contributed by Weld Pond
A flaw in Verizon's online service request and tracking tool allows a user to view the details behind any phone number in their northeastern service region. While the flaw was reported Sunday, as of Monday afternoon it was still exploitable. The hole is based on a JavaScript application that loads data (including whether or not the given phone number is unlisted) into the user's PC, all of which is easily viewable in the page's source code.

SecurityFocus.com
MSNBC

contributed by Pyle
Extortionists who threatened to expose sensitive Bloomberg corporate data to the world if they weren't paid $200,000 were arrested yesterday in a sting operation involving Michael Bloomberg himself. The alleged attackers broke into Bloomberg's New York systems and demanded payment for notifying the company of the security weakness.

USA Today
The New York Times
ZDNet
Boston.com

contributed by Pyle
The FBI and Canadian Mounties are cooperating in the investigation of a DOS attack on a Canadian ISP. The attack occurred Sunday evening and appeared to originate in Chicago. Canadian authorities want to extradite anyone suspected of conducting the attack.

Cnews

contributed by Weld Pond
In the last month I have heard about more people starting to use encryption in their email than ever before. The wide publicity of the FBI's Carnivore has finally woken people up to the fact that the government is watching clear text email and now it is necessary to encrypt. I predict in a few years carnivore will be blind to all but the most naive criminals.

SF Gate

contributed by Apocalypse Dow
Q: How do you keep your employees from wasting time on the web while at work? A: Use web filtering tools designed to keep children from visiting forbidden zones (i.e. treat your employees like children). A increasing number of companies are doing just that in an effort to curb web related slack time.

Upside Today

contributed by Apocalypse Dow
Georgi Guninski, a noted vulnerability researcher, recently notified Microsoft with regard to a possible exploit of the folder viewing mechanism inherent to Windows 2000 and later versions of Internet Explorer. Apparently, Microsoft was less than pleased with Guninski for publicizing the flaw "so soon" after its discovery.

CNET

contributed by Weld Pond
Bruce Schneier, noted author and cryptography expert, has a new book on the stands. Secrets and Lies, Digital Security in a Networked World takes a look at network security and the associated risks that businesses face in an increasingly electronic environment.

Book Site