Nigerian Cyber Criminals Target Smartphone Users Now

Have you ever dreamt of spying like a secret agent in an action movie? With gadgets like cameras, voice recorders and memory devices dropping to Size 0, it is possible, and spammers are trying to convince you exactly this. Now, Nigerian cyber criminals are arriving in new avatars -- targeting your smart phones. The spammers offer a solution to those who wish to eavesdrop on others' phones. The solution is not a bug, but a software that once installed on the target phone, sends back information of all the calls and messages originating from the target phone to your phone. And those who decide to purchase this spy device are asked to download the `unique MMS phone interceptor loader' on their own mobile phones. This could be a potentially dangerous step towards installing malware into your own phone. Once installed in your smartphone, it affects phones running Windows on CE platform on ARM processors. It spreads by generating new polymorphic copies of itself each time, and can cause a severe nuisance on a compromised phone (including unwanted phone calls to toll numbers). This has been the emerging cyber crime trend during the first half of 2009, where cyber criminals have started attacking smartphones also. This is apart from the popular phishing mails of the year, which include Obama spams, Michael Jackson spams and Harry Potter spams, which target mail accounts. According to Ratnamala Dam Manna, director of security technology and responses, Symantec Corporation, 90% of all e-mails during 2009 have been categorized as spam. The variants of Nigeria 419 (named after the Nigerian Penal Code it violates) are turning out to be dangerous and have even started attacking mobile phones. Another piece of bad news for the ever-increasing smartphone users in India is that a deadly smartphone is on the prowl and could be sending the spams. `Sexy girl', the world's first smartphone work, is on the loose, making its way into smartphone inboxes, Manna said. VoIP new target The spammers are also targeting Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) users, by creating fake accounts and offering VoIP services to existing users. After compromising the user's account, they send invites to others, using the `invite friend' functionary. MAJOR SPAMS OF THE YEAR

* US President Obama's health service programmes The spams, which have lines like `No health care and can't afford pills? You can now! Obama Sponsored Med Program' and `Obama isn't helping: Let us give you cheap pills'.
* Michael Jackson's death, which has lines like `Jackson is still alive: proof', `Who killed Michael Jackson?', `Jackson's killer found', `Jackson's last interview'
* Harry Potter, with lines like `Full e-book Harry Potter', `Harry Potter interactive e-book', `See Emma Watson Exposed' and so on

Chennai Cyber lab upgraded at cost of Rs 70 lakh

The cyber lab at the city police commissionerate has been upgraded at a cost of Rs 70 lakh and will be formally inaugurated on Friday. The upgraded facility, one of the most sophistictaed in the country, will help the police in solving IT-related cases. "We have had a successful test run, nabbing the Haryana kabaddi player Sumith by using the advanced technology installed," said a senior police officer. The upgraded lab has 68 forensic tools, 43 relating to hardware and 25 to advanced software. The system has an external memory hard disk, which has a storage capacity of 320 gigabyte, as well as an in-built storage facility. Though Bangalore has a cyber lab, the technology is not as advanced as in Chennai. "The lab will be under the direct supervision of the deputy commissioner of police, central crime branch. However, there is a proposal to upgrade the cyber crime wing attached to the assistant commissioner of police to the level of deputy commissioner of police because the wing plays a dominant role in cracking white-collar crime as well as other crimes such as murder for gain," a senior police officer said. The cyber lab will also be useful in investigating cases involving computers, mobile and satellite phones, the internet, issues of tampering, destruction, restoration and retrieval of stored data, hackers who get into protected networks, defamatory and illegal publications, and intellectual property rights and crimes. City police commissioner T Rajendran will inaugurate the lab on Friday morning at a function organised by the city police. Since the cyber crime wing was established in 2003, it has handled 133 cases and more than 2,500 petitions, sources said.

Curtesy: Times of India

Kerala seeks quick action on terror-related cyber crimes

With terror-related cyber crimes having international links, Kerala on Monday asked the Centre to develop protocols with countries having a large Indian population for quick exchange of information. It also suggested that states should develop special wings to keep a tab on their residents indulging in suspicious activities in other states as well as those coming from outside. Addressing the Chief Ministers' Conference on Internal Security on behalf of Kerala chief minister V S Achutanandan, home minister Kodiyeri Balakrishnan said increasing anti- national elements were using digital technology and most of the terror-related cyber crimes have an international link. "But complications arising from international law prevent both effective, immediate responses as well as the tracing of original source. An act which is a crime here may not be a crime abroad. "It is very much necessary that, at least in terror- related crimes, protocols are developed in international community and with countries having large Indian population about immediate exchange of information on such crimes at the request of state police forces," he said.
Curtesy: Times of India

