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Note:
ThinkTEC Annual Innovation Summit
Charleston, South
Carolina
Charleston Area
Convention Center
April 28 and 29,
2005
Join business leaders, technology experts, entrepreneurs, economic
developers, and venture capitalists during this two-day information packed
summit.
http://www.thinktec.org/internal.asp?name=Thinktek&catID=8686
http://www.thinktec.org
MICROSOFT AND PFIZER
Microsoft and Pfizer recently decided to join together to fight the numerous
spam e-mails advertising Viagra, and have filed seventeen lawsuits against
Viagra spammers. By one estimate, as many as one in four spam messages that
invade consumers’ computers advertise the sale of Viagra. Pfizer, the maker
of Viagra, and Microsoft, who knows the identities of many of the spammers,
believe that consumers mistakenly think these e-mails are legitimate and are
being sent by Pfizer. This is one of the first times that analysts can
remember there has been a cross-industry partnership created to target
spammers. Pfizer believes there are hundreds of millions of dollars in
revenue being spent on counterfeit drugs, including knock-offs of its Viagra
drug. Source: Silicone Valley.com
CHINA SHUTS DOWN 12,000 INTERNET BARS AND BANS
50 ELECTRONIC GAMES
During 2004, Chinese authorities shut down over 12,000 internet bars as part
of the move to “create a safer environment for young people”. In addition,
China banned 50 electronic games, including FIFA Soccer 2005, as part of a
campaign it believes is necessary to combat the harmful influences of
electronic games on the young. China’s internet population has grown rapidly
to more than 94 million users, according to one source. Chinese authorities
have fought the growth of Internet use in China, believing that access to
certain information is subversive and is too politically sensitive. Source:
UK.New.Yahoo.com
AUSTRALIAN MAN PLEADS GUILTY TO ILLICIT USE OF
CELL PHONE
An Australian man has been fined $500 after pleading guilty to offensive
behavior in a public place. The man used his new cell phone as he roamed the
beach to take pictures of topless women. The Court also ordered his phone be
destroyed. Source: AUcellphone.notlong.com
INTERNET SELLER OF FICTIOUS DEER HUNTS FINED
Recently, Missouri’s attorney general successfully sued a man who advertised
private deer hunts on a ficticious tract of land in Clinton County. Mark
Henry advertised these private hunts on land he said his family owned, with
the cost being $2,500 per hunter. More than a dozen hunters responded to the
ad and paid the fee, including several Texans. Upon arriving in Clinton
County, they discovered that the tract of land did not exist. Henry has been
fined $15,000 and has agreed to never advertise or sell goods over the
Internet again. Source: Infozine.com
EBAY STOPS SALE OF SOVIET MISSILE ON ITS WEBSITE
A British man was forced to stop his sale on eBay of a deactivated Soviet
air missile after being accused of breaching eBay’s company rules. He was
told that he broke eBay regulations by listing the missile for sale along
with its vehicle launcher. eBay claims that the sale of the missile would
have been fine if the vehicle launcher had been listed as a separate item
rather than along with the missile. eBay says that it bans the sale of
ammunition and firearms on its sites but that the sale of demilitarized
missiles is acceptable. Though the missile was removed from the site, the
fully operational launcher was still available for sale recently at an
asking price of $35,660. Source: Cnetnews.com
THINKTEC’S CYBER SECURITY SEMINAR PROMOTES ISA’S
“COMMON SENSE GUIDE FOR CYBER SECURITY FOR SMALL BUSINESSES”
ThinkTEC, the knowledge-based initiative of the Charleston, South Carolina
Metro Chamber of Commerce, recently hosted a full day meeting on Homeland
Security and a separate meeting regarding cyber security for small
businesses. As part of this cyber security meeting, the Internet Security
Alliance’s publication, “Common Sense Guide to Cyber Security for Small
Businesses” provides a good, basic 12-step program for security along with
case studies. The 12-step program found in the publication is listed as
follows:
Practice 1: Use strong passwords and change
them regularly.
Practice 2: Look out for e-mail attachments,
Internet, and Internet-download modules.
Practice 3: Install, maintain, and apply
anti-virus programs.
Practice 4: Install and use a firewall.
Practice 5: Remove unused software and user
accounts; clean out everything on replaced equipment.
Practice 6: Establish physical access control
for all computer equipment.
Practice 7: Create backups for important files,
folders, and software.
Practice 8: Keep current with software updates.
Practice 9: Implement network security with
access control.
Practice 10: Limit access to sensitive and
confidential data.
Practice 11: Establish and follow a security
financial risk management plan; maintain adequate insurance coverage.
Practice 12: Get technical expertise and
outside help when you need it.
The Internet Security Alliance website can be found at
www.isalliance.org. In addition to
further information on the cyber security issue, this website provides other
documents such as the “Common Sense Guide for Home and Individual Users” and
“Common Sense Guide for Senior Managers”. The “Common Sense Guide to Cyber
Security” was produced at the request of the U.S. Department of Homeland
Security in conjunction with the private industry. The Internet Security
Alliance is a collaborative effort among Carnegie Mellon University’s
Software Engineering Institute and several other groups. The ISA Alliance is
intended to provide current information about emerging threats and
vulnerabilities that might affect our computer systems. |
