Don't forget to check out http://www.auda.org.au/domain-news/ for the archive of the last 3 months of the news. And see my website - http://GoldsteinReport.com/ - for daily updates in between postings. *************************************************** The domain name news is supported by auDA *************************************************** au: Forum to debate cybercrime http://www.impactpub.com.au/micebtn/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=12585:forum-to-debate-cybercrime&catid=16:mice-news&Itemid=49 Update on Registrar Accreditation Agreement Amendments http://www.icann.org/en/news/announcements/announcement-5-24sep12-en.htm Save the Date: Webinar on Uniform Rapid Suspension (URS) http://www.icann.org/en/news/announcements/announcement-6-24sep12-en.htm Trademark Clearinghouse Update: Implementation Material for Public Comment http://www.icann.org/en/news/announcements/announcement-7-24sep12-en.htm Uniform Rapid Suspension System for New gTLDs: ICANN Seeks Service Providers for Uniform Rapid Suspension http://www.icann.org/en/news/announcements/announcement-8-24sep12-en.htm Draft 2013-2016 Strategic Plan for Public Comment http://www.icann.org/en/news/announcements/announcement-9-24sep12-en.htm Identity checks coming to Whois http://domainincite.com/10587-identity-checks-coming-to-whois auDA Foundation funding indigenous community, youth projects http://www.itwire.com/it-industry-news/market/56762-auda-foundation-funding-indigenous-community-youth-projects ARI, Neustar, Verisign, Demand Seek Community Support For Alternative Trademark Clearinghouse Solution (ARI Registry Services) http://www.ariservices.com/blog/community-support-required-for-alternative-trademark-clearinghouse-solution/ Blacknight to ICANN - The Registration of Generic Key Word TLDs Should Be Available to All People http://www.domainpulse.com/2012/09/27/registration-of-generic-key-word-tlds-available-to-all/ First, Do No HARM by Philip Corwin http://internetcommerce.org/Do_No_HARM Tonkin says better new gTLD trademark protections could come in the first round http://domainincite.com/10563-tonkin-says-better-new-gtld-trademark-protections-could-come-in-the-first-round Industry, government meet to prevent top-level domain fraud http://www.computerworld.com.au/article/437234/industry_government_meet_prevent_top-level_domain_fraud/ Donuts Inc.?s major play for new Web domain names raises eyebrows http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/technology/donuts-incs-major-play-for-new-web-domain-names-raises-eyebrows/2012/09/24/c8745362-f782-11e1-8398-0327ab83ab91_story.html How the U.S. is Winning the Race to Next-Gen Internet http://www.networkworld.com/news/2012/092412-next-gen-internet-262671.html IPv6 Traffic Rises in U.S., but Remains Sliver of Overall Internet http://www.networkworld.com/news/2012/092412-ipv6-traffic-262692.html 6 signs that the U.S. is overtaking the world at IPv6 http://www.networkworld.com/news/2012/092412-ipv6-side-262674.html IPv6: Readdressing the Internet http://www.futuregov.asia/blog/2012/sep/26/ipv6-readdressing-internet/ ********************** GOVERNANCE ********************** in: Govt against controlling Internet: Kapil Sibal The government is against controlling or governing the Internet but want a consensus among stakeholders to deal with issues that may arise in future, Communications and IT Minister Kapil Sibal today said. http://www.financialexpress.com/news/govt-against-controlling-internet-kapil-sibal/1007189/ Net Neutrality: A Solution In Search Of A Problem With all the interest in social networking, online campaigning, SMS money raising, and torrential advertising spending on in all media, you?d think communications policy issues would be more central to this year?s political campaigns. http://www.forbes.com/sites/ciocentral/2012/09/25/net-neutrality-a-solution-in-search-of-a-problem/ au: Forum to debate cybercrime Government and industry in Australia are struggling to strike a delicate balance between security and openness in the Internet age and the topic is expected to be hotly debated at the upcoming Australian Internet Governance Forum (auIGF) on 11 and 12 October at the Hotel Realm in Canberra. http://www.impactpub.com.au/micebtn/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=12585:forum-to-debate-cybercrime&catid=16:mice-news&Itemid=49 ********************** DOMAIN NAMES ********************** ********************** - ICANN ********************** ATRT Recommendation 6: Clarifying Document Published In fulfillment of Recommendation 6 of the Accountability and Transparency Review Team, ICANN's Board Governance Committee has approved the publication of a document that seeks to identify items that are clearly subject to community consultation prior to Board consideration, and those do not require community consultation. http://www.icann.org/en/news/announcements/announcement-4-24sep12-en.htm Update on Registrar Accreditation Agreement Amendments In advance of the ICANN meeting in Toronto, ICANN and the Registrars are posting two documents on the status of negotiations of amendments to the Registrar Accreditation Agreement (RAA). Since Prague, significant progress has been made, though certain key issues remain open. http://www.icann.org/en/news/announcements/announcement-5-24sep12-en.htm Save the Date: Webinar on Uniform Rapid Suspension (URS) ICANN will host a webinar to on 3 October 2012 at 15:00 UTC to inform discussion in Toronto and continue development of the Uniform Rapid Suspension system. http://www.icann.org/en/news/announcements/announcement-6-24sep12-en.htm Trademark Clearinghouse Update: Implementation Material for Public Comment The Trademark Clearinghouse is one of several important enhanced rights protection mechanisms that have been built into the New gTLD Program. http://www.icann.org/en/news/announcements/announcement-7-24sep12-en.htm Uniform Rapid Suspension System for New gTLDs: ICANN Seeks Service Providers for Uniform Rapid Suspension ICANN is issuing today a Request for Information (RFI) to identify potential Uniform Rapid Suspension Service Providers. http://www.icann.org/en/news/announcements/announcement-8-24sep12-en.htm Draft 2013-2016 Strategic Plan for Public Comment The Draft 2013-2016 Strategic Plan is posted for public comment in accordance with the previously established timeline. http://www.icann.org/en/news/announcements/announcement-9-24sep12-en.htm Accountability Structures Expert Panel - Project Plan Posted The Accountability Structures Expert Panel that is performing the review of ICANN's accountability structures has released its Project Plan. The Project Plan includes many items raised by the ASEP for initial consideration, including issues of procedure and scope of the Reconsideration and Independent Review Processes. http://www.icann.org/en/news/announcements/announcement-24sep12-en.htm IDN Variant TLD Program ? Procedure to Develop and Maintain the Label Generation Rules for the Root Zone in Respect of IDNA Labels Purpose (Brief): The Internationalized Domain Name Variant TLD Program deals with the variant form of TLD names in different scripts. To enable IDN variant TLDs in the root, a process called Label Generation Rule (LGR) is envisioned. http://www.icann.org/en/news/announcements/announcement-3-24sep12-en.htm Community Input and Advice Process Purpose (Brief): This discussion document is posted at the request of the Board Governance Committee to solicit views from the ICANN community on ways to enhance the process by which the Board seeks advice from the ICANN community beyond the traditional public comment process. This issue stems from the work undertaken by Staff in fulfillment of recommendation No. 6 from the Accountability and Transparency Review Team, and highlights an area where improvements can lead to predictability and consistency for future Board actions. A session is scheduled in Toronto to explore this important issue with the broader ICANN community. http://www.icann.org/en/news/announcements/announcement-2-24sep12-en.htm Letter from Steve Crocker to Jun Murai, Chair of RSSAC Response to SSAC Letter of 2 July re New gTLD Process http://www.icann.org/en/news/correspondence/crocker-to-murai-larson-25sep12-en Letter from Steve Crocker to Patrik Falstrom, Chair of SSAC ICANN Response to SSAC Letter of 2 July re New gTLD Process http://www.icann.org/en/news/correspondence/crocker-to-falstrom-25sep12-en Governments to focus on new gTLDs during ICANN?s new eight-day Toronto meeting ICANN may have received a bit of flak for cancelling Fridays earlier this year, but as it turns out ICANN meetings are getting longer, not shorter. http://domainincite.com/10580-governments-to-focus-on-new-gtlds-during-icanns-new-eight-day-toronto-meeting ICANN publishes RFI for URS provider ICANN has issued an open call for dispute resolution providers interested in running its Uniform Rapid Suspension system. http://domainincite.com/10593-icann-publishes-rfi-for-urs-provider Identity