Cops no more interested in checking cyber cafes

LUCKNOW: Are the Lucknow police waiting for another cyber crime to take place. It appears so when one visits the cyber cafes in the state capital. Many cyber cafes have started maintaining records of the visitors but the exercise seems to be a cosmetic one as the entries in the registers are incomplete. The registers have not been checked by the police for months. Last year, the STF arrested a man identified as Shadab from Aminabad for his alleged links with terrorists. According to cops, they got a terror mail and it had links with the state capital as its IP address was from a local cyber cafe. After this arrest, the police and the district administration woke up and ordered for proper maintaining of records by the cyber cafe owners. But after some months, the police seemingly lost interest in the exercise. The cyber cafe owners claim that the registers which they maintain are seldom checked by the police. "I maintained the records properly which included recording of the name and address of the visitors and a photocopy of their identification proofs but not even once any cop had checked my records," said Rajeev, a cyber cafe owner in Aliganj. "It is this carelessness on the part of cops that gives those not maintaining proper records to carry on their business without any fear of the law," he added. Last year, the police organised a slide show by a private firm which displayed the cyber cafe monitoring system (CCMS). The CCMS comprises a biometric system for recording finger prints of a person who uses the work station. This system has some other features like facility to take snapshots, public IP address and MAC address (used to keep record of computer system used in crime). However, after the initial enthusiasm, the fate of the system hangs in balance in the absence of instructions by the authorities concerned. "It is a good system which could have helped us a lot in putting a check on the cyber crime. But we cannot force anybody to adopt the technology and those who have the power to take a decision regarding its use have not come out with a clear directive," said cyber cell incharge and circle officer, Chowk, Vinay Chandra. The system has already been adopted by some cyber cafes in Kolkata. Earlier, the cyber cafe owners and police have stated that the technology was expensive and could not be adopted. The administration and police gave an option to the cyber cafes to go for a cheaper technique, that is the manual maintenance of records with only close circuit television cameras (CCTVs) as technology.

Curtesy: Times of India

India's Cyber Crime Tribunal in red tape mesh

Over two years after the Cyber Regulations Appellate Tribunal (CRAT) — the maiden forum in the country to exclusively try cyber cases — became functional, it recently got a new address and a well-equipped courtroom.
Its head, Justice Rajesh Tandon, remains dissatisfied with the “unreasonable” provision relating to the retiring age of the tribunal’s presiding officer, and the procedural delays in appointments.
Created under the IT Act, the presiding officer of a tribunal is required to be either a judge of a High Court or is/has been a member of the Indian Legal Services and holds/has held a Grade I post in that service for at least three years. The term for the presiding officer has been limited to five years from his joining the post or till he attains the age of 65, whichever is earlier, under Section 51 of the Act. A High Court judge, however, retires at 62; hence he is left only with a three year-term to serve the office, Justice Tandon said.
“A presiding officer will naturally need time to get adjusted to the new arena of cyber laws. By the time he gets accustomed to the functioning of the tribunal, his tenure is almost over,” Justice Tandon said.
Justice Tandon, who earlier served as a judge at Uttarakhand High Court, said: “The Secretary of the IT department received my consent last August, but took more than six months to send me the letter of appointment.”

Curtsey: Indian Express

US Marines renew ban on Twitter, Facebook

WASHINGTON: The US Marine Corps on Tuesday renewed a ban on Twitter and other social networking sites as the Pentagon weighed a similar prohibition over cybersecurity concerns. The Marines had already banned the use of social media on military networks but issued a more detailed order this week defining which sites were out of bounds and noting possible exceptions to the rule, Marine Corps spokesman Lieutenant Craig Thomas said.

"These Internet sites in general are a proven haven for malicious actors and content and are particularly high risk due to information exposure, user generated content and targeting by adversaries," the Marine Corps said in an order posted on its website. "The very nature of SNS (social networking sites) creates a larger attack and exploitation window, exposes unnecessary information to adversaries and provides an easy conduit for information leakage that puts opsec (operational security), comsec (communications security)... at an elevated risk of compromise," the order said.

Those marines whose assignments may require access to social media could apply for a waiver, it said. Marines working in criminal investigations, press relations and recruiting have a need to use social media to carry out their duties and would likely be granted access, Thomas said. But he said "social networking sites have always been banned in the Marine Corps." The Defense Department meanwhile confirmed it was carrying out a formal review of its policies on the use of social networking sites. In a July 31 memo, the deputy secretary of defense, William Lynn, said he had asked the Pentagon's chief information officer to draw up policy options examining the threats and benefits of so-called Web 2.0 capabilities.

