ACM TechNews

"Cybersecurity-Research Bill Stalls in Senate"
Legislation calling for increased computer network security
research has encountered a roadblock in the Senate.  Provisions
calling for federal agencies to adopt computer-security standards
developed by the National Institute of Standards and Technology ...
http://www.acm.org/technews/articles/2002-4/0712f.html#item2

"A New Code for Anonymous Web Use"
Hacktivismo, a political offshoot of the Cult of the Dead Cow
hacker group, is planning the release of new peer-to-peer
software protocol that will enable anonymous Internet use.
Although current techniques for veiling one's identity online ...
http://www.acm.org/technews/articles/2002-4/0712f.html#item4

"Pirates on the Web, Spoils on the Street"
Internet piracy continues, despite major busts such as the raids
conducted to flush out the members of the DrinkorDie ring, some
of whom have earned jail terms for illegally copying and
distributing software, games, and movies online.  Pirates such as ...
http://www.acm.org/technews/articles/2002-4/0712f.html#item5

"Lawmakers: Keep Your Tunes to Yourself"
This month will likely see the introduction of a proposal from
Reps. Howard Coble (R-N.C.) and Howard Berman (D-Calif.) that
restricts Americans' copying of digital content and clarifies the
legal rights of Webcasters.  The bill, which the authors drafted ...
http://www.acm.org/technews/articles/2002-4/0712f.html#item7

"Security Flaw Afflicts Popular Technology for Encrypting E-Mail"
A programming flaw in the highly popular Pretty Good Privacy
(PGP) email encryption standard could give hackers the ability to
commandeer users' computers as well as decrypt sensitive emails.
The flaw, which eEye Digital Security researchers uncovered weeks ...
http://www.acm.org/technews/articles/2002-4/0712f.html#item8

"Promising Prospects Dim for Bluetooth"
Bluetooth's future is being called into question by several new
studies, while mixed signals filled the air at the recent
Bluetooth Congress in Amsterdam.  The technology's rapid,
high-volume penetration into the mobile phone and automotive ...
http://www.acm.org/technews/articles/2002-4/0712f.html#item9

"Beware the Gotcha in the New Intel Feature"
Intel is working on technology that could be used to limit
personal use of digital content.  One example is the Trusted
Computing Platform Alliance (TCPA), a technology designed to
ensure secure e-commerce transactions that Intel is ...
http://www.acm.org/technews/articles/2002-4/0712f.html#item13

"Creating the Poor Man's Supercomputer"
A researcher at the U.S. Department of Energy's Ames Laboratory
has written a better message-passing program for supercomputers
created from PC clusters.  David Turner's MP_Lite program helps
different nodes communicate more reliably and effectively, and ...
http://www.acm.org/technews/articles/2002-4/0712f.html#item14

"Computer, Heal Thyself"
Christof Teuscher of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in
Lausanne (EPFL) believes that biological systems can
revolutionize computing.  "Looking at computing from a biological
point of view gives us an entirely new perspective and opens the ...
http://www.acm.org/technews/articles/2002-4/0712f.html#item15

"Experts Predict Major Cyberattack Coming"
Former senior intelligence and security officials postulate that
a terrorist-coordinated cyberattack against America's networks
and businesses is inevitable.  Experts are expecting terrorists
to first launch a physical attack against a private U.S. firm, ...
http://www.acm.org/technews/articles/2002-4/0712f.html#item17

"Royalties May Force Standards Stalemate"
The World Wide Web Consortium's (W3C) Patent Policy Working Group
is near a final decision on the issue of whether to allow
patented technologies with royalties attached into its standard
specifications.  Sources close to the discussions say that a . . .
http://www.acm.org/technews/articles/2002-4/0715m.html#item1

"Deja Vu"
Comparisons between the Internet and once-revolutionary
technologies like the printing press, the telegraph, railroads, and
radio offers some insight into what the near future may hold for
online communications and commerce.  Like the printing press, the . . .
http://www.acm.org/technews/articles/2002-4/0715m.html#item5

"Militants Wire Web With Links to Jihad"
U.S. officials are worried that the increase in the volume of
Internet messages being sent by suspected al Qaeda operatives in
the last month, nearly doubling normal amounts, indicates that
another terrorist attack may be imminent.  Terrorist . . .
http://www.acm.org/technews/articles/2002-4/0715m.html#item11

"Net Body Faces Criticism Over Reform Plan"
ICANN's reform plan is meant to streamline ICANN's
decision-making process, and has received praise from ICANN
President Stuart Lynn, though not from those who believe ICANN
needs to make further changes.  Nominet Chairman Willie Black . . .
http://www.acm.org/technews/articles/2002-4/0715m.html#item13

"Guarded Optimism"
Results of InformationWeek Research's fifth annual Global
Information Security Survey indicate a decline in the number of
companies that were successfully attacked by computer viruses or
worms in the past year, but this confidence booster is tempered . . .
http://www.acm.org/technews/articles/2002-4/0715m.html#item14

"Open-Source Enterprise"
Open-source software is proving very attractive to many companies
as a way to save costs thanks to its high level of
configurability and the elimination of licensing fees.  Advocates
also cite the open-source community for offering far better and . . .
http://www.acm.org/technews/articles/2002-4/0715m.html#item15

"Computer Security Standards Ready"
Government agencies such as the Pentagon and the National
Institute of Standards and Technology have joined forces with
private-sector firms such as Intel, Visa, and Pacific Gas &
Electric to establish a set of anti-hacking guidelines, which are . . .
http://www.acm.org/technews/articles/2002-4/0717w.html#item1

"Talks Weigh Big Project On Wireless Internet Link"
Intel, IBM, AT&T Wireless, and several wireless carriers are
discussing the possibility of a nationwide 802.11, or WiFi,
network dubbed Project Rainbow.  Intel's newly established
communications division is one of the most vociferous proponents . . .
<http://www.acm.org/technews/articles/2002-4/0717w.html#item2>

"House OKs Life Sentences for Hackers"
The House of Representatives approved by almost unanimous vote
the Cyber Security Enhancement Act (CSEA), under which computer
hackers can draw a life sentence for carrying out intrusions that
"recklessly" endanger the lives of others.  Such a penalty is . . .
http://www.acm.org/technews/articles/2002-4/0717w.html#item3

"Marcelo Tosatti: The Future Is Linux"
Brazilian developer Marcelo Tosatti took over the maintenance of
the 2.4 Linux kernel, the current stable one, from renowned Linux
guru Alan Cox late last year.  He says the biggest problems with
his Linux version are with virtual memory on high-end computers . . .
http://www.acm.org/technews/articles/2002-4/0717w.html#item11



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