checks coming to Whois Pretty soon, if you want to register a domain name in a gTLD you?ll have to verify your email address and/or phone number or risk having your domain turned off. http://domainincite.com/10587-identity-checks-coming-to-whois Security Experts Urge Against Dotless Domains, New gTLD Applicants in Favour Dotless domains may have been rejected as an option by ICANN's Security and Stability Advisory Committee (SSAC) and other security experts, but there are some urging ICANN to not dismiss the idea. http://goldsteinreport.com/article.php?article=18768 http://www.domainpulse.com/2012/09/24/security-experts-against-dotless-domains/ http://www.domainnews.com/en/security-experts-urge-against-dotless-domains-new-gtld-applicants-in-favour.html ICANN Publishes Schedule For ICANN 45 Toronto Meeting ICANN has just published the full schedule for its Meeting in Toronto and as usual its jammed packed with sessions and meetings many going on at the same time in different rooms. http://www.thedomains.com/2012/09/24/icann-publishes-schedule-for-icann-45-toronto-meeting/ Beckstrom probed over bizarre spam complaint ICANN?s Ombudsman looked into a complaint that former CEO Rod Beckstrom allegedly spammed community members the day after he left the organization, it has emerged. http://domainincite.com/10601-beckstrom-probed-over-bizarre-spam-complaint ********************** - ccTLD & gTLD NEWS ********************** auDA Foundation funding indigenous community, youth projects The auDA Foundation board will this year fund a total of 12 projects, including a PhD thesis that enables indigenous communities to access and use three dimensional models of Australian landscapes, and another project that will explore the use of the Internet by young people at risk of self-harm or suicide to seek help. http://www.itwire.com/it-industry-news/market/56762-auda-foundation-funding-indigenous-community-youth-projects ng: NIRA reviews 250,000 domain names target FOLLOWING the review of its earlier set target of 250, 000 uptake for the Nigeria?s ccTLD names, .ng, by 2015, the management of the Nigerian Internet Registration Association said it has set a lower target of 150,000 domains for the same period. http://www.ngrguardiannews.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=99724:nira-reviews-250000-domain-names-target&catid=55:compulife&Itemid=391 .xxx to Launch Porn Search Engine [IDG] The company behind the .xxx TLD plans to launch a search engine in an effort to drive more traffic to .xxx websites and give pornography fans a more satisfying search experience. http://www.cio.com/article/717322/.xxx_to_Launch_Porn_Search_Engine http://www.computerworld.com.au/article/437553/_xxx_launch_porn_search_engine/ Pornoogle: Yes, a search engine just for porn ICM Registry, the folks behind all those helpful .xxx domains, says its next step is to create a search engine exclusively for porn. It is to launch tomorrow. http://news.cnet.com/8301-17852_3-57521037-71/pornoogle-yes-a-search-engine-just-for-porn/ xxx: Company sells "clean space for dirty content" [AP] Stuart Lawley has made millions in his short stint as an Internet porn impresario, but the mild-mannered Brit seems more buttoned-down businessman than Hugh Hefner-style high-roller. http://www.statesmanjournal.com/article/20120926/BUSINESS/120926030/Company-sells-clean-space-dirty-content- http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/business/news/for-xxx-domain-business-is-booming-655001/ ********************** - NEW TLDS ********************** ARI, Neustar, Verisign, Demand Seek Community Support For Alternative Trademark Clearinghouse Solution (ARI Registry Services) ARI Registry Services, Neustar, Verisign and Demand Media have spent the past three months producing an alternative solution for the operation of ICANN's Trademark Clearinghouse for the new gTLD program. http://www.ariservices.com/blog/community-support-required-for-alternative-trademark-clearinghouse-solution/ http://goldsteinreport.com/article.php?article=18787 http://www.domainpulse.com/2012/09/27/community-support-for-alternative-tmch-solution/ http://www.domainnews.com/en/ari-neustar-verisign-demand-seek-community-support-for-alternative-trademark-clearinghouse-solution.html ARI Registry Services Publishes A White Paper Calling An Alternative Model To Trademark Clearing House ARI Registry Services, working in consultation with Neustar, Verisign and Demand Media , published today three white papers that outline concerns with ICANN?s current Trademark Clearing House (TMCH) proposal and ?provide an alternative model that addresses those concerns whilst meeting all the requirements outlined in the Applicant Guidebook and those further stipulated by ICANN?. http://www.thedomains.com/2012/09/26/ari-registry-services-publishes-a-white-paper-calling-an-alternative-model-to-trademark-clearing-house/http://www.thedomains.com/2012/09/26/ari-registry-services-publishes-a-white-paper-calling-an-alternative-model-to-trademark-clearing-house/ Letter To ICANN On Big Brands Proposed Usage Of Generic Domain Extensions ... However, we also have our concerns about how some entities wish to use generic domain name extensions as ?walled gardens?. I posted about this back in June, as did Dave Winer. After discussing this a bit further with other industry colleagues the letter below was drafted and is being sent to ICANN?s senior management, the Independent Objector and the GAC chair. http://blog.blacknight.com/letter-to-icann-on-big-brands-proposed-usage-of-generic-domain-extensions.html Blacknight to ICANN - The Registration of Generic Key Word TLDs Should Be Available to All People ICANN's new gTLD project has received a lot of media attention over the last few months. A new group headed by Irish registrar and hosting company Blacknight has supported the opening up of the internet via new domain names, but they also have serious concerns about how some companies want to "corner off" generic terms ie. keep an entire domain extension to themselves. http://goldsteinreport.com/article.php?article=18788 http://www.domainpulse.com/2012/09/27/registration-of-generic-key-word-tlds-available-to-all/ http://www.domainnews.com/en/blacknight-to-icann-the-registration-of-generic-key-word-tlds-should-be-available-to-all.html First, Do No HARM by Philip Corwin Is it really less than a week ago that Melbourne IT (MIT) hosted a Washington, DC forum on ?Trademarks and New gTLDs?? The calendar says that it was, but intervening events make the discussion that took place feel outdated already -- given that the one item on which there was clear consensus among almost all event participants (ICANN moving forward with implementation of Uniform Rapid Suspension (URS)) appears to be launching, while ICANN?s new CEO subsequently sent a letter to Congress throwing cold water on two key items in the brand community?s wish list. http://internetcommerce.org/Do_No_HARM Tonkin says better new gTLD trademark protections could come in the first round Groups pushing for stronger new gTLD trademark protection mechanisms could get some of their wishes if they present a unified, coherent position to ICANN. http://domainincite.com/10563-tonkin-says-better-new-gtld-trademark-protections-could-come-in-the-first-round Industry, government meet to prevent top-level domain fraud Melbourne IT reported progress on a proposal to strengthen trademark protections for organisations as ICANN gets set to roll out more than 1000 new gTLDs. http://www.computerworld.com.au/article/437234/industry_government_meet_prevent_top-level_domain_fraud/ Donuts Inc.?s major play for new Web domain names raises eyebrows A historic land rush is underway for vast new swaths of the Internet: Amazon has bid for control of all the Web addresses that end with ?.book.? Google wants ?.buy.? Allstate wants ?.carinsurance.? http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/technology/donuts-incs-major-play-for-new-web-domain-names-raises-eyebrows/2012/09/24/c8745362-f782-11e1-8398-0327ab83ab91_story.html Should we worry about Donuts Inc.'s push for new domain names? Fraud fighters say something stinks with Donuts Inc. and its campaign to introduce more domain names to the Internet. http://blogs.csoonline.com/data-protection/2384/should-we-worry-about-donuts-incs-push-new-domain-names Donuts and Demand New gTLD Applications Should Be Denied Says Boston Law Firm Jeffrey Stoler, Esq. on behalf of the Boston law firm of McCarter & English LLP has posted a second round of comments today telling ICANN that Donuts and Demand Media should be disqualified from owning new gTLD?s. http://www.thedomains.com/2012/09/25/donuts-and-demand-new-gtld-applications-should-be-denied-says-boston-law-firm/ FSC's Duke Weighs In on ICM's .Adult, .Sex, .Porn gTLD Applications The chief executive of the Free Speech Coalition submitted comments today to ICANN over ICM Registry's gTLD applications for .sex., .porn and .adult. http://newswire.xbiz.com/view.php?id=154380 Manwin