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Disney, Microsoft, Subway Sandwiches: Intellectual Property
Bloomberg (10/07/11) Slind-Flor, Victoria
Intellectual Ventures has filed a lawsuit against Motorola Mobility in Delaware federal court the company of infringing on six of its patents. The patents in question, all of which the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office says were acquired by Intellectual Ventures, are related to portable computing and file transfer technologies. According to Intellectual Ventures, at least 18 of Motorola Mobility's products infringe on those patents. The lawsuit asks the court to take steps to ensure that Motorola Mobility does not infringe on other patents in the future. Intellectual Ventures is also seeking compensation for monetary damages, court costs, and attorney fees. In Singapore, meanwhile, the owner of the Subway restaurant chain sued the Singapore company Subway Niche for infringing on its trademark. According to the lawsuit, Subway Niche's entry into sandwich business has confused consumers because of the similarity of the company's name with Subway. Elsewhere, Microsoft won a court case in Germany in which it asked a court to stop a company from using certificate labels linked to Microsoft trademarks when it sells CDs with used software.
Friends: CA Quarry Shooting Suspect Was Nonviolent
CBS News (10/06/11)
Three people were killed and seven others were injured in a shooting at a quarry in Cupertino, Calif., on Wednesday. Authorities in Santa Clara County say that the incident began after the suspect, 47-year-old Shareef Allman, an employee at Permanente Quarry, got upset during a safety meeting. Allman then left the meeting. When he returned, he was armed with a handgun and began shooting at the roughly 15 employees who had attended the gathering. Allman is believed to have fled after the shooting, and may have been involved in an attempted carjacking elsewhere in Cupertino. Authorities said that a man matching Allman's description shot a woman with a gun that was similar to the one used in the quarry shooting while trying to steal her car. A shotgun, a handgun, and two rifles that are believed to have belonged to Allman were later found in his car. Allman, who remains on the loose, was last seen in surveillance video at a gas station near the site of the carjacking. Friends of Allman have expressed surprise that he is the suspect in the shooting, though one friend said that Allman had complained to her about problems at work over the last several years.
Armed Rebels Raid Mines in Philippines
Associated Press (10/04/11)
Three mining companies were attacked by communist rebels in the southern Philippines on Monday. In the first attack, a group of armed rebels from the New People's Army attacked the Taganito Mining Corp. in Claver township. Several security guards and officials from the nickel mining company were taken hostage in that incident. Authorities do not know exactly how many people are being held by the rebels, though they say that the employees appear to be safe. In another incident, a separate group of rebels launched a raid on the THPAL mineral processing plant and the Platinum Group Metals Corp., which is located near the Taganito Mining Corp. The rebels who launched that attack engaged in a gun battle with the police who arrived on the scene. The rebels are part of a 41-year-old communist insurgency that has been fighting for the creation of a Marxist state in the Philippines.
Tanker Targeted Off Benin in Latest W. African Pirate Attack
Agence France-Presse (10/04/11)
A chemical tanker off the coast of the West African nation of Benin was attacked by pirates on Sunday, according to the International Maritime Bureau. The attack was carried out by pirates armed with automatic weapons and traveling in two small boats. After coming upon the chemical tanker, which was drifting, the pirates fired upon the vessel. The ship's crew responded by holing themselves up in the vessel's citadel until Monday morning. When they emerged, they found that money had been stolen by the pirates. The attack is one of at least 20 incidents of piracy that have taken place off the coast of Benin so far this year. Those incidents have been robberies or have involved the theft of fuel or oil cargo. The pirates so far have not demanded ransom payments. In response to the increase in piracy off the coast of Benin, Nigeria and Benin have partnered together to launch joint sea patrols.
New Threat Arises in a Flash
Security Management (10/01/11) Vol. 55, No. 10, P. 20 Purvis, Carlton
The National Retail Federation's (NRF) July survey of multiple offender crimes revealed that 10 percent of retailers have experienced a "flash rob," a burglary style based on the flash mob phenomenon born from social networking. The survey found that of the retailers that had been victimized, half experienced repeat incidents. The survey also found that young males were most commonly involved in flash robs. The NRF is requesting heavier criminal penalties for participants, feeling that the premeditative nature qualifies for a consideration of felony charges in some cases, while Montgomery County, Md., lawmakers are striving to introduce legislation aimed at crimes perpetrated by mobs. The NRF advises retailers to be proactive in preventing such crimes by scanning social networking sites for possible clues and by training staff to recognize and handle a flash mob situation. Retailers should also share information with other organizations about potentially troublesome flash mobs, and should preserve any evidence that may exist after an incident involving a flash mob takes place, the NRF said.
