Of journalists and terrorists

In this technological age, with everything getting smaller and more powerful, our privacy is slowly slipping through our fingers. That`s what "Wall Street Journal" reporter Pui-Wing Tam found this week.

In her article she tells how HP amassed a large amount of surveillance data on her while investigating possible board leaks.

The methods used were said to be "far from standard practice" and included pretexting, video surveillance and searching through Tam and other reporters` rubbish.

It`s funny to note that regardless of how advanced technology has become, it has not made scrounging through dustbins a more pleasant experience!

Phishers are changing their social engineering angles by using the press as a means to gain sensitive data from bank employees. Through a personally addressed e-mail claiming to be from "Finance News" the "reporter" says he is doing a story on the latest bank leak.

A link to a related news story is provided.

The link, which connects to a Chinese Web site, results in a key logging bot being downloaded onto all participating machines. This is just another example of how sophisticated scammers are becoming. Regardless of how much care is taken, they are inevitably one step ahead.

In this technological age, with everything getting smaller and more powerful, our privacy is slowly slipping through our fingers.

Ilva Pieterse, contributor, ITWeb

Oh, the ruthlessness and hatred that the word "terrorist" represents! These loathsome groups and individuals are very real. If the Internet is such a handy and indispensable resource for the rest of us, why should it not be so for evildoers?

According to the US Homeland Security secretary Michael Chertoff, the Internet is a vital tool for people planning terrorist attacks.

"We now have the capability for someone to 'radicalise` themselves over the Internet," Chertoff said. "They can train themselves over the Internet; they never have to necessarily go to the training camp or speak with anybody else."

A recent US crackdown on Internet child pornography has resulted in the arrest of 125 people nationwide, including police officers, high school teachers, and a federal border patrol agent.

Those arrested are accused of using a commercial Web site to access videos and images of hard-core pornography involving children as young as infants engaged in sexual activities with adults, according to federal officials.

Those who are meant to guide our children and help them stay safe in an increasingly dangerous world are the sick and perverted ones getting off on this kind of thing.

They need to have more crackdowns like these. These paedophiles themselves constitute terrorists - but with much weaker and smaller opponents.

Just a quick one from PandaLabs before I wrap up this week - be warned of an increase in lottery scams as the Christmas season approaches. People are especially vulnerable at this time, as the pressure of producing Christmas presents for friends and family and paying for holidays needs to be worked into budgets.

Remember, the holiday season also brings with it desperate criminals.

Sources used: Reuters, PandaLabs, CSO Online, The Register