There was a glitch at our ISP today; the power went off for five minutes and after the backup came on it took another 45 minutes to recover/restore. Apologies if you weren’t able to connect.
It also affected the Never Forget graphic which is seen on many sites. Sorry for any problems it may have caused you.
From PCWorld.com: Spyware Foes Push New Law
WASHINGTON — A Senate committee has approved a bill that would outlaw the practice of remotely installing software that collects a computer users’ personal information without consent.
In addition to prohibiting spyware, the Software Principles Yielding Better Levels of Consumer Knowledge (SPYBLOCK) Act would also outlaw the installation of adware programs without a computer user’s permission. The Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee approved the bill Thursday.
Attackers in the Middle East may be compromising computers that use AOL Instant Messenger.
Read PCWorld.com – AIM Worm Spreads.
Excerpt (emphasis mine):
The W32/Sdbot-ADD worm infecting some users of AOL Instant Messenger is more dangerous than previously thought, according to Facetime Security Labs, the researchers who discovered the worm in October.
The rootkit installed by the worm, lockx.exe, is allowing systems to be further compromised by a group of attackers based in the Middle East, according to Facetime researchers. The attackers are installing additional malicious code capable of stealing personal information, according to the group.
Apparently, UK courts don’t take $9.6 million in damages as seriously as the US, and even then it’s way too lenient in the US as well. From PCWorld .com (emphasis added):
LONDON — Two British men who pleaded guilty to charges they helped create the “TK worm” were sentenced to prison Friday in Newcastle Crown Court. The worm infected thousands of computers, including two owned by the Department of Defense.
Jordan Bradley, a 22-year-old electrician, was sentenced to three months imprisonment and Andrew Harvey received six months, according to the National Hi-Tech Crime Unit (NHTCU). Harvey is 23 years old and unemployed. Both men were part of the international hacking gang called the Thr34t Krew (TK).
From the same article:
A U.S. man, Raymond Paul Steigerwalt, was sentenced to 21 months in prison in May in connection with the Thr34t Krew, and ordered to pay $12,000 in restitution to the DOD. Steigerwalt, 21, was charged with one count of conspiracy to commit fraud and one count of possession of child pornography.
Cyberpunks like these guys ought to receive a penalty suitable for the crime – they caused almost ten million dollars in damages – if I were legislating penalties to cover these crimes, I would impose a minimum of 10 years in prison. If i were the judge applying the sentence I would administer the maximum penalty under the law. How the hell else will the potential thousands of these types of criminals be deterred?
You may read the entire article at PCWorld.com – British Hackers Jailed for Worm.