contributed by Evil Wench and KnobDicker
Windows NT has been certified as compliant with Federal Information Processing Standard 140-1 (FIPS 140-1) and the C2 level of the Trusted Computer System Evaluation Criteria (TCSEC). Windows 95, 98 and 2000 have also received FIPS 140-1 certification. The C2 certification only applies to stand-alone, non-networked machines. Operating systems used by the Department of Defense are supposed to carry a security rating of C2 or higher, despite the fact that DoD has used NT since 1996. This ends a long battle for Microsoft to achieve this security certification. (We still say "C2 my ass.")

Government Executive Magazine
ZD Net
HNN Archive for January 13, 1999
NW Fusion - NT Failed FIPS a Year Ago
L0pht Heavy Industries - More Info Regarding Government Certifications

contributed by Ryan
Lewis DePayne has been sentenced by US District Judge Mariana Pfaelzer to six months of home detention with five years of probation, 225 hours of community service and a fine of $2,500. DePayne pleaded guilty earlier this year to a single count of wire fraud for his involvement in a scheme with Kevin Mitnick to defraud Nokia of proprietary software for mobile phones.

ZD Net

contributed by r@ven
Videon Internet, based in Winnipeg Canada, has suffered its second major intrusion in one week. Sensitive account information, including e-mail passwords, evidently were compromised. A complaint has been filed with the Winnipeg Police Service's commercial crimes unit. The company has has shut down their email server "for the security of Videon customers".

Winnipeg Free Press

contributed by C0nd0r
Alex Biryukov and Adi Shamir two Israeli researchers have discovered design flaws in the algorithm A5/1 which is present in digital GSM phones. This algorithm is used in phones made by Motorola, Ericsson, and Siemens. Over 330 million GSM phones are in use around the world. While this research does indicate how the encryption may be broken, actually intercepting that signal is not explained.

Wired

contributed by Weld Pond
Face recognition technology has been around for a while. Cameras mounted on street lamps in a few British cities have been picking faces out of the crowd for over a year. Now DARPA is interested in using this technology in conjunction with other biometric technology such as thermal signature of the blood vessels in the head and the shape of a person's ear to create a more accurate and complete system.

Scientific American
HNN Archive for October 20, 1998

contributed by Maggie
They were arrested almost five years ago but the massive inroads made into the nations telecommunications systems is only now becoming fully clear. The Phonemasters coordinated what is being called one of the largest computer intrusion schemes in U.S. history. As the case finnally draws to a close and the various members of the group receive their sentences a few new tidbits of information are coming out. (We are still amazed at how little press coverage this case has gotten.)

Union Tribune
HNN Archive for October 4, 1999

contributed by Weld Pond
Finjan Software has introduced a proactive first-strike security solution, SurfinShield Corporate, claims to block worms and other malicious code by monitoring the behavior of programs rather than relying on a known virus signature. By using a proactive monitoring technique to 'sandbox' programs and monitor their behavior SurfinShield can instantly block programs that violate a security policy, such as attempting to delete a user's files.

PR Newswire
Finjan Software

contributed by Zilly
The website of the SA Police Service (SAPS) along with a dozen other local sites was defaced last Sunday. The SAPS said it believed security measures were sufficient to prevent access to confidential information. The South African Law Commission is working on a new computer crimes act which is expected to have proposals for this sort of crime.

Business Day

contributed by Space Rogue
The list of defaced pages will return shortly. Attrition.org is currently experiencing what we have been told are minor connectivity issues.