Posts Comments on ICM's .Adult, .Sex, .Porn gTLD Applications Adult entertainment conglomerate Manwin posted today comments on ICANN's new gTLDs forum objecting to ICM Registry's applications for the proposed .porn, .sex, and .adult TLDs. http://newswire.xbiz.com/view.php?id=154438 The Free Speech Coalition Weights In On New gTLD?s For .Sex, .Porn & .Adult Diane Duke, Executive Director of the Free Speech Coalition (FSC) submitted comments to ICANN on ICM the operator of the .XXX TLD applications for the new gTLD?s applications for .Sex., .Porn and .Adult http://www.thedomains.com/2012/09/24/the-free-speech-coalition-weights-in-on-new-gtlds-for-sex-porn-adult/ Over 3K Comments Posted Today & 11,000 Overall As Today Is The Last Day To Comment On New gTLD Program The ICANN comment section for the new gTLD program has logged over 3,000 comments today and now totals over 11,000 comments http://www.thedomains.com/2012/09/26/over-3k-comments-posted-today-11000-overall-as-today-is-the-last-day-to-comment-on-new-gtld-program/ World Trade Center Association Tells ICANN, .WTF is Too Vulgar & To Deny The Application In a comment submitted by Mike Rodenbaugh on behalf of the World Trade Center Association (WTCA), they think the .WTF extension should not be approved by ICANN for being ?Too Vulgar?. http://www.thedomains.com/2012/09/26/world-trade-center-association-tells-icann-wtf-is-too-vulgar-to-deny-the-application/ The American Hospital Association Files Objection to New gTLD .Health The American Hospital Association (AHA?s) which they say represented ?more than 5,000 member hospitals, health systems and health care organizations, and its 40,000 individual members?, filed an objection with ICANN to the new gTLD of .health. http://www.thedomains.com/2012/09/26/the-american-hospital-association-files-objection-to-new-gtld-health/ eBay Loves Frank Schilling?s Uniregistry Trademark Rights Protection Mechanisms For New gTLD?s & Hates TLDH eBay filed several comments this afternoon with ICANN in support of Frank Schilling?s Uniregistry applications for new gTLD?s. While praising Uniregistry eBay bashes Top Level Domain Holdings (TLDH) policy. http://www.thedomains.com/2012/09/26/ebay-loves-frank-schillings-uniregistry-trademark-rights-protection-mechanisms-for-new-gtlds-hates-tldh/ Manwin Owner of YouPorn.com Files Comment To ICANN Objecting To ICM?s Application for .Sex, .Porn & .Adult Manwin owner of YouPorn.com just filed a comment with ICANN Objecting To ICM?s Application to operate the new gTLD?s .Sex, .Porn & .Adult. http://www.thedomains.com/2012/09/26/manwin-owner-of-youporn-com-files-comment-to-icann-objecting-to-icms-application-for-sex-porn-adult/ American Medical Colleges Files Comments In Objection To the New gTLD .Health, .Medical, .Hospital .Doctor, .Healthcare & More The Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) ?a nonprofit association representing all 138 accredited US and 17 accredited Canadian medical schools; nearly 400 major teaching hospitals and health systems; and 90 academic and scientific societies? filed an objection today with ICANN against the application for the new gTLD .Health, .Medical, .Hospital, .Healthcare., .Doctor, .College, .Degree, .School, .Education and .University http://www.thedomains.com/2012/09/26/american-medical-colleges-files-comments-in-objection-to-the-new-gtld-health-medical-hospital-healthcare/ CADNA Supports Increased Rights Protection Mechanisms for ICANN's New gTLD Program CADNA, along with over fifty additional major, multinational companies, urges the NTIA and other members of the GAC of ICANN to work with the ICANN Board to require that all new operators of open registries in the New gTLD Program incorporate a perpetual block option or a Domain Protected Marks List into their applications, in a letter submitted yesterday. http://www.cadna.org/content/cadna-supports-increased-rights-protection-mechanisms-icanns-new-gtld-program Can .eco Become the First Protected Internet Park? In the new web extension land grab, this BC company aims to stake a domain for enviro groups globally. http://thetyee.ca/News/2012/09/26/Dot-Eco-Domain/index.html Cybersquatting and the New Internet: What Designers Should Know About the New gTLDs ... What does this mean for the design community? We can likely expect to see the .design gTLD as well as a variety of design-related extensions including .architect, .art, .build, .fashion, .green, .home, .homegoods, .hotel, .kitchen, .lighting, .photo, .photography, and .style. Eight companies with competing visions have applied for control over the .design extension. One Japanese applicant aspires ?to foster a sense of professionalism and trust among design customers.? Another Canadian applicant purports to create ??focal points? around 11 key disciplines of design?intended to be communities of interest and commerce.? While it is too early to say who ICANN will ultimately accredit to run these new gTLD registries or whether the competing applicants will reach some sort of joint-venture settlement, the online design community will, for better or for worse, be affected. http://www.jdsupra.com/legalnews/cybersquatting-and-the-new-internet-wha-47604/ Why is ICANN selling government-sounding domain names? I can?t quite say ?I was right? just yet, but problems with the new Internet domain expansion plan has the situation leaning in that direction. http://gcn.com/articles/2012/09/25/icann-donuts-top-level-domains.aspx Editorial: No, Icann The impending sanction of gTLDs by ICANN poses serious questions on equity and competition. The importance of domain names to digital commerce cannot be overstated, and the power of the .com or .net is well understood. http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/editorial/no-icann/article3932668.ece Only 2 More Days To Comment To ICANN On The New gTLD Program September 26th is the last day to file a comment on the new gTLD program, any of the applicants or strings. http://www.thedomains.com/2012/09/24/only-2-more-days-to-comment-to-icann-on-the-new-gtld-program/ ********************** - DNS SECURITY ********************** Iran sees cyber attacks as greater threat than actual war Iran is prepared to defend itself in case of a "cyber war" which could cause more harm than a physical confrontation, a commander in the country's Revolutionary Guards said on Tuesday. http://uk.reuters.com/article/2012/09/25/uk-iran-military-idUKBRE88O0MW20120925 http://in.reuters.com/article/2012/09/25/iran-military-idINDEE88O09O20120925 Savviest hackers hail from Eastern Europe, researchers say [IDG] Despite an increasing number of successful cyberattacks launched by East Asian hackers against companies and government institutions around the world in recent years, Eastern European cybercriminals remain a more sophisticated threat to the global Internet, security researchers say. http://www.pcworld.com/article/2010491/savviest-hackers-hail-from-eastern-europe-researchers-say.html us: Lieberman Calls For Cybersecurity Executive Order With Congress done working until after the November election, Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Chairman Joe Lieberman, ID-Conn., is urging President Obama to issue an executive order aimed at securing U.S. computer networks from cyberattacks. http://techdailydose.nationaljournal.com/2012/09/lieberman-calls-for-cybersecur.php us: Senator urges Obama to issue 'cybersecurity' executive order After a Senate vote on a federal cybersecurity law was blocked, Sen. Lieberman pressures the president to move forward and publish an executive order with similar advisory guidelines. http://news.cnet.com/8301-1009_3-57519484-83/senator-urges-obama-to-issue-cybersecurity-executive-order/ US senator blames Iran for cyber attacks on banks US Sen. Joe Lieberman on Friday blamed Iran for recent cyber attacks against the country's financial institutions, in retaliation for economic sanctions imposed by the US and its allies and/or as payback for Stuxnet. http://nakedsecurity.sophos.com/2012/09/26/us-iran-banks/ Iran denies launching DDoS attacks on US banks Iran has taken the unusual step of denying claims that it conducted DDoS and other cyber-attacks against US banks connected to the enforcement of US economic sanctions on the county. http://news.techworld.com/security/3400113/iran-denies-launching-ddos-attacks-on-us-banks/ http://pcworld.co.nz/pcworld/pcw.nsf/news/iran-denies-launching-ddos-attacks-on-us-banks American Banks Undamaged by Cyberattacks Bank of America, JPMorgan Chase, Citigroup, U.S. Bancorp and PNC have been hit by a wave of cyberattacks that have caused Internet blackouts and delays on online banking sites. http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/09/26/american-banks-undamaged-by-cyberattacks/ Vast Cyberespionage Campaign 'Brazen' In Its Approach RSA dissects so-called 'VOHO' attack campaign, which also shares common traits with prior attacks aimed at Google, others http://www.darkreading.com/advanced-threats/167901091/security/attacks-breaches/240007959/vast-cyberespionage-campaign-brazen-in-its-approach.html Hacktivists strike U.S. Bank with volunteer-powered DDoS U.S. Bank's website was disrupted on Wednesday in a people-powered distributed denial of service (DDoS) attack, launched by a group of Islamic hacktivists who have claimed responsibility for similar cyberattacks against four other banks in the U.S. http://www.csoonline.com/article/717358/hacktivists-strike-u.s.