Obama Sharpens Pressure on Pakistan
Wall Street Journal (10/07/11) Rosenberg, Matthew
President Obama said during a news conference on Thursday that Pakistan is endangering its relationship with the U.S. by continuing to support Islamic militant groups. Obama's remarks came several weeks after then-Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Adm. Mike Mullen said that the Haqqani network--the militant group that is believed to have attacked the U.S. Embassy in Kabul last month--was basically a unit of Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence spy agency. Although he did not mention the Haqqani network by name, and though he did not directly accuse the ISI of having ties to the group, Obama said that his administration is troubled by some of the relationships that the Pakistani military and intelligence services have with "certain individuals." The president added that he believes that Pakistan supports the Haqqani network and the Taliban because it feels that these groups will help it maintain its influence in Afghanistan after the withdrawal of U.S. troops. Pakistan is concerned that Afghanistan could become a closer ally of India, its main rival, once the Americans are gone. Obama's comments, which Pakistan has yet to respond to, are unlikely to change Islamabad's policy towards the Haqqani network and the Taliban. In addition, Obama has been hesitant to tie U.S. financial assistance to Pakistan to security issues.
Afghans Say Plot to Kill President Hamid Karzai Uncovered
Los Angeles Times (10/06/11) King, Laura
Six people have been arrested for allegedly being involved in a plot to assassinate Afghan President Hamid Karzai. The two ringleaders of the plot were based in the tribal areas of Pakistan and are thought to have ties to al-Qaida and the Haqqani network, the militant group that is believed to have carried out the attack on the U.S. Embassy in Kabul last month. One of Karzai's own bodyguards is also believed to have been involved in the plot. The group is thought to have been planning to launch other attacks in Kabul besides the assassination of Karzai, and may have been planning attacks in the U.S. and Europe as well. Authorities are still looking for other individuals that they believe are co-conspirators. It remains unclear exactly how the alleged plot to assassinate Karzai was foiled.
U.S. Secretly Met Afghan Militants
Wall Street Journal (10/05/11) Rosenberg, Matthew
U.S. officials this summer reportedly held secret meetings with the leadership of the Haqqani network, the al-Qaida-linked militant group that is believed to have been responsible for last month's attack on the American Embassy in Kabul. The meeting was arranged by Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence agency, and was held as the Haqqani network was beginning to carry out more attacks in the Kabul area. During the meeting, U.S. officials reportedly asked the Haqqani network's main leader, Sirajuddin Haqqani, to cut ties with Taliban leader Mullah Omar and join the government of Afghan President Hamid Karzai. However, Haqqani reportedly denied that request. A senior U.S. official declined to discuss the negotiations with the Haqqani network, saying only that they were in the early stages and were not yet well defined. However, U.S. and Pakistani officials have said that the talks have borne little fruit so far. The meetings come as U.S. officials are increasingly realizing that military efforts alone will not be successful in stopping attacks by the Haqqani network. The meetings also took place as U.S. officials have publicly said that there is little chance that the Haqqani network will renounce violence and that reconciliation with the group is all but impossible.
Lawyers Seek NYPD Spy Docs as Lawmakers Duck Issue
Associated Press (10/04/11) Apuzzo, Matt
Lawyers for several civil rights organizations on Monday petitioned a federal court in New York City to force the New York Police Department to release records about the controversial counterterrorism programs that were uncovered in a recent Associated Press investigation. Under those programs, some of which were developed with the help of the CIA, members of a secret team called the Demographics Unit canvassed neighborhoods looking for businesses that catered to Moroccan immigrants. A database of Moroccan businesses in the city was also constructed, and stores owned by Moroccans were photographed by officers. In addition, officers were instructed to go into Moroccan neighborhoods in plainclothes in order to eavesdrop on residents. The request made by the civil rights lawyers is the first type of official action that has been taken against the NYPD since the AP's investigation. The move is part of a class-action lawsuit that was filed against the NYPD several decades ago for conducting surveillance on war protesters and activists. The request for the NYPD's records comes as some lawmakers and President Obama have maintained silence on the surveillance program. However, some lawmakers have said that they believe that the programs amount to racial profiling, while others have defended the programs as being legal.
Report: Al-Qaida's Yemen Chiefs Still Menace US
Associated Press (10/03/11)
The U.S. Military Academy's Combating Terrorism Center has issued a report discussing the threat from al-Qaida's affiliate in Yemen, as well as steps that the Yemeni government could take to defeat the group. The report, which was written before Friday's death of al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula's radical preacher, Anwar al-Awlaki, noted that a number of the group's top leaders remain committed to carrying out attacks on the U.S. Among them is Nasir al-Wahayshi, the terror chief of al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula who used to work for Osama bin Laden while he was in Afghanistan. Another important member of al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula who has yet to be killed or captured is Abdullah al-Rimi, the group's military leader. Al-Rimi is wanted for questioning over his alleged role in the 2000 bombing of the U.S.S. Cole. The report noted that the only way to neutralize the threat from al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula is to kill or capture leaders like al-Wahayshi and al-Rimi. The report also urged the Yemeni government to work with opponents of al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula, including the country's tribal leaders, to defeat the group. In addition, the report found that cooperation between opponents of al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula and the Yemeni government would undermine al-Qaida's message that change must come through jihad rather than the secular revolutions that have swept the Arab world so far this year.
