==Phrack Inc.== Volume 0x0b, Issue 0x3c, Phile #0x0f of 0x10 |=----------------=[ P H R A C K W O R L D N E W S ]=------------------=| |=-----------------------------------------------------------------------=| |=---------------------------=[ phrackstaff ]=---------------------------=| Content in Phrack World News does not reflect the opinion of any particluar Phrack Staff member. PWN is exclusively done by the scene and for the scene. 0x01: Phrack Headlines & Misc 0x02: Freedom strikes back - DMCA loses the trial 0x03: MS issues 71 security bulletins this year and counting... 0x04: U.S. Patriot Act |=[ 0x01 - Phrack Headlines & Misc ]=------------------------------------=| Video games with violent content are good for da kids! I KNEW IT! http://www.vnunet.com/News/1135410 The News Media propose to not broadcast (i.e. to censor) certain reports. The 'Free' media is turning (some say it already turned) into an instrument of the military. But dont worry too much about it: It's all for our good! http://commondreams.org/views02/1218-01.htm Join the teleconference with the National infrastructure and Advisory Council. The Council advises the President of the United States on the security of information systems for critical infrastructure supporting other sectors of the economy, including banking and finance, transportation, energy, manufacturing, and emergency government services. At this meeting, the Council will continue its deliberations on comments to be delivered to President Bush concerning the draft National Strategy to Secure Cyberspace. http://www.access.gpo.gov/su_docs/aces/fr-cont.html The promise of the newly formed Department of Homeland Security is to improve our nation's security from terrorism. Unfortunately, the results are far more likely to be the opposite. http://www.counterpane.com/crypto-gram-0212.html#3 Kevin Mitnick wrote a book, "The Art of Deception". The first chapter has been deleted by the publisher at the last minute. It's available on the internet: http://www.wired.com/news/culture/0,1284,56187,00.html http://littlegreenguy.fateback.com/chapter1/Chapter%201%20-%20Banned%20Edition.doc Cyberterrorism is just media hype. It's yet another trick used by the military-industrial complex to suck the last cent out of your pocket. The world will not forget when the Pentagon announced the "best coordinated and most serious hacker attack against military installations". In the end it was one single script kid who tried a public exploit against some unimportant and unclassified military computer and gained access due to a 2 year old bug. http://www.wired.com/news/infostructure/0,1377,56935,00.html Read this before you visit any other countries. Otherwise you may get arrested and prosecuted (in some cases executed!) in a foreign country for an activity that is _legal_ in your country: Flashn, a (famous) swedish hacker recently got arrested while trying to escape the United States border to Canada. It seems that he had stayed too long on his tourist visa. http://www.freeflashn.org/ http://www.mail-archive.com/full-disclosure@lists.netsys.com/msg01684.html Sk8 is out of prison but not free yet: http://www.freesk8.org/ 'Analyzer' is back in jail again: http://www.freeanalyzer.org/ 'Out of office' mails are fucking annoying. Read about yet another reasons why you don't want to use them: http://abcnews.go.com/sections/scitech/DailyNews/burglary021219.html Computer Crime Center opens: http://www.thestate.com/mld/thestate/news/local/4763628.htm Get rooted while listening to mp3's: http://news.com.com/2100-1001-978403.html?tag=fd_top Microsoft's products have been left off a list compiled by the Defence Signals Directorate that aims to evaluate and advise whether software is appropriate for use by Australian Government agencies. http://www.zdnet.com.au/newstech/security/story/0,2000024985,20270727,00.htm |=[ 0x02 - Freedom strikes back - DMCA loses the trial ]=----------------=| The Russian software company which had found itself on trial in an American court was acquitted on all counts of circumventing the DMCA. Elcomsoft's woes began in August of last year, when programmer Dmitry Sklyarov was charged under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act's circumvention 1201 clauses (one small part of which is under review by the Librarian of Congress) while visiting Las Vegas for a technical conference. Skylarov was imprisoned for his part in creating an Adobe eBook reader that permitted fair-use of copyright material, and imprisoned pending trial. "Today's jury verdict sends a strong message to federal prosecutors who believe that tool makers should be thrown in jail just because a copyright owner doesn't like the tools they build," said EFF Senior Intellectual Property Attorney Fred von Lohmann. http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/55/28612.html http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/6/28654.html http://www.phrack-dont-give-a-shit-about-dmca.org http://www.nytimes.com/2002/11/21/technology/21COPY.html http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/6/28223.html http://www.wired.com/news/business/0,1367,56504,00.html http://www.fatwallet.com/forums/messageview.cfm?catid=18&threadid=126042 http://news.com.com/2100-1023-976296.html |=[ 0x03 - MS issues 71 security bulletins this year and counting... ]=-=| Are you keeping up with all the patches Microsoft has issued? Microsoft has issued 71 security bulletins so far this year. One bulletin in particular, MS02-069 (Flaw in Microsoft VM Could Enable System Compromise) issued December 11, addresses several problems with the Microsoft Virtual Machine (VM) used for Java code. Versions of the VM software