-bank-with-volunteer-powered-ddos Banks can only hope for the best with DDoS attacks Banks can only cross their fingers and hope the defenses they have in place can withstand cyberattacks like the one that disrupted the online banking site of Wells Fargo & Co., experts say. http://www.csoonline.com/article/717350/banks-can-only-hope-for-best-with-ddos-attacks http://computerworld.co.nz/news.nsf/news/banks-can-only-hope-for-the-best-with-ddos-attacks Thieves use DDoS to distract banks during cyber heists The FBI has warned US financial institutions to prevent employees from accessing the internet on payment computers after a multi-bank heist, which began with phishing emails, netted criminals between US$400,000 to US$900,000 a pop. http://www.cso.com.au/article/437372/thieves_use_ddos_distract_banks_during_cyber_heists/ A Focus on Distributed Denial of Service A Denial of Service attack has always been an issue for security professionals. Now, in a distributed IT environment, more organizations are prone to Distributed Denial of Service attacks, or DDoS. Today?s modern infrastructure is more reliant on technology than ever before. This makes more organizations the target of a DDoS attack. A Focus on Distributed Denial of Service, a white paper created by Arbor Networks with research from Gartner, looks to examine the nature of a DDoS attack and how to understand the technologies behind it. http://www.datacenterknowledge.com/archives/2012/09/24/a-focus-on-distributed-denial-of-service/ Telstra: Not the carrier of choice for terrorists Telstra has said that terrorists and criminal syndicates don't choose Telstra as their telecommunications provider because the company works closely with law-enforcement agencies. http://www.zdnet.com/au/telstra-not-the-carrier-of-choice-for-terrorists-7000004874/ ********************** - DOMAIN DISPUTES ********************** City of Paris ordered to pay for reverse domain name hijacking in groundbreaking decision I was fortunate to work with the team that won a $125,000+ judgment against the City of Paris (France, not Texas) for reverse domain name hijacking. In laymen?s terms, that is when an alleged trademark owner overreaches and tries to hijack a domain name to which they don?t have rights. http://www.jdsupra.com/legalnews/city-of-paris-ordered-to-pay-for-reverse-92391/ ESQwire.com wins UDRP for client with minority finding of RDNH Ari Goldberger?s ESQwire has helped its client PortMedia defend the domain name Altom.com in a UDRP. http://domainnamewire.com/2012/09/26/esqwire-com-wins-udrp-for-client-with-minority-finding-of-rdnh/ CADNA Reports: 27% of U.S. Congressional Members? Domain Names Used in Identity Squatting: What A Bunch Of Crap CADNA published a report today concluding that 27% of congressional members? domain names are used in identity squatting. http://www.thedomains.com/2012/09/26/cadna-reports-27-of-u-s-congressional-members-domain-names-used-in-identity-squatting-what-a-bunch-of-crap/ ********************** - IPv4/IPv6 ********************** How the U.S. is Winning the Race to Next-Gen Internet With the worldwide supply of IPv4 addresses rapidly dwindling, the United States is pulling ahead of its global rivals in the deployment of next-generation Internet services based on the emerging IPv6 standard. http://www.networkworld.com/news/2012/092412-next-gen-internet-262671.html http://www.cio.com/article/717023/How_the_U.S._is_Winning_the_Race_to_Next_Gen_Internet http://www.computerworld.com.au/article/437272/how_u_winning_race_next-gen_internet/ http://www.pcworld.com/article/2010530/how-the-us-is-winning-the-race-to-nextgen-internet.html IPv6 Traffic Rises in U.S., but Remains Sliver of Overall Internet U.S. ISPs are reporting a significant rise in IPv6 traffic during the last three months, even though the overall numbers remain tiny -- less than 1% of Internet traffic. http://www.networkworld.com/news/2012/092412-ipv6-traffic-262692.html http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9231624/IPv6_traffic_rises_in_U.S._but_remains_sliver_of_overall_Internet http://www.computerworld.com.au/article/437274/ipv6_traffic_rises_u_remains_sliver_overall_internet/ http://computerworld.co.nz/news.nsf/news/ipv6-traffic-rises-in-us-but-remains-sliver-of-overall-internet 6 signs that the U.S. is overtaking the world at IPv6 Having invented the Internet 40-odd years ago, the United States has had the first-mover advantage when it comes to selling products and services that run on this ubiquitous communications platform. Now the United States is pulling ahead of its global rivals on next-gen Internet services built around the emerging IPv6 standard. http://www.networkworld.com/news/2012/092412-ipv6-side-262674.html http://www.computerworld.com.au/article/437273/6_signs_u_overtaking_world_ipv6/ http://www.itworldcanada.com/news/6-signs-the-u-s-leads-world-in-ipv6/146170 Not IPv6-ready? It's time to start planning According to the Internet Society, thousands of companies and millions of websites are now permanently deploying IPv6. So it's safe to say the Internet is officially no longer a homogeneous IPv4-only Internet - it is a dual-protocol IPv4-IPv6 Internet. While the proportion of IPv6 Internet traffic is relatively small today, the composition of today's Internet is already shifting. http://features.techworld.com/networking/3380297/not-ipv6-ready-its-time-start-planning/ IPv6: Readdressing the Internet It is said that the one thing you can be sure of in life is change?and this certainly holds true in the technology sector. Whilst it is commonly known that desktops, laptops and smart phones need to be changed every couple of years to stay up-to-date, what is less well known is that one of the biggest changes to affect the way we use the internet is approaching. http://www.futuregov.asia/blog/2012/sep/26/ipv6-readdressing-internet/ us: Agencies likely to miss network upgrade deadline Agencies have about a week to meet the Office of Management and Budget's deadline to upgrade public facing external servers to Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6). But it looks as though few will meet the mandate. http://www.federalnewsradio.com/239/3048960/Agencies-likely-to-miss-network-upgrade-deadline us: Agencies likely to miss network upgrade deadline Agencies probably will not meet a Sept. 30 deadline to upgrade their publically facing external servers to Internet protocol version 6, according to Federal News Radio. http://www.nextgov.com/emerging-tech/2012/09/agencies-likely-miss-network-upgrade-deadline/58314/ Europe Starts Assigning IPv6 Addresses After Exhausting IPv4 There are about 4.3 billion traditional IP addresses with the format of four blocks of three numbers separated by periods. http://midsizeinsider.com/en-us/article/europe-starts-assigning-ipv6-addresses-a ********************** - MISCELLANEOUS ********************** Why Cowboys.com is only for a certain kind of cowboy fan Once upon a time, the Dallas Cowboys could have owned Cowboys.com. However, after not believing the domain to be worth $275,000, the team reportedly let it go. It's now a male dating site. http://news.cnet.com/8301-17852_3-57518502-71/why-cowboys.com-is-only-for-a-certain-kind-of-cowboy-fan/ Twitter co-founder Biz Stone admits the company never planned for success Twitter co-founder Biz Stone has admitted his company had never planned for success during a speech delivered at the Canadian Internet Registration Authority?s annual meeting. http://www.smartcompany.com.au/advertising-and-marketing/052057-twitter-co-founder-biz-stone-admits-the-company-never-planned-for-success.html ********************** - DOMAINING & AFTERMARKET ********************** Domain Marketplace Sedo, Web Host Go Daddy Extend Partnership Domain marketplace Sedo announced on Wednesday that it has expanded its existing partnership with web hosting provider Go Daddy. http://www.thewhir.com/web-hosting-news/domain-marketplace-sedo-web-host-go-daddy-extend-partnership Go Daddy & Sedo Expand Partnership to Distribute both Buy Now and Make Offer Names at Sedo announced an expansion of its existing partnership with Go Daddy. Go Daddy joined the SedoMLS network in January 2012, offering all Buy Now names from Sedo?s inventory of more than 16 million premium domains to millions of new buyers. https://sedo.com/presse/presse.php?tracked=&partnerid=&language=e&id=507 SedoMLS Now Distributes Make Offer Domains at GoDaddy.com : Expanded SedoMLS partnership puts even more of your names in front of new buyers An exciting expansion