless networks in Washington D. C. from outside a Senate office building, as reported in “High Wireless Acts” by Noguchi. Y in Washington Post dated 28 April, 2002. Back home. Asian School of Cyber Laws recently conducted experiments near several software parks. The finding of the same was very shocking and reveals lack of cyber security. “The wireless networks of a whopping 90% of the software companies were leaking out sensitive information. A malicious hacker could easily sit in a parked car with a laptop; run some sniffing software and access huge mounts of sensitive data including source codes!” For more details refer Cyber Crimes Hit List – 2006 issued by Asian School of Cyber Laws and available on their website www.asianlaws.org.

Precautions to be taken by users to secure their wi-fi:

Keep wi-fi in closed mode rather than open mode.
Use a log-in id and password to access wi-fi and periodically change your password.
Use wi-fi protected access2 (WPA2), which more secured than wired equivalent privacy (WEP)
When you are not using wi-fi, switch off the same.
Check the audit trails of net sessions to ensure that all logs are properly recorded and not misused by unauthorized user.

Naavi warns all wi-fi users, including potential users, to avoid wi-fi if you cannot adopt the requisite security.


Footnotes

[1] For more details read article on “The new multiple face of Internet threats” available at http://www.canada.com/calgaryherald/news/story.html?id=1e082603-ec50-4b79-af5d-9996d1d39732
[2] Source: Trend Micro Incorporated


*********

Today(17-09-2008), I had secured a wi-fi network of my business associate…I feel great…although it is a drop in the ocean (an initiative to secure wi-fi networks in Mumbai)
Perils of wireless Internet

Recent blasts expose the safety gaps in cyberspace and underscore the need for smart vigilance.

R.K.Raghavan

It is the same old story again. As in the case of a few past blasts, such as the series of UP explosions (November 2007) and Ahmedabad (August 2008), terrorists involved in the five explosions of Delhi on September 13 sent e-mails to the media just a few minutes before the bombs took off, warning the authorities of their action. There are, however, several unexplained issues here. Published in The Hindu Businessline

Centre to issue guidelines to internet service providers (Article published in Hindu)

Cyber Law Update September 2008 - Issue no. 8

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CYBER LAW NEWS
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LHC Web site defaced – was the particle detector really at risk?

The Telegraph is reporting that attackers have defaced a Web page on the Compact Muon Solenoid Experiment Monitoring (CMSMON) system that monitors the fallout from the big bang experiment presently taking place beneath CERN.
The question that should stand out is why this system was public faced. CERN scientists said the attackers were “one step” away from the control system that operates one of the huge magnets used in the gargantuan machine. Published in the Tech Herald

Cyber Crime: An Economic Problem

During ISOI 4 (hosted by Yahoo! in Sunnyvale, California) whenever someone made mention of RBN (the notoriously malicious and illegal bulletproof hosting operation, the Russian Business Network) folks would immediately point out that an operation just as bad was just "next door" (40 miles down the road?), working undisturbed for years. They spoke of Atrivo (also known as Intercage). The American RBN, if you like.

In fact, while many spam operations use botnets and operate all around the world, a lot of the big players own their own network space and operate hosting farms, which are constant and "legitimate", right in the US—for years now. Published in CircleID

U.S. takes a look at arming itself for cyber-warfare

Never let it be said that the U.S. government makes snappy decisions about arming itself for cyber-warfare. Julian Barnes at the Los Angeles Times reports that the military is currently debating whether or not to develop the ability for the U.S. government to go on the offensive during a potential cyber-attack rather than simply defend U.S. computer systems in case of cyber-warfare. Barnes' article points out that the recent cyber-attacks associated with the conflict in Georgia have escalated the debate, which "reflects a newfound uncertainty over the state of global cyber-warfare capabilities." Published in The Standard

Defense Ministry’s Cyber Network Is Hacker-Proof

A Defense Ministry spokesman assured Tuesday that the department's cyber-security system is ``hacker-proof," adding that its intra-net computer data network is detached from the external Internet.
Source: koreatimes.co.kr Published in Crime Research

Is the cyber terrorism threat exaggerated?

