Tag: legal
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Cybercrime rivals real-world crime rates
Researchers estimate 3 million online crimes committed in UK last year. A research group has issued a report estimating levels of cybercrime in the UK during 2006, finding that an online crime occurs every 10 seconds on average, with over 3 million separate incidents thought to have taken place over the year. Several types of…
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Spamhaus $11 million fine thrown out
Appeal court quashes earlier e360 compensation ruling. Anti-spam operation Spamhaus , previously ordered to pay $11 million to mass-mailing firm e360 Insight after refusing to contest a case accusing it of falsely labelling those behind e360 as spammers, has had the fine thrown out in an appeal court. The case was first brought last autumn…
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Kaspersky-Zango case heralded as groundbreaking
Judge sets precedent upholding users’ rights to block badware. A lawsuit brought by adware-pusher Zango against Kaspersky Lab was dismissed last week, with the judge in the case finding that software could offer users the option to block anything that could be considered inappropriate or undesirable. The decision could set an important precedent for the…
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FBI-led panel to provide insight into international fight against cybercrime
International law enforcement agencies set to join forces at VB2007 in Vienna. International law enforcement agencies are set to join forces at the VB2007 anti-malware conference in Vienna next month to provide an insight into the work of the world’s police forces in the fight against organized online crime. The worldwide cooperation between international law…
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Four charged with writing Fujacks
Malware authors and sellers appear in Chinese court. Four men have appeared in a public court in Hubei Province, China, charged with writing, selling and spreading the W32/Fujacks virus and worm, often referred to as the ‘Panda burning joss-sticks’ virus in reference to the icon marking infected files in some variants. The W32/Fujacks family of…
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House of Lords warns of e-crime fears
Report recommends harder, smarter fight against online dangers. A major report by the Science and Technology Committee of the UK’s House of Lords has found the internet to be rife with crime, with current legislation to control it seriously lacking and public mistrust and fear extremely high. The detailed study, entitled ‘Personal Internet Security’, probes…
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Pharmacy spammer gets 30 years
‘Rizler’ convicted on drugs, conspiracy and money laundering charges. Notorious pharmaceuticals spammer Christopher ‘Rizler’ Smith was sentenced to 30 years imprisonment last week, after selling $24 million in illegal medications through websites advertised by spam campaigns. The case broke in May 2005, when Smith’s 85-person company was shut down by the FBI and authorities seized…
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Microsoft files adware system patent
Ads could be targeted at users based on local system data. Microsoft has filed a patent application for a new method of targeting advertising, using information on the contents of a local computer rather than interactions with the web. While most current advertising relies on watching an individual’s web browsing habits, selecting the type of…
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Sony sues maker of MediaMax DRM system
CD protection developer accused of damaging Sony name. Sony BMG , the division of the Sony group embroiled in a long-running scandal after releasing a number of CDs using suspect techniques to implement anti-piracy protection, has brought a damages case against the firm it hired to develop some of the software involved. The CD protection…
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Japan to tighten spam laws
Proposals to further restrict email and phone spamming. The Japanese Internal Affairs and Communications Ministry is planning a series of improvements to current anti-spam regulations in the country, and hopes to impose tougher restrictions on people and organisations wishing to send out unsolicited advertising messages, according to a report in the Yomiuri Shimbun . Current…