And Spreading Malware Hits Big and Small Alike

Periodically we like to share a few of the stories and posts from across the web that caught our eye.  There are no editorial threads implied connecting these items together, other than being interesting.

#1: LulzSec vs. NewsCorp: After very publicly disbanding just a few weeks ago, it seems the LulzSec hackers have come out of retirement and have a new target – Rupert Murdoch.

The “lulz” began early this week with a hack of The Sun, one of News Corporation’s many newspapers and sister publication to the recently shuttered News of the World.  “Media moguls body discovered” yelled the headline of a phony story, mocking Mr. Murdoch and the recent troubles of his News Corporation.

The bogus article was quickly erased, but the hackers warned of more serious problems to come.  Specifically, the LulzSec Twitter feed claimed the group has up to 4 gigabytes of private emails from the Sun’s servers – which they may, or may not, begin releasing, depending on which Twitter claim you believe.

@AnonymousSabu, thought to be one of LulzSec’s founders, tweeted that “We’re releasing something we found in The Sun’s mail server, shortly. Ouch. Ready for the media storm?”  But when that release failed to occur, @AnonymousIRC, associated with a hybrid LulzSec/Anonymous offshoot, tweeted this: “We think, actually we may not release emails from The Sun, simply because it may compromise the court case.”  That was quickly followed by this tweet from @LulzSec: “We’re currently working with certain media outlets who have been granted exclusive access to some of the News of the World emails we have.”

So far, no media organization has admitted to any partnerships with LulzSec, AnonOps, AntiSec or any of the other heads of the larger Anonymous hydra.  But  in an interview with British newspaper The Independent this weeek, Sabu warns that The Sun hack was “simply phase 1″ of a larger operation that hackers intend to launch against other News Corporation’s properties – and Murdoch himself.  Not content to stop there, Sabu then suggested additional targets, warning: “New York Times, Forbes, LA Times, we’re going in.” Read the rest of this entry »

Independent, non-profit public interest group “…dedicated to promoting the democratic potential of today’s open, decentralized global Internet.” Its mission: “…to conceptualize, develop, and implement public policies that will keep the Internet open, innovative and free.”

Address: 1634 I Street NW #1100, Washington, DC 20006
Phone: 202.637.9800
Website: www.cdt.org

A project within the Center for Strategic and International Studies, exploring “…how technological change affects security and economic growth in the new international environment. Current research includes cybersecurity, intelligencereform, military space, and Internet governance.”

Address: 1800 K Street NW, Washington, DC 20006
Phone: 202.887.0200
Website: csis.org/program/technology-and-public-policy

A donor-funded, non-profit advocacy organization founded in 1990 that “…continues to confront cutting-edge issues defending free speech, privacy, innovation, and consumer rights today.”

Address: 1818 N Street, N.W., Suite 410, Washington, DC 20036
Phone: 202.797.9009
Website: www.eff.org

The world has been hopping on and off the ‘Information Super- Highway’ now for almost 20 years. But is every lane of this cyber-roadway open to all? No – in a number of countries, access to and use of the Internet is heavily restricted. And in many other places, the Web isn’t as free as you might think. VOA’s Todd Grosshans has more.

Address: 1718 Connecticut Ave NW, Suite 200, Washington DC 20009
Phone: 202.483.1140
Website: www.epic.org

Non-partisan and non-profit think tank “…at the cutting edge of designing innovation policies and exploring how advances in information technology will create new economic opportunities to improve the quality of life.” Also works closely with the tech trade association and advocacy organization the Information Technology Industry Council.

Address: 1101 K Street NW, Suite 610, Washington DC 20005
Phone: 202.449.1351
Website: www.itif.org

A project of the Freedom Forum, with offices in Washington and at Vanderbilt University, the center “…serves as a forum for the study and exploration of free-expression issues, including freedom of speech, of the press and of religion, and the rights to assemble and to petition the government.”

Address: 555 Pennsylvania Ave NW, Washington, DC 20001
Phone: 202.292.6288
Website: www.firstamendmentcenter.org

A research center in Cambridge whose “…mission is to explore and understand cyberspace; to study its development, dynamics, norms, and standards; and to assess the need or lack thereof for laws and sanctions.”

Address: 23 Everett Street, 2nd Floor, Cambridge, MA 02138
Phone: 617.495.7547
Website: cyber.law.harvard.edu

One of seven on-going projects that comprise the Pew Research Center, the Internet Project is “a nonpartisan, nonprofit “fact tank” that…produces reports exploring the impact of the internet on families, communities, work and home, daily life, education, health care, and civic and political life.”

Address: 1615 L Street NW, Washington, DC 20036
Phone: 202.419.4500
Website: http://www.pewinternet.org/