Cyber terrorism, a term coined by the media rather than security agencies, is one of the apocalyptic scenarios portrayed by fiction writers and movie producers on a regular basis. The story of a teenager bringing an entire nation to its knees with a computer and internet connection not only inflicts terror and awe in general public, it also fuels a lot of misapprehension feeding on the natural fear of unknown technology.

While it would not be advisable for any national security outlook to discount cyber terrorism completely, the threat must be kept in perspective. As communications technology becomes more pervasive and integrated into the national economy and infrastructure, providing security to it and preventing its abuse obviously becomes a national security concern. Published in India Post

‘Lack of Cyber laws makes it impossible to fight Net crimes’

KUWAIT CITY : Internet-related crimes are on the rise in Kuwait and the lack of Cyber laws makes it impossible to tackle such fraudulent practices, says a Kuwaiti lawyer. Speaking to the Arab Times on Wednesday, Labeed Abdal added that hackers are increasingly targeting Kuwait and many other countries, knowing full well that they can get away with their crimes. He went on to explain that some people send abusive emails to settle personal scores and that the law enforcement agencies are unable to act on such matters due to non-existence of Cyber laws, “which must be in tune with the latest changes in the Internet domain.” Published in Arab Times Online

Braga pushes passage of cyber crime bill

THE Davao City Council, through a resolution proposed by Councilor Pilar Braga, urged the House of Representatives to fast track the formulation of the final draft of the cyber crime bill.
"We push for a its speedy endorsement to the Senate because we urgently need of legislation. The longer it takes for the bill to become a law, the more daring cyber crimes are being committed," Braga said Wednesday. Published in Sun Star

Experts call for united global action against cyber attacks

TALLINN (AFP) — The world has to unite against the growing menace of cyber terrorism, IT experts said Thursday, evoking a recent "cyber war" against Georgia as the latest example of the threat.
"The world has finally woken up and understood that cyber security needs a global approach and is a very serious matter," Estonian politician Mart Laar told a cyber security forum in the Estonian capital Tallinn. Published in AFP

NASS, EFCC, ICPC, CBN to partner against cyber crime

National Assembly, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) and the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) have resolved to partner themselves in the fight against cyber crime and money laundering. Published in Tribune

NHRC asks for speedy inquiry in cyber fraud

KENDRAPARA: National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has directed police here to speed up the inquiry and submit report on an alleged cyber fraud in which an Oriya engineer working in a Dubai company was cheated. Published in Economic Times

Cyber experts to help make WiFi networks more secure

In light of the recent controversy over wireless fidelity (WiFi) network connection, Maharashtra police have joined hands with the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) to secure the WiFi network across the state. Published in DNA India

‘Cyber Safe Thane’ Organised by Thane Police & NASSCOM

NASSCOM, the premier trade body and ‘voice’ of the Indian IT-BPO industry, today announced that it would be organising ‘Cyber Safe Thane’, a three day awareness campaign on Cyber safety and security issues for customers, industry, academia, and other stakeholders in Thane from September 18-20th, 2008. Prdomain Business Register (press release)

Stop taking Net for granted!

NEW DELHI: We live in an exciting world of technology which is changing every day. There's YouTube, Second Life, MySpace, iPhone.

You probably hadn't even heard of these a year ago, but today they dominate the discussions about societal trends and the future of communications and the Internet.

Once upon a time, e-commerce drove the Internet debate, but now it's clear we have entered a new era.

Today, consumers have ushered in the 'Any Era' demanding access to any information, from any device, any time and anywhere they want it. And they not only want access; they want the ability to contribute, personalise and socialise. Published in Indiatimes

House panel to banks: devise systems to thwart cyber crimes

The parliamentary standing committee on personnel, public grievances, law and justice on Wednesday asked public sector banks to devise a special monitoring system to check cyber crimes and strengthen the present vigilance system to curtail corruption. The committee observed that the present banking set up was not equipped to tackle cyber crimes, which are quite familiar at the international level. The committee was concerned about effects of cyber crimes on the Indian banking system. Published in Financial Express

