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U.S. indicts Russian programmer

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U.S. officials indicted a Russian software programmer and his Moscow-based employer on Tuesday on charges of violating a controversial new U.S. copyright law, signaling the collapse of plea-bargain talks in a case that has sparked international protests.. . .

Anthony Pell
Aug 29, 2001

Clear and Present Danger?

As Congress Inquires About the Safety of the Government's Computers, one question comes up: Are computer hackers getting the upper hand on the U.S. government? That's what a House subcommittee is investigating at hearings today, as it scrutinizes the government's current . . .

Anthony Pell
Aug 29, 2001

Scarfo: Feds Plead for Secrecy

Federal prosecutors have asked a judge to drape a curtain of secrecy around a case involving electronic surveillance of an alleged mobster. Its classified eavesdropping technology is so sensitive, the U.S. government claims, that "national security" will be at risk if . . .

Anthony Pell
Aug 28, 2001

FBI wants PC surveillance method kept quiet

Disclosing material about the "key logger system" the FBI installed on the computer of Nicodemo S. Scarfo Jr. would hurt ongoing investigations of foreign intelligence agents and endanger the lives of U.S. agents, according to court documents filed by the government. . . .

Anthony Pell
Aug 08, 2001

Coordination called key to NIPC improvements

The National Infrastructure Protection Center is slowly improving its ability to provide warnings and analysis on computer security threats, but Congress remains concerned that its greater mission is hurt by a lack of coordination with other agencies and industry. President Clinton . . .

Anthony Pell
Aug 07, 2001

FBI to play "I spy"

To combat increasingly sophisticated illegal activity, criminal analysts at the FBI will soon be using visual analysis software, which sifts through large amounts of data in various formats to identify links and patterns between seemingly unrelated elements. The FBI last week . . .

Anthony Pell
Aug 06, 2001

Report: U.S. Computers Open to Hackers

Senior officials of the U.S. Commerce Department go before Washington lawmakers Friday as a new government report details that the nation's business secrets are open to computer hackers. A new General Accounting Office (GAO) report says investigators were able to . . .

Anthony Pell
Aug 03, 2001

NIPC coordination still a concern

The National Infrastructure Protection Center is slowly improving its ability to provide warnings and analysis on computer security threats, but Congress is still concerned that its greater mission is hurt by a lack of coordination with other agencies and industry. . . .

Anthony Pell
Jul 31, 2001

Arrest may spark review of copyright law

He's an unlikely poster child for a movement to change a major U.S. law. But the plight of Russian programmer Dmitry Sklyarov, who was arrested last week, is again shining the spotlight on a controversial law designed to expand copyright protections into the digital age.. . .

Anthony Pell
Jul 28, 2001

FBI Net Center Blasted Again

It's been two months since congressional investigators said that a highly touted FBI Internet center was about as effective as Al Gore's presidential campaign. During a hearing Wednesday, a Senate panel concluded that the FBI's National Infrastructure Protection Center had made . . .

Anthony Pell
Jul 27, 2001

DeCSS Case Could Change Your IT Shop

A legal battle over DVD encryption, currently in appeals court, could shape the future of IT. The parties involved say the ability to innovate and do business in a digital world is at stake. Somewhere inside a vast colonnaded marble courthouse . . .

Anthony Pell
Jul 25, 2001

Privacy chief picked at Justice

As had been widely expected, Attorney General John Ashcroft named a chief privacy officer for the Justice Department. Ashcroft announced July 24 that associate deputy attorney general Dan Collins will advise senior department officials on privacy issues. Ashcroft listed several specific . . .

Anthony Pell
Jul 25, 2001

Sklyarov Release in Feds' Hands

Hundreds of hackers, programmers and system administrators decamped from their cubicles on Monday and took to the streets to argue, in dozens of different ways, that Dmitry Sklyarov should not be in jail for creating code-breaking software. Some geekavists, who turned . . .

Anthony Pell
Jul 24, 2001

Justice creating cybercrime units

The Justice Department is creating 10 specialized prosecutorial units that will be dedicated to fighting cybercrime. The new teams will be called Computer Hacking and Intellectual Property (CHIP) units and will focus on high-technology crimes including computer intrusions and hackings; theft . . .

Anthony Pell
Jul 24, 2001

White House Web site moves to Linux

The White House Web site has been moved onto a Linux platform after its administrators managed to successfully side step an attack by the Code Red worm. Netcraft reports that Whitehouse.gov is now being hosted by peering firm AboveNet and . . .

Anthony Pell
Jul 24, 2001

Adobe, Electronic Frontier Foundation Call for Release

Adobe Systems Incorporated and the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) today jointly recommend the release of Russian programmer Dmitry Sklyarov from federal custody. Adobe is also withdrawing its support for the criminal complaint against Dmitry Sklyarov. . . .

Anthony Pell
Jul 23, 2001

Government initiatives spur growth for biometrics

Governments around the world are responding to consumer concerns about the confidentiality of their personal information that is being stored or transmitted by companies. By enacting strict privacy legislation, such as laws that guarantee confidentiality of health insurance records, governments intend . . .

Anthony Pell
Jul 23, 2001

Supporters rally behind arrested hacker

The arrest this week of a 26-year-old Russian software programmer accused of violating U.S. copyright law has sparked protests and pledges of support from a wide range of free speech advocates, defense lawyers and consumer groups. Dmitry Sklyarov, who was arrested . . .

Anthony Pell
Jul 23, 2001

Justice Dept. Creates Anti-'Hacking' Units

U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft today announced the creation of 10 "specialized prosecutorial units" designed help the federal government further crack down on Internet crime. Located in nine U.S. Cities (with two in New York) the Computer Hacking and Intellectual Property . . .

Anthony Pell
Jul 22, 2001

Bush plans new approach to cyberprotection

From the article: "A draft executive order from President Bush, obtained by The Associated Press, would abolish the high-profile post of security chief in favor of a board of about 21 officials from all major federal agencies." These officials . . .

Anthony Pell
Jul 18, 2001

German State Abandons Microsoft for Linux and LibreOffice

White House Warns: Move to Memory-Safe Languages

European Court of Human Rights Declares Backdoored Encryption Illegal