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Identity theft hits eBay... 'eDNA' plan nixed... Battery attacks |
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Sylvia Carr Senior Editor, AnchorDesk Monday, November 25, 2002 |
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Online identity theft is nothing new, but recently there's been a growing number of scams aimed at commandeering eBay accounts. The con artists have a number of ways of getting your password; most involve sending out an e-mail that tells recipients someone has tampered with their account, and that they must go to a specified site to change their user name and password. That site, of course, is run by the thief, who uses the information to gain access to eBay accounts and start running auctions (and collecting money) for items that don't exist. eBay is trying to educate its customers about this threat, explaining what to look for in fraudulent sites and urging them to exercise caution before parting with sensitive information. The worst part: Victims of fraud have limited recourse, with eBay offering insurance only for items worth up to $200.
Go to the full story by Paul Festa.
It was a scary proposal for anyone who cares about civil liberties: First, tag e-mail and Web browsers with unique markers known as "eDNA." Then make certain areas of the Internet accessible only to users with such markers. The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (better known as DARPA) was actually tossing around just such a plan recently. Not surprisingly, the plan drew sharp criticism from computer and privacy experts, and DARPA ultimately rejected it. Also under fire: A proposal from a DARPA unit, the Information Awareness Office, to create a database that would store everything from your credit card purchases to your veterinary records.
Go to the full story by Declan McCullagh.
Believe it or not, it's not just your PC that's at risk of being hacked. Malicious users could theoretically launch denial-of-service attacks on battery-powered mobile devices that would drain them of their power. But researchers are already working on a way to prevent this sort of hack. A computer science professor at Virginia Tech has received a grant of more than $400,000 to find a means of protection. Though attacks on mobile devices are rare, given the proliferations of notebooks, PDAs, cell phones, and other devices that rely on batteries, the potential harm caused could be great. Even more troubling: A hacker could target businesses that use battery-powered backup systems to protect their systems again power outages.
Go to the full story by Sandeep Junnarkar.
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