Chennaiites lose Rs 1 cr to phishing this year

CHENNAI: Chennaiites have lost over Rs 1 crore to phishers in 2008 alone, thanks to fraudsters taking advantage of the increase in the number of people switching to net-banking. Complaints of phishing have been flooding the bank fraud wing of the central crime branch of city police. In spite of warnings by banks, educated customers are falling prey to online robbers. Police have identified as many as 21 types of phishing mails, most of them involving spoofing of the web pages of mainstream banks. Some other phishing mails exploit the tendency of people to fall for free money or gifts. Published in Times of India

Case registered against eight for cyber fraud

Acting on the directive of the National Human Rights Commission, the police have registered a criminal case against a 25-year-old net-savvy married woman and seven others on alleged cyber fraud charge. Published in Kalinga Times

Cyber cheat lived it up after Rs 20 lakh heist

AHMEDABAD: Ellisbridge police officials are now trying to connect the dots in the sensational Rs 20-lakh online heist of Sanjay Koliya, 20, of Rajkot.

As Ellisbridge police grilled him, Sanjay gave details of his life after he became rich overnight. The investigating officers are now probing how exactly and in what manner the young cyber cheat spent his ill-gotten wealth. Published in Times of India

Cyber Crimes: You Could Be the Next Victim

Welcome to the world of cyber crimes, welcome to the den of cyber-criminals.
Experts are of the opinion that cyber crime, which commonly refers to any illegal activity committed on the Internet, dates back to the 1980s. Because of declining economic standards in most developing countries, numerous jobless youths found earning a living increasingly difficult despite having relevant degrees and certifications. They decided to devise a means of survival. The result of their "ingenuity" is this pest threatening to inconvenience Internet users. Published in The Industry Standard

Teacher arrested in cyber-sex sting

A 46-year-old Paradise man, Butte County substitute teacher and father of two Paradise High School students was arrested Wednesday for soliciting sex over the Internet with someone he allegedly believed was a 13-year-old girl.

According to a Butte County Sheriff's Office press release, Gerald William Lemay was arrested for arranging a meeting with a minor for sexual purposes. Published in Paradise Post

Cyber Bullying: Responsibilities and Solutions

A Missouri woman is indicted on federal charges of causing the suicide death of a teenage girl who frequented the social networking site MySpace. An eighth grade student from Pelham Middle School, N.Y. is the recipient of insulting remarks posted on her MySpace page by a classmate. Another eighth grader receives embarrassing comments as she instant messages with friends. A 13-year-old Vermont boy was bullied for months online. He eventually committed suicide. These are but four examples of a problem known as cyber bullying. Published in Tech Learning

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Jobs/ Freelance Market
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Coming soon….

For posting cyber law or IS related jobs or assignments, please email details at dipak00001@gmail.com with subject line “Job”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Cyber Law or IS events
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Coming soon….

For posting cyber law or IS event, please email details at dipak00001@gmail.com with subject line “Events”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
BUSINESS STUFF
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Advertise with us!!!
For more details email at dipak00001@gmail.com with subject line “Advertise”

Cyber Law Update August 2008 - Issue no. 7

A classic cyber war?

It is again eventful times in cyberspace. It all started earlier this month with the entry of Russian troops into neighbouring Georgia’s South Ossetia, a region not reconciled to its present political status within Georgia, and with strong affinity for North Ossetia that is part of Russia. Reported in The Hindu Businessline

Public, private sectors at odds over cyber security

The government has largely argued that the private sector is better suited to tackle the problem. But big corporations say it's too big for them to handle.
By Joseph Menn, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
Three very big and very different computer security breaches that have dominated recent headlines did more than show how badly the Internet needs major repairs. They also exposed the huge rift between corporate America and the federal government over who should fix it, cyber-security experts say. Reported in La Times

Thousands of cyber attacks each day on key utilities Jonathan Richards

Computer networks controlling electricity supplies, telecommunications and banking are being attacked thousands of times a day in a new cyberwar against Britain waged by criminals and terrorists — some of them backed by foreign states — the Government has said. Reported in Times Online

Hacker gets into Federal Emergency Management Agency's phone system

The FBI is investigating more than $12,000 in calls made when a hacker broke into the Federal Emergency Management Agency's phone system.
Source: newschannel5 Reported in Crime-Research

