Monday 12/22/08

Microsoft explains how it missed critical IE bug Microsoft developers missed a critical bug in Internet Explorer because they weren't properly trained and didn't have the right testing tools, the company's secure code expert says. Read more...





Researchers sound alarm about bug in free antivirus scanner
A bug in Trend Micro Inc.'s free online virus scanning service can be used by hackers to hijack Windows PCs running Internet Explorer, security researchers warned.





... A reader said "Security awareness training and a million dollars here or there is a good investment to preserve the funding pipeline and organizational reputation. To the executives it's less about ROI than protecting image, funding, and cost avoidance with respect to reporting breaches."





Undersea robot searches for severed cables





Bardin: The 12 Days of Audit
Four material misstatements, three acts of fraud, two worthless controls, and an operational deficiency!
Read more






Don't like speed cameras? Use them to punk your enemies
There are few citizens who are fans of red-light and speed cameras, but high school students are beginning to use these controversial cameras to their advantage. With the help of a printer, some glossy photo paper, and a license plate template, these students have learned that they can trick speed cameras into sending tickets to their peers.
December 22, 2008 - 10:49AM CT - by Jacqui Cheng






Target of RIAA lawsuit says music piracy case has been an ordeal
... Tenenbaum's run-in with the RIAA began in September 2005, when he was an undergrad at Goucher College in Baltimore. His parents, who live in Providence, R.I., received a pre-litigation notice from Sony BMG, Warner Bros. and other recording companies directing them to contact an RIAA "settlement hotline" and pony up $5,250 for alleged online music piracy involving a computer in their home.

There was little opportunity to dispute the amount or to even question the validity of the allegations made in the letter...






US to ICANN: plan to sell new gTLDs is a real stinker
The US government isn't any happier with ICANNs plan to open 200-800 gTLDs for sale to the highest bidder than anyone else. The federal response to the proposal falls just short of recommending ICANN throw it out altogether.
December 22, 2008 - 01:34PM CT - by Joel Hruska






RIAA Caught Lying About Stopping Lawsuits
...
However, there was a bit of surprising news that came out of the press barrage after the announcement about giving up on the mass lawsuits: the RIAA claimed that it had stopped filing lawsuits months earlier. That certainly didn't fit with the story we had just seen earlier in the week of new lawsuits, and now Ray Beckerman has put together a list of recently filed lawsuits by the RIAA and its major record label members in the last few weeks.






Having Cellmate Means Woman Loses Alimony
By MATTHEW HELLER
In a very literal reading of a divorce agreement, a Florida appeals court has ruled that a woman can no longer receive alimony from her ex-husband because of her "cohabitation" with another person in a prison cell. more





Check Point to purchase Nokia's security appliance business






Small laptops pose big threat
They're highly portable, inexpensive, very popular -- and a potential security nightmare. Running...