As part of an emerging international trend to try to 'civilize the Internet', one of the world's worst Internet law treaties--the highly controversial Council of Europe (CoE)Convention on Cybercrime--is back on the agenda. Canada and Australia are using the Treaty to introduce new invasive, online surveillance laws, many of which go far beyond the Convention's intended levels of intrusiveness. Negotiated over a decade ago, only 31 of its 47 signatories have ratified it. Many considered the Treaty to be dormant but in recent years a number of countries have been modeling national laws based on the flawed Treaty. Moreover, Azerbaijan, Montenegro, Portugal, Spain, and the United Kingdom are amongst those who have ratified within the last year. However, among non-European countries, only the U.S. has ratified the Treaty to date, making Canada and Australia's efforts unique. The Treaty has not been harmless, and both Australia andCanada are fast-tracking legislation (Australia's lower house approved a cybercrime bill last night) that will enable them to ratify the Treaty, at great cost to the civil liberties of their citizens.
29 August 2011
Infrastructure, networks at risk from cyberattack | #hackers #cyberwar #cisp
In March of this year, a large Southern California water system tested the effectiveness of its cyber defenses by hiring a cybersecurity team to try to hack its network, something called penetration testing. To official dismay, the team was able to seize control of the computers that add chemical treatments to the drinking water of Los Angeles. If they had been real attackers, they could have rendered the water poisonous, likely killing many people and causing a major disaster. How long did it take them to get in? One day.
BART's Cell-Service Cuts: Not Egypt, But Not Quite America Either | #SFBART #OpBART #freespeech
On August 11th, the Bay Area Rapid Transit authority cut cellphone service in four of its stations in an attempt to disrupt anticipated protests. Those protests never materialized. Instead, BART attracted public and legal attention, drew the condemnation of the internet group Anonymous, and catapulted itself into the great global dialogue about the relationship between the rights of people and the technology they use.
BART's service cut was the first time anyone has discovered US law enforcement cutting cell phone and internet connections in an attempt to control protesters - probably the first time it had ever happened. Before long San Franciscans were decrying the move, Egyptians were comparing BART to their own deposed Mubarak, and the uncounted legions of Anonymous were gearing up for a fight.
Read full article: http://bit.ly/peH55WBART foes refocusing for protest today | #OpBART #SFBART #protest
Staying on message can be a tough task for a protest movement with no central authority, especially one that may be losing public support.
A website claiming to speak for some members of the loosely organized hacker group Anonymous released a statement in advance of today's scheduled protest of BART asking protesters to focus not on station closures but police brutality.
Read full article: http://bit.ly/p6S7fZ26 August 2011
Firms need vigilance in hacktivism age | #anonymous #LulzSec #cyberwar
In the early days, those who created malware or hacked into systems did it for fun and boasting rights. Over time, cybercrooks realized such acts are lucrative and begun to exploit vulnerabilities and security loopholes.
With the emergence of individuals and groups such as Anonymous and LulzSec, non-monetary forms of motivation have again been thrust into the spotlight.
Read full article: http://bit.ly/og8hsrLouise Mensch: man, 59, held over 'email threats to Tory's MP's children' | #LulzSec #Ukriots #hackers
A 59-year-old man has been arrested by police investigating alleged threats made over the internet to the children of Louise Mensch, a prominent Conservative MP.
The back-bench Tory MP for Corby and East Northamptonshire who is also a bestselling novelist, called police after she disclosed the threats on the social networking website Twitter.
Read full article: http://bit.ly/q8Yug8Coordinated ATM Heist Nets Thieves $13M | #jacksonville #FIS #cybercrime
Jacksonville based Fidelity National Information Services Inc. (FIS) bills itself as the world's largest processor of prepaid debit cards; FIS claims to process more than 775 million transactions annually. The company disclosed the breach in its first quarter earnings statement issued May 3, 2011. But details of the attack remained shrouded in secrecy as the FBI and forensic investigators probed one of the biggest and most complex banking heists of its kind.
FIS said it had incurred a loss of approximately $13 million related to unauthorized activities involving one client and 22 prepaid cards on its Sunrise, Fla. based eFunds Prepaid Solutions, formerly WildCard Systems Inc., which was acquired by FIS in 2007.
FIS stated: "The Company has identified that 7,170 prepaid accounts may have been at risk and that three individual cardholders' non-public information may have been disclosed as a result of the unauthorized activities. FIS worked with the impacted clients to take appropriate action, including blocking and reissuing cards for the affected accounts. The Company has taken steps to further enhance security and continues to work with Federal law enforcement officials on this matter." The disclosure was scarcely noted by news media.
Read full article here: KREBS on SECURITY
Cybersecurity expert hacked Medtronic insulin pump | #diabetes #hackers #medtronic
A cybersecurity expert and diabetic who recently showed that his insulin pump is vulnerable to hacking has revealed the maker of his device: Fridley-based Medtronic Inc.
Jay Radcliffe, a 33-year-old Idaho man who hacked into his own pump at a cybersecurity conference earlier this month, said Thursday that he initially withheld the name of the manufacturer in an effort to work with the medical technology company on security issues.
Read full article: http://bit.ly/pZlthL
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