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TOP STORIES FOR FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 2003 The Next Horizon for Copyright Violations: Software Piracy U.K. Makes Spam a Criminal Offense Swiss University Establishes Computer Security Research Center Latest Virus Masquerades as Virus Patch THE NEXT HORIZON FOR COPYRIGHT VIOLATIONS: SOFTWARE PIRACY A new survey shows that although it trails music and movie piracy, software piracy among U.S. college students is rising and, according to sponsors of the survey, poses a substantial long-term problem. According to the survey, which was sponsored by the Business Software Alliance, 23 percent of students have downloaded software over peer-to-peer networks, and 68 percent have either never or rarely paid for that software. In addition, the survey showed that 30 percent of faculty and administrators have downloaded software and that 30 percent of faculty and 45 percent of administrators never or rarely paid for it. Diane Smiroldo of the Business Software Alliance said that while her group recognizes that pirating of music and movies is currently a more widespread problem, students who develop the attitude that pirating software is acceptable will take that idea with them when they enter the workplace. "Administrators and educators need to reach out to students," said Smiroldo, "to let them know that this activity is illegal and won't be condoned." The Business Software Alliance will follow the survey with other educational efforts, including a Web site, aimed at curbing peer-to-peer sharing of copyrighted software. Chronicle of Higher Education, 18 September 2003 (sub. req'd) http://chronicle.com/prm/daily/2003/09/2003091801t.htm U.K. MAKES SPAM A CRIMINAL OFFENSE Britain has passed a law making the sending of unsolicited e-mail a criminal offense. Those found guilty of violating the new law, which goes into effect December 11, can be fined up to 5,000 pounds by a magistrate or an unlimited amount by a jury, though they cannot be sentenced to prison. The law will require anyone sending a commercial e-mail or text message to obtain permission first from recipients. The loophole, however, which has many fuming, is that the law does not apply to business e-mail addresses. The anti-spam group Spamhaus characterized the law as a de facto legalization of spam sent to computer users at work. A statement from the group said, "Britain's firms will continue to suffer the onslaught of ever more spam, now from spammers claiming legality." Italy recently passed a similar, though tougher, anti-spam law. In Italy, a spammer can be fined 90,000 euros and sentenced to three years in prison. BBC, 18 September 2003 http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/3120628.stm SWISS UNIVERSITY ESTABLISHES COMPUTER SECURITY RESEARCH CENTER A university in Switzerland has teamed up with several large corporations to establish a new research center devoted to studying hackers, viruses, and ways to protect against them. The Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, with IBM, Sun Microsystems, and Credit Suisse, has set up the Zurich Information Security Center "to benefit from the synergies" and "to strengthen Zurich as an international center for research in information security," according to David Basin, a senior researcher at the new center. The center is holding a week-long seminar this month, and officials from the university plan to introduce a master's degree in information security. Reuters, 19 September 2003 http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?storyID=3474535 LATEST VIRUS MASQUERADES AS VIRUS PATCH A new virus making the rounds on the Web pretends to be a security patch in an e-mail. Security experts worry that the recent spate of high-profile, damaging viruses will encourage many users to open the attachment in the new virus e-mails, which have subject lines such as "Microsoft Internet Update Pack" and "Microsoft Critical Patch." The new virus, called the Swen/Gibe virus, was described as "highly virulent" by Ken Dunham of iDefense. The .exe attachment to the e-mail reportedly has the ability to auto-execute on computers that have not been patched against a known Microsoft vulnerability, and, when started, the virus can steal users' names, passwords, and server information. Symantec Security Response reports that the virus also attempts to defeat antivirus and firewall applications when it infects a computer. Internet News, 19 September 2003 http://www.internetnews.com/dev-news/article.php/3080001 ***************************************************** 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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