of our SedoMLS partnership with Go Daddy means more buyers for more of your domains. In addition to Buy Now names showing up at Go Daddy?s site, any Make Offer listing will now be distributed to millions more potential buyers at GoDaddy.com, as long as it has a TLD that Go Daddy supports. https://sedo.com/us/news/3137/SedoMLS-Now-Distributes-Make-Offer-Domains-at-GoDaddy.com/ Sedo expands distribution partnership with Go Daddy Sedo announced today that it has expanded its distribution partnership with Go Daddy to include ?make offer? domain names. http://domainnamewire.com/2012/09/26/sedo-expands-distribution-partnership-with-go-daddy/ Where's the Afterparty? At #1 on This Week's Domain Sales Chart! No blockbuster sales were reported this past week but a wide assortment of solid mid-range sales were booked. The best of those was Afterparty.com, a domain that DomainAdvisors.com sold on the DomainNameSales platform for $45,000. The next two spots on our latest all extension Top 20 Sales Chart went to a pair of .coms sold through the AfternicDLS; #2 CashLady.com at $36,000 and #3 OptionTrade.com at $30,000. http://dnjournal.com/archive/domainsales/2012/20120926.htm Amazon Files Patent On ?Method & System For Leasing & Purchasing Of Domains? Our esteemed colleague John Berryhill, Esq. just spotted this patent Amazon Filed on a ?Method & Sytem For leasing & Purchasing of Domains http://www.thedomains.com/2012/09/24/amazon-files-patent-on-method-system-for-leasing-purchasing-of-domains/ T.R.A.F.F.I.C. Releases List of Over 300 Domains to Be Auctioned Off at the 2012 Show October 8th With the 2012 T.R.A.F.F.I.C. conference less than two weeks away final show details continue to be announced. Today the list of domains that will be sold in the T.R.A.F.F.I.C. live auction on Monday, October 8th was released with more than 300 names on the roster including category defining domains FanClub.com, AmusementPark.com and Saws.com. http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/lowdown/2012/dailyposts/20120925.htm ICM Registry Secures $650,000 Order For Premium .XXX Domains ICM Registry ... announced IRIS SARL ... has secured over 40 .XXX Premium names and has plans to make a major impact in the adult entertainment space. http://www.icmregistry.com/press/icm-registry-secures-650000-order-for-premium-xxx-domains/ ********************** INTERNET USE ********************** uk: A ?2-a-month levy on broadband could save our newspapers Having survived more than 40 years at the coalface of British journalism (longer than a term of service in the ancient Roman army), I have been feeling a bit depressed lately by the insistent predictions of media pundits that the internet is killing off quality newspapers. There are very few people in the trade who are prepared to bet that all our daily papers will still be publishing newsprint copies in five years' time. http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2012/sep/23/broadband-levy-save-newspapers Data Barns in a Farm Town, Gobbling Power and Flexing Muscle Set in the dry hills and irrigated farmland of Central Washington, Grant County is known for its robust harvest of apples, potatoes, cherries and beans. But for Microsoft, a prime lure was the region?s other valuable resource: cheap electrical power. http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/24/technology/data-centers-in-rural-washington-state-gobble-power.html The State of Broadband 2012 Report: UN report provides snapshot of access to broadband across 177 countries [news release] Some 177 countries have been ranked according to their national broadband policies and the economic impact that Internet access and use are having on their populations in a new United Nations report. http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=42969 UN Broadband Commission uses power of social networks to urge the world to ?B more with #Broadband? [news release] To coincide with the launch of the State of Broadband 2012 report, the Broadband Commission for Digital Development is tomorrow conducting an online experiment: How many people can be mobilized to lend their support for the Commission?s key message of broadband inclusion for all? http://www.itu.int/net/pressoffice/press_releases/2012/62.aspx 20% of Australians still not online in 2011: UN Broadband Commission A report issued by the UN's Broadband Commission for Digital Development, established by the International Telecommunications Union and UNESCO, has pegged Australia at 21st in the world when it comes to internet access, with 21 per cent of Australians not using the Internet in 2011. http://www.computerworld.com.au/article/437229/20_australians_still_online_2011_un_broadband_commission/ EU-funded research to make the "cloud" greener A special 3D microchip, being designed by an EU-funded research project, looks set to drastically cut the electricity and the installation costs of servers in cloud computing data centres, cementing Europe's place as the home of green computing. http://europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=IP/12/1014 eBay?s Mobile Momentum: 100M App Downloads, 100M Items Listed EBay is not the only e-commerce company seeing a significant shift to mobile, but it may be the only publicly held company that talks about it. Today, it has even more to say, and since the subject is big numbers, it threw in a nifty infographic (see below). http://allthingsd.com/20120924/ebays-mobile-momentum-100m-app-downloads-100m-items-listed/ eBay hits mobile milestones: The number of app downloads nearly totals the e-commerce giant's number of active users. eBay is reporting some pretty big numbers for mobile. The San Jose, Calif., e-commerce giant says its mobile apps have been downloaded 100 million times since being launched in late 2008, while users have listed 100 million items on its auction site using mobile devices. The apps have been downloaded 25 million times in the last six months alone, the company said. http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-57519283-93/ebay-hits-mobile-milestones/ ********************** SOCIAL MEDIA ********************** Social Data Doesn't Have to Be Big Data to Be Useful There's a lot of excitement around big data these days in all industries, from retail and marketing to manufacturing and even information security. Everyone is excited by the prospect of turning easily accessible data into a goldmine. But data doesn't have to be big to be valuable. http://www.cio.com/article/717162/Social_Data_Doesn_t_Have_to_Be_Big_Data_to_Be_Useful Facebook private message rumour is 'false', site says A rumour that Facebook users' private messages were appearing on public timelines is false, the firm has said. http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-19699205 Facebook raises fears with ad tracking Facebook is working with a controversial data company called Datalogix that can track whether people who see ads on the social networking site end up buying those products in stores. http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/6cc4cf0a-0584-11e2-9ebd-00144feabdc0.html Facebook is not leaking your private messages ? though you once did The latest Facebook tangle ? the apparent news that a bug within the site had started publishing archived private messages on user's walls ? has turned out, perhaps not unpredictably, not to be quite as it seemed. http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/us-news-blog/2012/sep/24/facebook-leaking-private-messages Twitter CEO vows to defend users' privacy Twitter chief executive Dick Costolo has said the company will continue to defend the privacy of its users in the face of legal challenges by authorities that want to gain access to deleted content. http://news.techworld.com/applications/3400105/twitter-ceo-vows-defend-users-privacy/ http://www.techhive.com/article/2010567/twitter-ceo-vows-to-defend-users-privacy.html French watchdog to continue Facebook glitch inquiry France's data watchdog CNIL said it would continue an inquiry into how some users of Facebook Inc came to believe that their privacy had been infringed on the social network. http://in.reuters.com/article/2012/09/25/facebook-france-idINDEE88O0DP20120925 ********************** NEW TECHNOLOGIES ********************** nz: Shakeout: Could you cope without your cellphone and laptop? by Dean Pemberton "At 9.26am on Wednesday 26 September, more than one million people will participate in the New Zealand ShakeOut earthquake drill, the first ShakeOut drill held nationwide in any country! http://www.nbr.co.nz/article/shakeout-could-you-cope-without-your-cellphone-and-laptop-ck-129480 ********************************* CHILD PROTECTION & ONLINE SAFETY ********************************* Privacy Advocates Blast Proposed Change to Child Privacy Law Privacy advocates are calling on the Federal Trade Commission to reject a proposal first offered by the Walt Disney Company that would change how companies comply with a 1998 law requiring websites directed at children to obtain parental consent before collecting personal information from child users. http://techdailydose.nationaljournal.com/2012/09/privacy-advocates-blast-propos.php Could New Government Rules Jeopardize Children's Privacy and Safety? The Federal Trade Commission's proposed revisions of the rules that implement the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) is well-meaning and well-timed. It's well-meaning in that the FTC truly does care about the privacy and safety of children and it's well-timed in that it's the first revision since COPPA was implemented back in 1999 during the days of Web 1.0. