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TOP STORIES FOR MONDAY, JULY 18, 2005 University Charges Cybersquatting Municipal Network Approved for Lafayette, LA Study Shows Drop in Damages from Cyber Attacks UN Reports on Control of Internet UNIVERSITY CHARGES CYBERSQUATTING A Minnesota-based company has raised the ire of a number of colleges and universities after registering more than 23,000 URLs, many of which imply a connection to the schools that does not exist. BDC Capital Inc. has registered such URLs as www.universityofmichiganwolverines.com, which is not affiliated with the University of Michigan at all, and www.uofmgophers.com, which has no connection with the University of Minnesota. Marvin Krislov, general counsel at the University of Michigan, which has sent the company a cease-and-desist order, called the URLs a "pretty clear violation of trademark," noting that reasonable people would likely assume a connection between the site and the institution. A spokesperson from BDC said the company does not believe it has violated any trademarks. He said the company believes that the URLs "represent a significant asset to both BDC and the schools," saying that BDC anticipates a "partnership" with the schools to sell souvenirs and other items. Detroit News, 18 July 2005 http://www.detnews.com/2005/technology/0507/18/0tech-250797.htm MUNICIPAL NETWORK APPROVED FOR LAFAYETTE, LA In the latest battle over municipal broadband networks, voters of Lafayette, Louisiana, approved a bond issue to fund the development of a network that will serve the city's nearly 120,000 residents. As in other localities, the phone and cable companies that serve the area objected to the proposed network, arguing that the city has no business offering a service that competes with those offered by the private sector. City officials argued that they can provide cheaper service to more residents than the cable and phone companies, whom they accused of spending more effort lobbying politicians than offering services the city needs. The issues facing Lafayette are being taken up by a number of other municipalities across the United States, and 14 states have already passed legislation that outlaws or limits cities and towns from providing Internet services that compete with those offered by local companies. At the national level, competing bills have been introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives, one to explicitly allow municipal networks and the other to ban them. CNET, 17 July 2005 http://news.com.com/2100-1033_3-5792387.html STUDY SHOWS DROP IN DAMAGES FROM CYBER ATTACKS A new study shows a significant drop in the amount of damage caused by cyber attacks as well as a shift in the kinds of attacks that are most commonly reported. Researchers from the University of Maryland conducted the Computer Crime and Security Survey on behalf of the Computer Security Institute (CSI), with consultation from security experts at the FBI. The survey questioned IT security officials at 700 private companies, governmental agencies, and universities and found that the average cost per security incident was $204,000, down from $526,000 a year earlier. Viruses remain the most frequent type of attack (32 percent), but unauthorized access rose to second on the list at 24 percent. Chris Keating, director of CSI, noted that schemes to steal individuals' identities are a growing concern. The survey, he said, indicates "more financial damage due to theft of sensitive company data," a trend that should press network managers to ensure the security of enterprise systems. The Register, 18 July 2005 http://www.theregister.com/2005/07/18/csi_fbi_security_survey/ UN REPORTS ON CONTROL OF INTERNET A working group created by the United Nations (UN) to draft a recommendation about the future oversight of the Internet has come up with four options. The Working Group on Internet Governance (WGIG) was created in 2003 following the failure of the UN's World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) to agree on an Internet governance structure. Three of the WGIG's proposals would take control of the Internet away from the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), which is currently run by the United States. Many developing nations have complained that final oversight of the Internet should not rest with U.S. officials. The fourth option would leave control with ICANN but create a forum for debate on Internet issues that face all countries. The four options will be presented to the 2005 WSIS meeting in November, where delegates will choose one. Earlier this month, the United States stated that it would not relinquish control of ICANN or the Internet. BBC, 18 July 2005 http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/4692743.stm ***************************************************** EDUPAGE INFORMATION To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your settings, or access the Edupage archive, visit http://www.educause.edu/Edupage/639 Or, you can subscribe or unsubscribe by sending e-mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] To SUBSCRIBE, in the body of the message type: SUBSCRIBE Edupage YourFirstName YourLastName To UNSUBSCRIBE, in the body of the message type: SIGNOFF Edupage If you have subscription problems, send e-mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] ***************************************************** OTHER EDUCAUSE RESOURCES The EDUCAUSE Resource Center is a repository for information concerning use and management of IT in higher education. 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