The memo acknowledges how social networking sites have proved valuable for recruitment, press relations and sharing information with allies and among military families. "However, as with any Internet-based capabilities, there are implementation challenges and operational risks that must be understood and mitigated," the memo said. The policy review comes as other branches of the armed services have embraced social media with enthusiasm, seeing the sites as a means of reaching a wider audience and spreading information within the military.

The US Army has set up a new office for online social media but the military has struggled to balance security concerns with demands to modernize its communications. Security rules have been blamed for stifling blogging by soldiers from the battlefront, even as some senior commanders write blogs or maintain a Facebook page.

Curtsey: Times of India

China Internet addict beaten to death in rehab: Reports

BEIJING: A teenager was allegedly beaten to death by trainers at a rehabilitation camp in southern China where his parents had sent him to cure his Internet addiction, reports said on Tuesday.

The three supervisors who allegedly beat Deng Senshan, 16, were arrested after the boy's death early on Sunday, his father Deng Fei told the Global Times. "We are investigating a case where a high school student was beaten to death by his camp supervisors. The case is still under investigation," a police officer in Nanning, Guangxi region, was quoted as saying.

Deng Fei said he paid 7,000 yuan (1,000 dollars) to give his son a month's training at the Guangxi Qihuang Survival Training Camp to rid him of his addiction to the Internet. But instead, he said, the boy was put in solitary confinement shortly after his arrival and then beaten to death by his trainers who scolded him for running too slowly.

"My son was very healthy and was not a criminal. He just had an Internet addiction when I left him at the camp," Deng Fei told the paper. "We can't believe our only son was beaten to death."

China has the world's largest number of Internet users with 338 million -- more than the entire population of the United States. More than 10 million of the country's 100 million teenage web surfers are Internet addicts, the China Daily said, citing a survey by the China Youth Internet Association last year.

There is controversy over the treatments for Internet addiction and how it is diagnosed. The health ministry last month banned the use of electroshock therapy to treat Internet addiction, the China Daily said.

Curtsey: Times of India

Law Minister of India wants to strengthen Cyber Law

NEW DELHI, INDIA: Union Law Minister Dr. M Veerappa Moily has opined that he would like to see more Acts to deal with the increasing volume and variety of cyber crimes. "Last year the Government of India amended IT Act 2000, which was mainly intended to give legal recognition to e-commerce, including electronic filing of documents. It is only chapter 11 of the said Act that covers a few offences relating to use and abuse of computer system which invites penalty of fine or imprisonment or both," said Moily at the inaugural ceremony new office and court room for Cyber Regulations Appellate Tribunal (CRAT) here on Monday. "On other hand, the United States has several Acts including the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act, Computer Misuse Act, Electronic Fund Transfer Act and Child Online Protection Act. Volumes of cyber crime in our country in course of time will demand a variety of law. Present Indian Penal Codes are quite helpful in tackling IT related offences, but that may not be enough," he observed.CRAT is the first cyber court room established in India. Justice Rajesh Tandon would be the presiding officer of CRAT. Justice Tandon said the government should have an international conference for the enforcement of cyber laws as most of the cyber crimes originate outside the country. Moily also stressed on the need of capacity building and called upon the Ministry of Communications and IT to work out mechanism to deal with technical challenges that are arising with development in technology. "Law should be there to resolve conflict and not to create conflict. Law has to be friendly. We would like to have new capacity building under new technology and law which are coming," said Moily.Moily said he would sit with IT MinisterA.Raja to decide the way in which we can build capacity in this sector. He also expressed concern on the increase in cyber criminal activity and said that there should be stringent laws to check it. "The next world war would be fought in cyber space. Cyber terrorist and Mafias are emerging, whose activities are growing to threaten the sovereignty of our nation and world over."The minister said terrorists often take over us in the cyber space, which is a product of technical innovation. "This we should prevent by putting proper regulation everywhere." He described the cyber space as a parallel universe.Justice KG Balakrishnan, Chief Justice of India, who inaugurated the CRAT court room, said the increase of computers pose question for legal system. "IT Act addresses some basic aspects such as legal recognition of electronic cards and digital signature for the purpose of entering in to contract. Question may arise how the present law of contract principles still applicable to the contract entered through Internet," he said. The CJI added that cyber courts will be established in various states and an appellate tribunal will also be there. Union IT and Communication Minister A.Raja, along with his State Minister Sachin Pilot, offered to lend all possible support required for the working of this court. Lawyers have welcomed this new initiative of government. However, they also demanded more laws to deal with conflicts in cyber space.