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/larry-magid/could-new-government-rule_b_1911310.html 6th International Conference Keeping Children and Young People Safe Online On 20-21 September 2012, the Polish and German Safer Internet Centres held their annual conference in Warsaw. Among the many highlights of the event, Insafe coordinator Janice Richardson talked about the key drivers and challenges for the 30-country wide Insafe network in 2012. http://www.saferinternet.org/web/guest/blog?p_p_id=homeBlog_WAR_insafeportlet&p_p_lifecycle=0&p_p_state=normal&p_p_mode=view&p_p_col_id=column-1&p_p_col_pos=2&p_p_col_count=4&_homeBlog_WAR_insafeportlet_action=detail&_homeBlog_WAR_insafeportlet_articleId=410625 nz: Vicious gossip site erased A Facebook site posting malicious rumours about Blenheim people has been taken down after people complained to police and NetSafe. http://www.stuff.co.nz/marlborough-express/news/7735678/Vicious-gossip-site-erased nz: Red flags raised over 'Cyberbullying Bill' [Computerworld] It is aimed at combating harmful digital communications, but those attending an InternetNZ workshop on the Communications (New Media) Bill are concerned it may interfere with free speech. http://www.cso.com.au/article/437357/red_flags_raised_over_cyberbullying_bill_/ ********************** ONLINE PIRACY, TV & MUSIC ********************** More Are Watching Internet Video on Actual TVs, Research Shows No more squinting at YouTube videos or Hulu shows on a tiny laptop or desktop screen. More people are now watching Internet video ? everything from cat videos to streaming prime-time shows ? on big-screen televisions than on computers, according to a new report from the NPD Group, a market research company. http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/09/26/more-are-watching-internet-video-on-actual-tvs-research-shows/ Internet TV Rules May Need an Overhaul As online video offerings expand their content libraries, gain viewers and multiply in number, lawmakers and regulators have begun to reexamine whether the rules of the road for traditional media providers--most written more than a decade ago--still make sense in a marketplace undergoing a period of considerable upheaval. http://www.cio.com/article/717011/Internet_TV_Rules_May_Need_an_Overhaul ********************** MOBILE/WIRELESS ********************** Will mobile kill digital advertising? by Andrew Keen Like all online businesses, the marketing industry is being radically changed by the creeping ubiquity of mobile devices. http://edition.cnn.com/2012/09/24/tech/mobile/keen-mobile-advertising/index.html Asia-Pacific leads race to engage mobile consumers: report Asian companies are likely to spend 0.24% of their revenue in 2012 to sell goods and services to customers through mobile devices such as phones and tablet computers, a survey of 664 companies has found. http://www.livemint.com/Consumer/LKRJeKWRCH6jXbQbZd2sZL/AsiaPacific-leads-race-to-engage-mobile-consumers-report.html Mobile shopping bringing in $20 billion annually -- study Shopping on mobile devices has become a $20 billion business, according to a mobile spending study released today by Javelin Strategy and Research. http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-57521023-93/mobile-shopping-bringing-in-$20-billion-annually-study/ Apple loses German patent court case A German court has dismissed Apple's allegation that Motorola and Samsung infringed some of its multi-touch patents. http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-19699632 ********************** SPAM ********************** Spam in August 2012: Criminal Activity has Reached its Peak [news release] According to Kaspersky Lab?s spam report, in August the percentage of spam in email traffic continued to go down and averaged 70.2%, a decrease of 1.6 percentage points from July. However, these figures ? which are typical for the summer months ? do not mean spam poses any less of a threat. The share of malicious attachments in mail traffic grew considerably in July, when malicious files were found in 4.5% of all mail traffic. In August, there was a slight decline in the amount of malicious attachments, but they were still found in 3.9% of all emails. The percentage of fraudulent messages and emails advertising fake designer goods in spam traffic continued to grow. http://www.kaspersky.com/about/news/press/2012/Spam_in_August_2012_Criminal_Activity_has_Reached_its_Peak Spam count falls in August In August the percentage of spam in email traffic continued to go down and averaged 70.2%, a decrease of 1.6 percentage points from July, said Kaspersky Lab's recent spam report. The report however said that these figures - which are typical for the summer months - do not mean spam poses any less of a threat. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/tech/enterprise-it/security/Spam-count-falls-in-August/articleshow/16557782.cms Is political text message spam legal? Voters in Virginia are the latest to get a taste of an increasingly popular type of political attack: the anonymous text message. http://www.latimes.com/news/politics/la-pn-political-text-message-spam-20120926,0,6339787.story ********************** ONLINE CRIME & LEGAL ********************** Google executive in Brazil detained after failure to remove YouTube video Police have detained Google's most senior executive in Brazil after the company failed to take down a YouTube video attacking a mayoral candidate in alleged violation of electoral law. http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2012/sep/27/google-brazil-remove-youtube-video Google executive queried on video said to violate Brazil election law Google Inc's most senior executive in Brazil was questioned by police and released on Wednesday after the company failed to take down YouTube videos attacking a mayoral candidate in violation of local electoral law. http://uk.reuters.com/article/2012/09/26/uk-google-brazil-idUKBRE88P1OY20120926 us: Rented computers secretly photographed users having sex Rented computers from seven different companies secretly took photographs of their users, US authorities have said. http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-19726954 us: Barton: Rent-To-Own Spying Highlights Weak Privacy Laws Reports that several rent-to-own companies were caught spying on customers with rented computers highlight the need for stronger privacy laws, Rep. Joe Barton, R-Texas, said on Wednesday. http://techdailydose.nationaljournal.com/2012/09/barton-renttoown-spying-highli.php nz: Kim Dotcom: Inquiry ordered into 'unlawful spying' An inquiry has been ordered into whether New Zealand intelligence staff engaged in unlawful spying prior to the arrest of Megaupload owner Kim Dotcom. http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-19699196 Dotcom spying report must be made public ? InternetNZ InternetNZ chief executive Vikram Kumar is calling on the government to make a report into illegal surveillance of Kim Dotcom public. http://www.nbr.co.nz/article/dotcom-spying-report-must-be-made-public-?