Risks from cyberattacks are increasing and the consequences are so great that the country needs a "Manhattan Project" for network security, Michael Chertoff, secretary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, said in a keynote at RSA 2008. "We need a game-changer with how we deal with attacks," he said.
Internet Full of Malicious Software, Security Report Says
Consumers who use search engines, online social networks, browsers and the like face a gantlet of viruses and malicious software code, according to a cybersecurity report from Symantec, issued as security experts gather here for the sprawling RSA Conference on tech security. The repercussions go beyond the loss of personal data, security experts say.
Lawmaker Wants Tax on Online Music Sales
A Los Angeles-area lawmaker trying to help raise money to delete the state government's $8 billion shortfall thinks consumers should pay sales tax when buying from online music stores. Some avid iTunes users, not to mention other state legislators and tax regulators, disagree.
Teen Avoids Charges in MySpace.com Harassment
New York prosecutors decided to charge Isaiah Rodriguez, 18, of aggravated harassment and endangering the welfare of a child over a series of MySpace.com messages professing his ardent devotion to a 14-year-old girl.
Four Indonesian Firms Block Access to YouTube
At least four Indonesian firms providing Internet services have blocked access to the YouTube Web site for carrying a Dutch lawmaker's film that accuses the Koran of inciting violence, an information ministry official said. The move follows a government ban on broadcasts of the film by Geert Wilders, leader of the Dutch anti-immigration Freedom Party, which alternates images of the September 11, 2001 attacks and other Islamist bombings with quotations from the Koran.
U.S. Military Studying Cyberwar Offensives
U.S. military officials seeking to boost the nation's cyberwarfare capabilities are looking beyond defending the Internet: They are developing ways to launch virtual attacks on enemies.
Chinese Court to Hear Internet Copyright Cases
A Chinese court has agreed to consider copyright-infringement cases against two China-based Internet heavyweights that offer illicit music downloading, potentially opening Chinese companies to hefty damage claims they have previously dodged. The music-industry lawsuits claim $9 million in damages against Baidu.com Inc., and $7.5 million against Sogou, the music-delivery service operated by Sohu.com Inc.
EU Group Wants Companies to Delete Data After 6 Months
In a move that seems destined to invite tension with major American search engines, a European Commission advisory body has suggested that those companies delete data collected about their users after six months -- a far cry from what most companies currently do. The recommendation arrived in a 29-page "opinion" published by a European Commission body known as the Article 29 Working Party.
Facebook Working on Settlement with ConnectU
Facebook is close to putting an uncomfortable and embarrassing legal episode behind it. A person briefed on the status of dueling lawsuits between Facebook and the competing site ConnectU said that Facebook was finalizing a settlement with the founders of ConnectU -- brothers Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss and their colleague, Divya Narendra.
More Customers Being Monitored by Their ISPs
The online behavior of a small but growing number of computer users in the United States is monitored by their Internet service providers, who have access to every click and keystroke that comes down the line. The companies harvest the stream of data for clues to a person's interests, making money from advertisers who use the information to target their online pitches.
IRS Computers Called Vulnerable to Hackers
Treasury watchdogs said that poor controls over IRS computers could allow a disgruntled employee, agency contractor or outside hacker to steal taxpayers' confidential information. Indeed, a hacker might even "gain full control of the IRS network," said a report from the office of the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration.
E-mails Considered "Signed Writings," Court Rules
A series of e-mails were signed writings that could be used to modify an employment agreement, a New York appellate court ruled. The e-mails fell under the Statute of Frauds because the name at the end of each message signaled the author's "intent to authenticate" its contents, the Appellate Division, 1st Department, unanimously held.
Homeowners Sue Google Over "Street View" Pictures
A western Pennsylvania couple sued Google Inc., saying pictures of their home that appear on the Web site's "Street View" feature violated their privacy, devalued their property and caused them mental suffering. Aaron and Christine Boring bought the home in Franklin Park, a Pittsburgh suburb, in October 2006 for a "considerable sum of money," according to their 10-page lawsuit filed in Allegheny County Common Pleas Court.
Jury Orders Microsoft to Pay Alcatel $367 Million
Microsoft Corp. said a U.S. jury awarded Alcatel-Lucent $367.4 million in damages after finding that the company had violated two patents related to the user interface in its software. Microsoft said Alcatel-Lucent was seeking $1.5 billion in damages related to the four patents named in the case and the jury in U.S. District Court in San Diego found Microsoft did not infringe on Alcatel's video decoding technology patent.
Review Finds ISP Contracts Full of Restrictions
Those ISP documents you agree to -- usually without reading -- ostensibly allow your ISP to watch how you use the Internet, read your e-mail or keep you from visiting sites it deems inappropriate. The Associated Press reviewed the "Acceptable Use Policies" and "Terms of Service" of the nation's 10 largest ISPs -- in all, 117 pages of contracts that leave few rights for subscribers.
British Security Researcher Calls Online Ad System Illegal
Technical analysis of the Phorm online advertising system has reinforced an expert's view that it is "illegal." The analysis was done by Dr. Richard Clayton, a computer security researcher at the University of Cambridge.
Many Windows Vista Security Programs Fail Test
The latest independent Virus Bulletin tests looked at 37 different Vista-based security programs to see which could manage to reach the level of threat detection required for VB100 Certification. Out of 37 tested, 17 failed the tests, including big-name products from McAfee, Sophos, and Trend Micro.
British Man Wins Record Internet Libel Damages
A British property executive won record Internet libel damages from a court, in one of the country's first cases stemming from online harassment by a business rival. Peter Walls, 55, of Sunderland in northern England, told Reuters the two-year hate campaign had been a nightmare and called for the law to be changed to allow swifter justice in such cases.
Lawmaker Wants HHS to Investigate Stolen Laptop
Rep. Joe Barton, the ranking minority member on the House Energy and Commerce Committee, revealed that he is among the approximately 3,000 heart patients whose medical information was potentially exposed to public scrutiny when an unencrypted government laptop was stolen in February from the car of a National Institutes of Health researcher. In a letter, Barton asks Health and Human Services Department's inspector general to investigate the Feb. 23 theft and the agency's handling of the affair, noting that, "in the interest of full disclosure," he is personally affected.
U.K. ISP Leader Criticizes Music Industry
The head of one of Britain's biggest internet providers has criticised the music industry for demanding that he act against pirates. The trade body for UK music, the BPI, asked internet service providers to disconnect people who ignore requests to stop sharing music.
