Hackers attacked the website of a French magazine, attempting to sway an opinion poll on the Beijing Olympics and change the site's content, its publisher said. Jean-Joel Gurviez said the website of business magazine Capital was first hit in March, when it opened a poll on whether France should boycott the Games' opening ceremony in China.
Google Warns of Phishing Scams Seeking Bank Info
Google is warning people about the dangers of phishing e-mails that ask for sensitive information and appear to come from a legitimate trusted source, like your bank, but are really scams to steal your data.
Entertainment Industry Split on Net Neutrality
Major movie studios and record labels are concerned that net neutrality could eliminate a potential tool for fighting online piracy. Meanwhile, independent artists want to ensure that they can disseminate their work freely.
Man Gets 21 Months for Spam-Related Tax Scam
A Colorado man accused of sending hundreds of thousands of spam e-mails has been sentenced to 21 months in prison after pleading guilty to tax evasion and falsifying e-mail headers. Thirty-five-year-old Edward "Eddie" Davidson of Louisville was also ordered to pay nearly $715,000 to the Internal Revenue Service.
British Man Convicted for Blog Posts About Police
A blogger who "let off steam" about the way he was treated by police has been convicted of posting a grossly offensive and menacing message. Gavin Brent, 24, from Holywell, Flintshire, was fined £150 with £364 costs by magistrates at Mold.
MySpace Wins Legal Judgment Against "Spam King"
MySpace has won a legal judgment against Sanford Wallace, the so-called spam king, after he failed numerous times to turn over documents or even to show up for court. In March of last year, MySpace filed suit alleging that Wallace launched a phishing scam in October 2006 to fraudulently access MySpace profiles.
Hackers Start Targeting Firefox, Safari Browsers
Many people are switching from Internet Explorer to alternative browsers such as Firefox and Safari. Though that might make them feel more secure, the shift has also opened new doors for bad guys.
RIAA Sues Company Over Embeddable Music Player
The recording industry filed a lawsuit alleging that Project Playlist, a company that provides an embeddable music player used at MySpace and Facebook, has violated its copyright. According to a copy of the complaint obtained by CNET News.com, the Recording Industry Association of America filed suit on behalf of nine record labels and accuses Project Playlist of making unauthorized reproductions of their music.
Saudi Arabian Blogger Freed After Four Months
Saudi Arabia's most popular blogger was released after serving four months in prison without charge. Fouad al-Farhan, 33, was detained Dec. 10 after authorities warned him about his online support of an activist group.
New Cuban Bloggers Attracting International Attention
Only a month has passed since ordinary Cubans won the right to own computers, and the government still keeps a rigid grip on Internet access. But that hasn't stopped thousands from finding their way into cyberspace.
Spammers Find Way Around Blogger Security System
Spammers are using an automated method to create bogus pages on Google's Blogger service, again highlighting the diminishing effectiveness of a security system intended to stop mass account registrations, according to security vendor Websense. The spammers are sending coded instructions to PCs in their botnets, or networks of computers that have been infected with malicious software, wrote Sumeet Prasad, a threat analyst, on Websense's blog.
Some Third-Party Ad Services Called Security Threat
When Internet providers hire third-party companies to serve up advertisements on unused Web pages, that creative attempt to make money can open major security vulnerabilities they can't control, a researcher has found. A hacker who breaks into the computer system of the company hired to display those ads can cause all kinds of mayhem, injecting code onto the pages you see or altering the pages to trick you into coughing up sensitive personal information.
ISP Owner Charged with Fraud in E-rate Program
The former owner of three Kansas computer services vendors and his mother have been indicted on charges related to defrauding a government program designed to help schools and libraries in poor areas connect to the Internet, the U.S. Department of Justice said. Leonard Douglas "Doug" LaDuron, former owner and president of Serious ISP, Myco Technologies and Elephantine, was charged with fraud conspiracy and making false statements in U.S. District Court for the District of Kansas in Kansas City.
Head of Google's "Webspam" Team Offers Advice
It's no secret that spam now pollutes Web sites as well as e-mail in-boxes. But Web site operators can take actions to combat it, a Google expert in the area said.
British High Street Chains Warned of Cyber Attacks
High street chains will be the next victims of cyber terrorism, some of the world's elite hackers have warned. They claim it is only a "matter of time" before the likes of Tesco and Marks & Spencer are targeted.
New Criminals Using More Technology, Attorney General Says
Speaking to an audience at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, Attorney General Michael B. Mukasey offered praise for the successful efforts by Robert F. Kennedy decades ago to break the back of the Italian American mafia but told listeners that the current threat from international syndicates poses even greater challenges. The new breed of criminals is "more sophisticated, they are richer, they have greater influence over government and political institutions worldwide, and they are savvier about using the latest technology, first to perpetrate and then to cover up their crimes," Mukasey said.
Hacker Says News Corp. Hired Him to Develop Software
A computer hacker testified that a News Corp. unit hired him to develop pirating software, but denied using it to penetrate the security system of a rival satellite television service. Christopher Tarnovsky -- who said his first payment was $20,000 in cash hidden in electronic devices mailed from Canada -- testified in a corporate-spying lawsuit brought against News Corp.'s NDS Group by DISH Network Corp.
Increased Rate of Piracy Hurting Microsoft's Bottom Line
For several quarters, Microsoft has been seeing a drop in piracy rates, which has been helping fuel improved business in its Windows unit. In the just-reported March quarter, however, Microsoft saw an increased rate of piracy, an executive said.
Israeli Solider Gets 19 Days in Jail for Facebook Photo
Israel has sentenced a soldier to 19 days in jail for uploading a photograph taken on his military base to the social networking website, Facebook. The Israeli military declined to comment on the nature of the image, but said the soldier was serving with an elite intelligence unit.
Internet Mortgage Broker Sues Over Illegal Data Access
Five Southern California home lenders improperly tapped into the personal financial information of some customers seeking loans through LendingTree Inc., according to a lawsuit filed by the Internet mortgage broker. The suit, filed in Orange County Superior Court, alleges that two former executives of LendingTree, which matches prospective home buyers with lenders, swiped customer passwords and gave the lenders unauthorized access to consumer information.