-internetnz-ck-129411 nz: PM admits illegal spying on Dotcom ? orders inquiry One of Kim Dotcom?s lawyers says he is not surprised by an inquiry into whether or not Kim Dotcom was illegally spied on ahead of his arrest. http://www.nbr.co.nz/article/pm-orders-dotcom-security-breach-inquiry-gb-129361 nz: Police were at fault in Dotcom spy affair Police are blamed for causing the Government Communications Security Bureau to illegally spy on Mr Dotcom and one of his co-accused before they were arrested in January. http://www.nbr.co.nz/article/police-were-fault-dotcom-spy-affair-ca-129466 nz: Dotcom spy inquiry gets international attention News of the unlawful spying by a New Zealand intelligence agency in the Kim Dotcom case has grabbed the attention of international news agencies. http://tvnz.co.nz/technology-news/dotcom-spy-inquiry-gets-international-attention-5102237 nz: Breakfast: Tuesday, September 25 ... Dotcom's property raid Breakfast spoke with Vikram Kumar from Internet NZ about concerns surrounding the security break that led to the raiding of Kim Dotcom's property. http://tvnz.co.nz/breakfast-news/tuesday-september-25-5101690 nz: Key under fire over Dotcom spy saga Prime Minister John Key has come under fire in Parliament today over illegal breaches of security by the Government's spy agency in the Kim Dotcom case. http://tvnz.co.nz/national-news/key-under-fire-over-dotcom-spy-saga-5101691 nz: Online scammers get smarter Online 'phishing' attacks are growing in number and becoming increasingly more sophisticated. http://www.stuff.co.nz/taranaki-daily-news/business/7729826/Online-scammers-get-smarter La detenci?n de Dotcom se vuelve contra las autoridades de Nueva Zelanda [EFE] La detenci?n del fundador de Megaupload, Kim Dotcom, en Nueva Zelanda le ha estallado en las manos a las autoridades del pa?s, despu?s de que se supiese que los servicios de inteligencia y la fiscal?a bordearon la legalidad. http://www.ultimahora.com/notas/563808-La-detencion-de-Dotcom-se-vuelve-contra-las-autoridades-de-Nueva-Zelanda ********************** SECURITY ********************** Iran sees cyber attacks as greater threat than actual war Iran is prepared to defend itself in case of a "cyber war" which could cause more harm than a physical confrontation, a commander in the country's Revolutionary Guards said on Tuesday. http://uk.reuters.com/article/2012/09/25/uk-iran-military-idUKBRE88O0MW20120925 http://in.reuters.com/article/2012/09/25/iran-military-idINDEE88O09O20120925 Savviest hackers hail from Eastern Europe, researchers say [IDG] Despite an increasing number of successful cyberattacks launched by East Asian hackers against companies and government institutions around the world in recent years, Eastern European cybercriminals remain a more sophisticated threat to the global Internet, security researchers say. http://www.pcworld.com/article/2010491/savviest-hackers-hail-from-eastern-europe-researchers-say.html us: Lieberman Calls For Cybersecurity Executive Order With Congress done working until after the November election, Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Chairman Joe Lieberman, ID-Conn., is urging President Obama to issue an executive order aimed at securing U.S. computer networks from cyberattacks. http://techdailydose.nationaljournal.com/2012/09/lieberman-calls-for-cybersecur.php us: Senator urges Obama to issue 'cybersecurity' executive order After a Senate vote on a federal cybersecurity law was blocked, Sen. Lieberman pressures the president to move forward and publish an executive order with similar advisory guidelines. http://news.cnet.com/8301-1009_3-57519484-83/senator-urges-obama-to-issue-cybersecurity-executive-order/ US senator blames Iran for cyber attacks on banks US Sen. Joe Lieberman on Friday blamed Iran for recent cyber attacks against the country's financial institutions, in retaliation for economic sanctions imposed by the US and its allies and/or as payback for Stuxnet. http://nakedsecurity.sophos.com/2012/09/26/us-iran-banks/ Iran denies launching DDoS attacks on US banks Iran has taken the unusual step of denying claims that it conducted DDoS and other cyber-attacks against US banks connected to the enforcement of US economic sanctions on the county. http://news.techworld.com/security/3400113/iran-denies-launching-ddos-attacks-on-us-banks/ http://pcworld.co.nz/pcworld/pcw.nsf/news/iran-denies-launching-ddos-attacks-on-us-banks American Banks Undamaged by Cyberattacks Bank of America, JPMorgan Chase, Citigroup, U.S. Bancorp and PNC have been hit by a wave of cyberattacks that have caused Internet blackouts and delays on online banking sites. http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/09/26/american-banks-undamaged-by-cyberattacks/ Vast Cyberespionage Campaign 'Brazen' In Its Approach RSA dissects so-called 'VOHO' attack campaign, which also shares common traits with prior attacks aimed at Google, others http://www.darkreading.com/advanced-threats/167901091/security/attacks-breaches/240007959/vast-cyberespionage-campaign-brazen-in-its-approach.html Hacktivists strike U.S. Bank with volunteer-powered DDoS U.S. Bank's website was disrupted on Wednesday in a people-powered distributed denial of service (DDoS) attack, launched by a group of Islamic hacktivists who have claimed responsibility for similar cyberattacks against four other banks in the U.S. http://www.csoonline.com/article/717358/hacktivists-strike-u.s.-bank-with-volunteer-powered-ddos Banks can only hope for the best with DDoS attacks Banks can only cross their fingers and hope the defenses they have in place can withstand cyberattacks like the one that disrupted the online banking site of Wells Fargo & Co., experts say. http://www.csoonline.com/article/717350/banks-can-only-hope-for-best-with-ddos-attacks http://computerworld.co.nz/news.nsf/news/banks-can-only-hope-for-the-best-with-ddos-attacks Thieves use DDoS to distract banks during cyber heists The FBI has warned US financial institutions to prevent employees from accessing the internet on payment computers after a multi-bank heist, which began with phishing emails, netted criminals between US$400,000 to US$900,000 a pop. http://www.cso.com.au/article/437372/thieves_use_ddos_distract_banks_during_cyber_heists/ A Focus on Distributed Denial of Service A Denial of Service attack has always been an issue for security professionals. Now, in a distributed IT environment, more organizations are prone to Distributed Denial of Service attacks, or DDoS. Today?s modern infrastructure is more reliant on technology than ever before. This makes more organizations the target of a DDoS attack. A Focus on Distributed Denial of Service, a white paper created by Arbor Networks with research from Gartner, looks to examine the nature of a DDoS attack and how to understand the technologies behind it. http://www.datacenterknowledge.com/archives/2012/09/24/a-focus-on-distributed-denial-of-service/ Telstra: Not the carrier of choice for terrorists Telstra has said that terrorists and criminal syndicates don't choose Telstra as their telecommunications provider because the company works closely with law-enforcement agencies. http://www.zdnet.com/au/telstra-not-the-carrier-of-choice-for-terrorists-7000004874/ ********************** PRIVACY ********************** Canada Online Privacy: Websites Leak Personal Info In Canada, Privacy Watchdog Says [Canadian Press] Some leading Canadian websites are inappropriately passing the personal information of their users to third-party sites, such as advertising companies, says the federal privacy watchdog. http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2012/09/25/canada-online-privacy_n_1913014.html ********************** CENSORSHIP ********************** Google Search and Gmail censored in Iran Iran has restricted access to Google's email service, Gmail, and search engine. A firewall already prevents Iranians from accessing many Western sites. http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-19700910 Iran blocks access to Gmail and Google, Internet users say [IDG] The Iranian government appears to have blocked access to Google's search engine and Gmail webmail service from inside Iran, according to Internet users there. http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9231628/Iran_blocks_access_to_Gmail_and_Google_Internet_users_say Study: Estonia, US have Most Internet Freedom; many countries moved backward on Internet freedom since early 2011, Freedom House says [IDG] Residents of Estonia have the most freedom to do what they want on the Internet, with the U.S. ranking second among 47 countries examined by a group that pushes for democratic freedoms worldwide. http://www.cio.com/article/717090/Study_Estonia_US_have_Most_Internet_Freedom http://www.computerworld.com.au/article/437354/study_estonia_us_most_internet_freedom/ http://www.pcworld.com/article/2010539/study-estonia-u-s-have-most-internet-freedom.html More countries restrict Internet to stifle critics - report Government restrictions on the Internet have risen over the past year around the world as regimes use violence against bloggers and turn to censorship and arrest to squelch calls for reform, a new report from a U.S. advocacy group has found. http://in.reuters.com/article/2012/09/24/internet-freedom-report-idINDEE88N0FH20120924 http://uk.reuters.com/article/2012/09/24/uk-internet-freedom-report-idUKBRE88N0U420120924 New Report: Governments Grow Increasingly Repressive Online, Activists Fight Back [news release] Brutal attacks against bloggers, politically motivated surveillance, proactive manipulation of web content, and restrictive laws regulating speech online are among the diverse threats to internet freedom emerging over the past two years, according to a new study released today by Freedom House. Despite these threats, Freedom on the Net 2012: A Global Assessment of Internet and Digital Media found that increased pushback by civil society, technology companies, and independent courts resulted in several notable victories. http://www.freedomhouse.org/article/new-report-governments-grow-increasingly-repressive-online-activists-fight-back ************************** GOVERNMENT & PUBLIC POLICY ************************** The US government resisted the Internet, instead of supporting it Summary: