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TOP STORIES FOR FRIDAY, JULY 11, 2003 ISPs, Marketers Oppose Anti-Spam Legislation PCs Hijacked for Porn Sites Trade Group Says Music Piracy Funding Organized Crime Cybersecurity Laws on the Horizon AND NSF Fears Diversion of IT Project Funding Acrobat 6.0 Allows Digital Signatures in PDFs AT&T, MCI VPN Customers Get Wireless Access ISPS, MARKETERS OPPOSE ANTI-SPAM LEGISLATION Some Internet service providers (ISPs), including Microsoft and America Online, have lobbied against passage of tough anti-spam laws, while direct marketers have threatened court challenges of such legislation. Despite the pressure, members of Congress say they are determined to pass an anti-spam bill this year, although some bill sponsors admit they wish their bills had stronger provisions. Of the dozen or so bills under review by Congress, many include an opt-out provision for consumers who do not want to receive messages from a particular sender. Critics object to this approach, preferring an opt-in provision. ISPs and direct marketers also oppose creation of a Do Not Spam list, which would allow e-mail users to opt out of receiving any unsolicited e-mail. Washington Times, 11 July 2003 http://www.washtimes.com/business/20030710-102818-4601r.htm PCS HIJACKED FOR PORN SITES Unknown hackers have hijacked more than a thousand computers around the world, probably because of the computers' high-speed Internet connections, to send Web pages for pornographic sites. The secret software program downloads the illicit material to the hijacked computer, evidently without damaging it or disturbing operation, while remaining invisible to the user. The hackers direct traffic to the hijacked computers in quick rotation. Some of the computers are also used to send spam e-mail messages to boost traffic to the porn sites. Employing a ring of hijacked machines hides the true server and lets the senders avoid identification by Internet service providers who might otherwise shut off their service. The hackers receive referral fees from the porn-site operators and potentially could access users' credit card numbers and other account information. New York Times, 11 July 2003 (registration req'd) http://www.nytimes.com/2003/07/11/technology/11HACK.html TRADE GROUP SAYS MUSIC PIRACY FUNDING ORGANIZED CRIME The European trade group International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI), which represents 1,500 record companies in 70 countries, said that sales of illegal copies of music CDs fund illegal international business worth $5 billion linked to organized crime syndicates. The group's Commercial Music Piracy report claims that the global pirate music market's value exceeds legal music sales in every country except the United States and Japan. The IFPI called for tough penalties and stricter copyright laws to combat the organized crime syndicates internationally. Internet News, 10 July 2003 http://www.atnewyork.com/news/article.php/2233501 CYBERSECURITY LAWS ON THE HORIZON The House Government Reform Committee's Subcommittee on Technology, Information Policy, Intergovernmental Relations, and the Census expects Congress to pass legal guidelines later this year telling businesses how to secure their areas of cyberspace. According to Subcommittee Chair Adam Putnam (R-Fla.), the legislation will provide a regulatory approach to cybersecurity that will affect the private sector. The bill would not include the wide-ranging features of a similar law governing accounting procedures at public companies, however. The subcommittee also plans to consider whether government agencies other than the Department of Defense should require that software meet specific security standards. PCWorld, 11 July 2003 http://www.pcworld.com/news/article/0,aid,111535,00.asp AND ***************************************************** NSF FEARS DIVERSION OF IT PROJECT FUNDING Rita Colwell, director of the National Science Foundation (NSF), has asked a Congressional subcommittee to revise bill HR 2183, which provides $250 million for minority-serving institutions to improve their technology infrastructures, so that another agency would be in charge of the grant program. Colwell expressed concern that the existing bill would divert money from the NSF's other information technology projects. As Colwell pointed out, the NSF doesn't usually help institutions improve their computer systems--it helps them with the research they conduct on the systems. Under the bill, almost half the money appropriated to the agency for technology projects would go to the grant program. A similar Senate bill would also make the NSF responsible for overseeing the grants, as requested by some officials representing minority-serving institutions. Chronicle of Higher Education, 10 July 2003 (sub. req'd) http://chronicle.com/daily/2003/07/2003071001t.htm ACROBAT 6.0 ALLOWS DIGITAL SIGNATURES IN PDFS Adobe and IBM have collaborated to offer new cryptography features in Adobe's most recent version of Acrobat and Acrobat Reader software. IBM's latest ThinkPad notebook PCs contain an embedded, configurable security chip that allows users of Acrobat's 6.0 Portable Document Format (PDF) files to add digital signatures using Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) cryptography. Encryption information is typically stored on a computer's hard drive--likened to hiding a key for your car in your car. IBM's chip keeps the private key encryption separate from the computer's operating system which, according to John Landwehr of Adobe, prevents duplication and "provides strong assurances that the private key, the most critical element for PKI and encryption, remains protected." In addition, the chip is configurable to require that PDF users meet certain security requirements to further protect electronic documents, even in the event of a host PC's being stolen. Internet News, 10 July 2003 http://www.internetnews.com/infra/article.php/2233431 AT&T, MCI VPN CUSTOMERS GET WIRELESS ACCESS Taking advantage of the increase in wireless public-access networks around the world, AT&T and MCI have added Wi-Fi access to their enterprise, remote-access, virtual private network (VPN) services. Public-access Wi-Fi networks use the 802.11b protocol and charge hourly or flat rates for the service. Research firm Gartner estimates there will be more than 50,000 Wi-Fi hot spots around the world by the end of 2003, but an analyst for Meta Group said he has seen little interest in the service from enterprises so far. ComputerWorld, 9 July 2003 http://www.computerworld.com/mobiletopics/mobile/story/0,10801,82897,00.html ***************************************************** EDUPAGE INFORMATION To subscribe, unsubscribe, or change your settings, visit http://www.educause.edu/pub/edupage/edupage.html 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] For past issues of Edupage or information about translations of Edupage into other languages, visit http://www.educause.edu/pub/edupage/edupage.html ***************************************************** OTHER EDUCAUSE PUBLICATIONS EDUCAUSE publishes periodicals, including "EQ" and "EDUCAUSE Review," books, and other materials dealing with the impacts and implications of information technology in higher education. 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