through version 5.0.3805 are vulnerable. According to Microsoft, "The most serious of these issues could enable a Web site to compromise your system and take actions such as changing data, loading and running programs, and reformatting the hard disk." The patch is a critical update, and everyone should install it. http://www.microsoft.com/security/security_bulletins/ms02-069.asp |=[ 0x04 - U.S Patriot Act ]=-------------------------------------------=| by, Ross Regnart Patriot Act redefine MAFIA and Others as "Terrorist Associates" Under the Patriot Act the U.S. Government can use a "new charge" to arrest Mob members. The Act redefined "Terrorist Association" as any criminal activity that may "relate" to supporting terrorists. For Prosecution, the U.S. Patriot Act merged common criminal activity with supporting terrorism: The ACT states: criminals and terrorists use the same criminal networks and organizations to "Market" illegal-drugs; both participate in and have an interest in world criminal activity." Police Can Now Use Secret Evidence Against Anyone: The Act opened a back door for police to use "secret evidence" against non-terrorists and alleged criminals. Secret evidence are evidence that has been gathers in an illegal manner, without the authorization of a judge by federal agencies. Government need only allege an individual or organization's activities "relate" to a "criminal market that terrorists use or depend on for their support in order to cause an arrest and/or property confiscation. What is a "Terrorist Associate? The Patriot Act's wording "relate to" "join" "influence on" "assist" "support" and "criminal market" are so vague, government may charge as "Terrorist Associates" both legal and illegal businesses and individuals who never intended to support terrorists. It is foreseeable "illegal drug marketers" will be charged as "Terrorist Associates" since it is appears impossible to stop terrorists from using their networks to sell drugs or other criminal activity. Under the Act police need little probable cause to arrest citizens and only a "preponderance of evidence" to confiscate their property. Innocent citizens may find it difficult to defend against "secret evidence" and/or recover their confiscated bank accounts and other property. Under the Act "a government authority" to seize foreign bank accounts, need only claim that a financial transaction, account proceeds or property are "related" to criminal activity. Under the Patriot Act: U.S. and cooperating government authorities are not required to "trace" prove the source of a foreign bank or financial service account in order to seize all the proceeds therein. Should the United States or a government authority find that a foreign bank account has been drawn down or closed the government may "substitute for forfeiture" any other asset a government claims to belong to the alleged owner of a bank account then subject to forfeiture. Consequently, a government may "substitute for forfeiture" assets "equal" to the entire amount of all financial transactions and deposits that went through a foreign bank or financial service account during a given time period. Under the Patriot Act: the U.S. or a cooperating government authority is not required to prove what part of proceeds seized from a foreign bank or service account are "related" to criminal activity. The U.S. or a cooperating government authority may confiscate a foreign bank account and "never" inform its owners the reason for confiscation or the evidence against their account that caused its confiscation. Innocent account owners may be defenseless under such circumstances. Charged Defendants Under the Act start out guilty having to prove they did not reasonably have reason to know the person(s), organization or entity they associated or networked with had committed a terrorist act or would commit one in the future. What constitutes Terrorism under the Patriot Act may be arbitrarily decided by police: Any physical act that is legal or illegal may be alleged by police to be terrorism under 18USC 2331. Example: Union demonstrators fighting with strike breakers. No one need be injured for police to make a terrorist charge; demonstrators need only "appear intended to intimidate or coerce a civilian population; or to influence the policy of a government". (See 18 USC 2331). The Act's mention of "related" criminal activity and networks permit government under the Act's anti-terrorism provisions to use "secret evidence" against non-terrorists the government charges with being "Terrorist Associates". Government "secret evidence" can be used in both U.S. Military Tribunals and Civilian "Star Chamber Courts" as provided for by the Anti-Terrorism and Death Penalty Act of 1996. Defense against government-paid and/or other secret witnesses may be difficult when defendants are not allowed to learn the evidence against them. Under the U.S. Patriot Act the Government got the power from Congress to charge U.S. Citizens for crimes that "relate" to any activity that may support terrorists or threatens the safety, economy, national security, and/or U.S. or Foreign Policy of the United States. CONCERN: Like imprisoned foreign-terrorist suspects in the U.S., could American Citizens (non-terrorists) subsequently charged by the government as "Terrorist Associates", e.g., "related criminal activity" be next to lose their right to have confidential meetings with attorneys? Could U.S. Citizens be forced to give up attorney-client-privilege, endure government agents sitting at their table whenever an attorney comes to meet with them in jail? |=[ EO PWN ]=------------------------------------------------------------=|