President Obama claims the US government invented the Internet so companies could profit from it. In fact, the US government mandated support for a rival networking system, OSI, and tried to avoid adopting the Internet's protocols http://www.zdnet.com/the-us-government-resisted-the-internet-instead-of-supporting-it-7000004839/ A regulator should think about tomorrow and not the past The power of the Internet has ?challenged a lot of regulation?, says Marcel Fenez , who heads the entertainment and media practice at PricewaterhouseCoopers Llp (PwC). ?The pace of regulatory change is probably slower than the pace of technology change and certainly slower than consumer change.? A globetrotter who visits major media centres to interact with industry leaders, Fenez spoke about the role of the digital media and regulatory challenges in an interview during a trip to New Delhi this month. Edited excerpts: http://www.livemint.com/Consumer/rsOzmQ9IeYKOlYCks4bQzI/A-regulator-should-think-about-tomorrow-and-not-the-past.html Iran readies domestic Internet system, blocks Google Iran plans to switch its citizens onto a domestic Internet network in what officials say is a bid to improve cyber security but which many Iranians fear is the latest way to control their access to the web. http://in.reuters.com/article/2012/09/24/iran-internet-national-idINDEE88M07E20120924 Iran boosts cyber security with secure domestic network: report Iran has connected all its government agencies to a secure domestic Internet service and plans to link ordinary Iranians up to the same network, an official was quoted as saying on Sunday, in a move to beef up cyber security. http://in.reuters.com/article/2012/09/23/iran-internet-national-idINDEE88M07E20120923 The internet in pieces: Harried by cyberattacks, Iran is making good on a vow to build its own web. Others could follow New evidence that Iran is following through on its dramatic plan to move large parts of its networked computer systems off the web reflects how the global struggle for the internet has reached a new intensity over the last 12 months. http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2012/sep/23/iran-us-cyber-espionage-intranet EU proposal to stop terrorist sites even more ridiculous than it sounds Over two years ago, the Prevention of and Fight against Crime Programme of the European Commission awarded a ?400,000 ($428,000) grant to CleanIT, a multi-party project that seeks to "counter the illegal use of Internet." As we reported last month, by February 2013, the group says it will produce a list of non-binding voluntary "principles" aimed at stopping terrorist content and activity online. http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2012/09/proposed-eu-plan-to-stop-terrorist-sites-even-more-ridiculous-than-thought/ au: Police back push to keep telco data Australian Federal Police would "ideally" like the public's telecommunications data to be held indefinitely so it can be accessed by police at any time. http://www.smh.com.au/technology/technology-news/police-back-push-to-keep-telco-data-20120926-26lmc.html au: Police seek more access to telecommunications data MARK COLVIN: Civil liberties organisations say the Federal Government's new data retention plans are an intrusion on Australians' privacy, law enforcement agencies say they're nowhere near tough enough. http://www.abc.net.au/pm/content/2012/s3598521.htm Australian police want telco customer data retained forever Australian Federal Police (AFP) commissioner Tony Negus has said that the proposal to retain telecommunications customer data for up to two years was a compromise made with the Attorney-General's Department, and that the law-enforcement agency would ideally like data to be held indefinitely. http://www.zdnet.com/australian-police-want-telco-customer-data-retained-forever-7000004811/ au: Govt wants greater surveillance powers [AAP] Telecommunications and internet providers could be forced to retain at least two years of their subscribers' data as part of a federal government push for greater surveillance powers. http://news.brisbanetimes.com.au/breaking-news-national/govt-wants-greater-surveillance-powers-20120926-26k4b.html au: Top cops back overhaul of data laws so they can keep up with cyber criminals State and federal police commissioners have made an urgent plea for Australia's phone interception laws to be overhauled to keep pace with criminals. http://www.theaustralian.com.au/australian-it/top-cops-back-overhaul-of-data-laws-so-they-can-keep-up-with-cyber-criminals/story-e6frgakx-1226482138347 Oz law proposes to store users' internet data Australia is proposing sweeping new powers to keep watch over its citizens, including laws to force telecommunications and internet providers to store their subscribers' data for two years. http://www.nzherald.co.nz/technology/news/article.cfm?c_id=5&objectid=10836830 ********************** MISCELLANEOUS ********************** Google Builds Web of Influence in Berlin Berlin's famous boulevard, Unter den Linden, is a coveted address for lobbyists in the German capital. The Bertelsmann Foundation has an office there, as do Deutsche Bank and the pharmaceutical group GlaxoSmithKline. Their offices exude sophistication, and the only time male employees would show up without a tie is on casual Fridays, if then. http://www.spiegel.de/international/business/how-google-lobbies-german-government-over-internet-regulation-a-857654.html Opinion: When the internet wakes up will it kill us? In the world of sci-fi movie geekdom, August 29, 1997, was a turning point for humanity: on that day, according to the Terminator films, the network of US defence computers known as Skynet became self-aware ? and soon launched an all-out genocidal war against Homo sapiens. http://www.afr.com/p/technology/when_the_internet_wakes_up_will_wMU2qbsCMf0ROrXIx2VX2O ********************** TELECOMMUNICATIONS ********************** au: Wozniak likes NBN so much, he?s applying for citizenship Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak has listed the rollout of a national broadband network as one of the reasons he wants to become an Australian. http://www.afr.com/p/technology/wozniak_likes_nbn_so_much_he_applying_lz4NGUtmpS2PvD55EJ4eoL uk: Talks in the balance over 4G services Attempts to bring superfast 4G mobile broadband services to Britain could still be held up by litigation as crunch talks between the telecoms industry and officials enter the final week. http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/5524658c-03d5-11e2-9675-00144feabdc0.html in: No roaming charges from next year, says Kapil Sibal Union telecom minister Kapil Sibal on Monday said that mobile phone subscribers will not have to pay roaming charges from next year. http://www.livemint.com/Industry/36k29VHsoDOhsyLGrPZdrO/No-roaming-charges-from-next-year-Kapil-Sibal.html in: Removal of roaming charges may force telecom operators to hike tariffs The Government?s plans to abolish roaming charges could result in telecom operators hiking tariffs to mitigate the impact on profitability. http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/industry-and-economy/info-tech/article3935738.ece nz: National and Maori Party divided on spectrum National and Maori Party divided on spectrumMaori Party co-leader Pita Sharples says his party disagrees with National over Treaty of Waitangi claims on the 700MHz spectrum http://computerworld.co.nz/news.nsf/news/national-and-maori-party-divided-on-spectrum us: Lawmakers to FCC: Do No Harm With Incentive Auctions Three groups representing black, Hispanic, and Asian-Pacific Americans in Congress are calling on the Federal Communications Commission to ensure that a proposal aimed at freeing up spectrum from broadcasters for use by wireless carriers will not affect consumers' access to over-the-air television. http://techdailydose.nationaljournal.com/2012/09/lawmakers-to-fcc-do-no-harm-wi.php us: New Limits Considered in Airwaves >From East Hampton to Malibu, the only limit on how much beachfront property one can own is usually however much one can afford. http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/26/business/media/fcc-considers-new-spectrum-rules-for-wireless-companies.html Italy's slow Internet set for reboot IMM Hydraulics, a small exporter of hoses for industries such as agriculture and mining, is the kind of firm that should be at the centre of Italy's efforts to rekindle its stagnant economy. http://uk.reuters.com/article/2012/09/26/uk-italy-broadband-idUKLNE88P00K20120926 ------ David Goldstein email: david at goldsteinreport.com web: http://goldsteinreport.com/ http://davidgoldstein.tel/ phone: +61 418 228 605 - mobile; +61 2 9665 5773 - office/home "Every time you use fossil fuels, you're adding to the problem. Every time you forgo fossil fuels, you're being part of the solution" - Dr Tim FlanneryReceived on Thu Sep 27 2012 - 06:44:12 UTC
This archive was generated by hypermail 2.3.0 : Sat Sep 09 2017 - 22:00:11 UTC