Most Enterprises Face Increased Malware Risk From Social Media
Dark Reading (10/06/11) Wilson, Tim
Organizations may be compromising the security of their networks by allowing their employees to access social networking sites, according to a recent survey conducted by the Ponemon Institute. Of the more than 4,000 IT and IT security professionals around the world who took part in the survey, 52 percent said that their organizations had experienced more malware attacks because of the use of social media by employees. However, more respondents saw diminished productivity and reduced bandwidth as being greater consequences of social media use than compromised security. In addition, the study found that 29 percent of respondents said that their organizations had appropriate security measures in place to mitigate the threat from social media sites. Websense's Tom Clare says that the findings are troubling because scams and attacks frequently take place on social media sites, and because such attacks are likely to take place even more frequently as attackers begin using social engineering techniques.
US Lawmaker: China Cyber Espionage 'Intolerable'
Reuters (10/04/11) Cornwell, Susan
House Intelligence Committee Chairman Mike Rogers (R-Ala.) on Tuesday accused China of widespread cyber economic espionage and claimed many U.S. companies were afraid to reveal that they had been victims of these attacks because they were concerned that they would be the targets of reprisals. "China's economic espionage has reached an intolerable level and I believe the United States and our allies in Europe and Asia have an obligation to confront Beijing and demand that they put a stop to this piracy," Rogers said at a committee hearing on cybersecurity. A growing number of companies have dealt with cyber attacks, including Sony, Lockheed Martin and Citigroup, but it has often been unclear where the attacks originated. Rogers said those that there have likely been more attacks than those that have been reported, and that it has been difficult to determine where the attacks have come from. "Attributing this espionage isn't easy, but talk to any private sector cyber analyst, and they will tell you there is little doubt that this is a massive campaign being conducted by the Chinese government," Rogers said.
DHS: Government Has Limited Role Fighting Cyberthreats
National Defense (10/11) Parsons, Dan
Bruce McConnell, the senior counselor and director of cyber strategy at the Department of Homeland Security's national protection and programs directorate, said Oct. 4 that the federal government should not be the only entity that dictates how the nation's computers should be protected from cyberattacks. Security experts say that standards for cybersecurity should be created to provide users, government agencies, and Internet service providers (ISPs) with guidance about what to do in the event of the attack. However, companies, and ISPs in particular, are very resistant to government oversight, and would prefer the private sector be able to work with DHS officials to write response regulations. DHS, the Department of Commerce, and the Federal Communications Committee have begun studying the problem. They agree that legislation or other formal regulatory proceedings would not be flexible enough to adapt to the evolving cyberthreats facing both the public and private sector. Instead, DHS is reportedly interested in playing a "facilitative role," working with technical experts and private companies to create standardized responses for different types of cyberattacks.
Wall Street Warned About Possible Hacking Attack by 'Anonymous'
The Australian (Australia) (10/03/11)
The Department of Homeland Security has issued a warning about the threat from the hacker group Anonymous. According to the security bulletin, Anonymous will likely continue to try to attack publicly available Web servers, computer networks, and other targets for the immediate future. The security bulletin also noted that Anonymous could be motivated to launch cyberattacks by events such as Occupy Wall Street, the anti-Wall Street protests that are taking place in New York City. DHS did not say how it would monitor Anonymous' involvement in the protests. Meanwhile, a spokesman for Occupy Wall Street said that Anonymous supports the protests though it sometimes does so in ways that are not "beneficial."
GAO: Federal Data at Cyber Risk
Politico (10/03/11) Romm, Tony
A report released by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) has found that sensitive data stored by two dozen major federal agencies is at a significant risk of being stolen and compromised. The report, which looked at agencies such as the departments of Commerce, Defense, and Homeland Security, found that only minor improvements have been made in protecting information stored by government agencies. For instance, the report said that some agencies--such as the Office of Management and Budget--have done more to help secure the federal government's data. However, the report noted that federal agencies have not followed through on their information security plans, and are not doing enough to prevent unauthorized individuals from accessing government computers. In addition, GAO said that efforts by government agencies to mitigate denial of service attacks, block malicious code, or prevent users from breaking federal computer-use rules have been insufficient. All 24 agencies that were studied by GAO were also found to have poor "access controls," such as user identification systems and physical security measures. The GAO said that if steps are not taken to improve security, federal systems will remain at a heightened risk of being attacked or compromised.
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