Hackers attack Iraq's vulnerable computers

Ahmed Khathem, the head of Iraq's newly formed cybercrimes division, sits in a borrowed office, at a borrowed desk, working on a laptop borrowed from one of his subordinates.
It is his unit's lone computer, highlighting the country's vulnerability to a community of Iraqi hackers defacing websites and attempting to hack into sensitive internal networks.
Source: USAtoday.com Reported in Crime Research

Indian hacker alleged brain behind biggest cyber-heist

LONDON: An unknown Indian hacker is being charged with the greatest cyber-heist in history for allegedly helping a criminal gang steal identities of an estimated eight million people in a hacking raid that could ultimately net more than 2.8 billion pounds in illegal funds. Reported in Economic Times

Survey: IT staff would steal secrets if laid off

Computerworld UK — Most IT staff would steal sensitive company information, including CEO's passwords and customer details, if they were laid off, according to a new survey from Cyber-Ark.
A staggering 88 percent of IT administrators admitted they would take corporate secrets, if they were suddenly made redundant. The target information included CEO passwords, customer database, research and development plans, financial reports, M&A plans and the company's list of privileged passwords. Reported in IT World

Cyber-threat environment becoming increasingly severe

Today's cyber-threat environment is increasingly severe, compounded by the emergence of new types of attacks.
This is according to TippingPoint, an intrusion prevention company which also provides IPS-secured (intrusion prevention system) network. They say the situation is worsened by the shrinking time between the discovery of vulnerabilities and the development of ways to exploit them, plus the dissolving network perimeter. Reported in Network World

The new multiple face of Internet threats

E-mail viruses are so yesterday. These days, it's your browser that has online criminals salivating.
Network worms and viruses spread by mass e-mails are unlikely to ever become extinct, but they are no longer the primary weapon used by the bad guys of the virtual world to steal your identity or life's savings. Reported in Canada.com

Hard disks seized from 3 cyber cafes

21 Aug 2008, Ahmedabad/Vadodara: Three cyber cafes in Vadodara's old city area were searched by the Ahmedabad Crime Branch and local Special Operation Group (SOG) officials in connection with Ahmedabad blasts late on Wednesday after information that those behind the blasts, including computer expert Abdul Subhan alias Taufique Bilal from Mumbai, visited these cafes. The investigating team seized 28 hard disks from all three cafes and sent it to Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) tests. Reported in Times of India

Dalhousie to help U.S. catch cyber terrorists

A major software project is underway by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to monitor levels of Internet traffic and detect possible security breaches — and Dalhousie University is going to help build it. Reported in The Chronicle Herald

More tools developed to crack cyber crimes

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Law enforcing agencies are now armed with more software tools to fight cyber crimes with a premier centre claiming to have developed them.
Emailtracer, CyberCheck, Siman and Calltrack are some of the softwares (sic) developed indigenously by the Resource Centre for Cyber Forensic (RCCF) here. Reported in Economic Times

Cyber forensic tools will soon be considered as evidence

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Evidence gathered using various cyber forensics tools developed by the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (CDAC) would soon be considered as evidence in cyber crimes.
Necessary amendments in this regard would be made in the IT Act, said Communication and Information Technology Minister A Raja. He was speaking at a function organised in connection with the dedication of the Resource Centre for Cyber Forensics (RCCF) at CDAC here to the nation on Saturday. Reported in NewIndPress

City turning a hackers' den

HYDERABAD: The source code theft involving a senior techie could be a highend cyber crime but the city's netizens have been witness to a range of cyber concerns from hacked email accounts, credit card frauds to the most common crime of posting pornographic material on the profiles of social networking site members.
And this has made internet security experts brand Hyderabad as a hackers' den. They say the city has become a haven for cyber crimes, and that among the southern Indian cities Hyderabad perhaps also ranks the highest on the cyber crime radar with city internet security firms receiving cases of corporate data theft, email frauds and impersonations and mobile phone related crimes. Reported in Times of India

Covering Cyber Threats

Companies spent more than $6.3 million on data breaches in 2007
By Greg Bordonaro
As companies face a host of new risks associated with their digital data, insurers are scrambling to create a whole new field of coverage: cyber liability.
Costly and legally troublesome problems ranging from data breaches to infringement cases are on the rise, and 43 states, including Connecticut, have passed laws spelling out rules for companies that experience them. Reported in Hartford Business
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