News Briefs

UPDATEDWidespread Google Outages Confirmed

PC World and mulititude of other sources have reported that Google suffered from a widespread outage affecting many of its online services today. Most Google properties were inaccessible to users across the U.S. and worldwide from about 10:45 a.m. until about 12:20 p.m. EDT. People from coast-to-coast and as far as China, Australia, and France were all impacted, PC World reports. Google has since released the following statement: "The issue affecting some Google services has been resolved. We're sorry for the inconvenience, and we'll share more details soon." more

Sharp Decline Found in Information Security Budgets Within Tech, Media and Telecom Industries

Companies in the technology, media and telecommunications industries (TMT) significantly reduced investment in security spending in 2008, according to a new survey from Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu. The third edition of the Deloitte TMT Global Security Survey reveals that 32% of respondents reduced their information security budgets, while 60% of respondents believe they are "falling behind" or still "catching up" to their security threats -- a significant increase from 49% over the previous year. more

One in Five Online Consumers Victims of Cybercrime Past Two Years, Estimated at $8B, Survey Says

According to the latest Consumer Reports National Research Center “State of the Net” survey, one in five online consumers have been victims of cybercrime in the last two years to the tune of an estimated $8 billion dollars. The overall rate of the crime has remained consistent over the five years says Consumer Reports. Report also notes that the problem stands to get worse as rising unemployment and foreclosures fuel a wave of recession-orientated Internet scams, and as the popularity of social networking services grow, creating more openings for identity thieves. more

U.S. General Reserves Right to Use Physical Force, Even Nuclear, in Response to Cyberattack

The top U.S. commander for strategic combat said last week that the White House retains the option to respond with physical force -- potentially even using nuclear weapons -- if a foreign entity conducts a disabling cyber attack against U.S. computer networks. While a nuclear response appears highly unlikely, it might be counted among a full range of options offered to the president following a major computer attack, suggested Gen. Kevin Chilton, who heads U.S. Strategic Command... more

Three Strikes Law Against Internet Piracy Approved in France

The French National Assembly on Tuesday approved a plan by President Nicolas Sarkozy to punish digital pirates with the possible suspension of their Internet connections, a little more than a month after the same body had rejected the proposal in a surprise vote [related]. The assembly, the lower house of Parliament, voted 296 to 233 in favor of the bill, the furthest-reaching legislative initiative yet in the global battle by the music and movie industries against unauthorized copying of their works... more

More Calls for Punishing Illegal File Sharers Through ISPs

The alliance wants the government to force internet service providers (ISPs) to disconnect users who ignore repeated warnings about sharing illegal content... Nine creative bodies and five trade unions have signed a joint statement asking the government to force ISPs into banning users caught sharing illegally. It marks a significant hardening of their stance on the role of ISPs, which in the past has focused on education and awareness. more

Pual Twomey Discussing the Future of ICANN in SFGate Interview

San Francisco Chronicle has published an interview with ICANN President and CEO Paul Twomey in which he discusses the organization, its future, and the release of new top-level domains. From the interview: "Our links with the United States government, which is the Joint Project Agreement with the Department of Commerce and the procurement contract for the IANA (Internet Assigned Numbers Authority) functions, are still there. People still raise them. But I think we've got a pathway forward to show progress, although we're going to continue to have a close link with United States. We don't dispute that. So it's a balancing trick. I do suspect that for a couple of years in some parts of the world we became a proxy for U.S. foreign policy -- and that has been noticeably different since the election." more

Cyber Breaches Even Worse Than You Think

It may seem as if a new breach of some computer system or network is reported every couple of months; but actually, one security expert says it's worse than that. According to James Lewis, director of the technology and public policy program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, reports of about 17 significant security incidents were released in the last two years - which averages to one report every 6 weeks... more

US Transportation Department: Air Traffic Control System Vulnerable to Cyberattack

The Federal Aviation Administration’s air traffic control system is vulnerable to cyberattacks via Web applications that support the system, according to a new report released by the Transportation Department’s Office of Inspector General (OIG). “In our opinion, unless effective action is taken quickly, it is likely to be a matter of when, not if, [air traffic control] systems encounter attacks that do serious harm to [air traffic control] operations,” wrote Rebecca Leng, DOT’s assistant inspector general for financial and information technology audits, in the report... more

EU Calls For Full Privatization of ICANN, Commissioner Calls Sept 30 Moment of Truth

In a video posted on her website this morning, Viviane Reding, EU Commissioner for Information Society and Media, has called for greater transparency and accountability in Internet Governance. She outlines a new Internet Governance model which includes a fully private and accountable ICANN, accompanied by an independent judicial body, as well as a "G12 for Internet Governance" -- a multilateral forum for governments to discuss general internet governance policy and security issues... more

UPDATEDGoogle Gets Floating Data Center Patent… Aimed at Saving on Real Estate, Electricity, and Taxes

Google on Thursday was granted a patent for its floating data center design, an idea that the company filed to protect on Feb. 26, 2007. The patent describes techniques for designing a data center located on a ship, platform, or on shore that use the tidal motion of the sea to generate electricity and seawater for equipment cooling... more

UPDATEDObama to Name Mignon Clyburn as FCC Commissioner

Following his pick of Julius Genakowski as FCC chairman, President Obama moves to fill an open Democrat seat on the five-person panel with Mignon L. Clyburn, a member of the South Carolina Public Service Commission since 1998 and the daughter of House Majority Whip Rep. James Clyburn. If approved by Congress, Clyburn will fill the seat of Democrat Jonathon Adelstein, who is leaving the FCC to head up the Dept. of Agriculture's Rural Utilities Service... more

Pentagon Quietly Sharing Classified Cyber Threat Intelligence With Defense Contractors

Shane Harris reporting on the National Jouranl that a new intelligence partnership, which has not been previously reported, called the Industrial Base initiative, or "the DIB," has been in the making since September 2007 where contractors and the government could confidentially share information. From the report... more

NYT: Atomic Bomb Changed Warfare 64 Years Ago, International Race Has Begun to Develop Cyberweapons

When American forces in Iraq wanted to lure members of Al Qaeda into a trap, they hacked into one of the group's computers and altered information that drove them into American gun sights. When President George W. Bush ordered new ways to slow Iran's progress toward a nuclear bomb last year, he approved a plan for an experimental covert program -- its results still unclear -- to bore into their computers and undermine the project... more

UK Government Rules Out Content Monitoring But Will Track Who, When, Where and How of Communications

Communications firms are being asked to record all internet contacts between people as part of a modernisation in UK police surveillance tactics. The home secretary scrapped plans for a database but wants details to be held and organized for security services. The new system would track all emails, phone calls and internet use, including visits to social network sites... more