"INTELLIGENT" COULD HAVE STOPPED THE "I-LOVE-YOU" VIRUS:

An intelligent software agent wearing a white hat and able to defend itself alone and in groups on today's Worldwide Web has been created at the Department of
Energy's Sandia National Laboratories, which counts among its credentials
the fastest computer in the world (ASCI Red) and the fastest
'home-assembled' computer in the world (C-Plant). "If every node on the
Internet was run by one of these agents, the I-Love-You virus would not have
got beyond the first machine," says Steve Goldsmith, lead scientist on the
project. In March, a coalition of these Sandia cyberagents successfully
protected five network-linked computers over two full working days of
concentrated attack by a four-person hacker force called the Red Team -- an
expert hacker group, also at Sandia, whose purpose is to test the defenses
of government and corporate computer systems. The cyberagent, still in the
laboratory stage, actually functions as a multiagent collective -- a
distributed program that runs on multiple computers in a network. These
could range from artists' collectives to international corporate computer
systems, and from neighborhood shopping groups to an armada of
computer-coordinated Abrams tanks. "We're less concerned with the teen-aged
kid and more with the serious agents from foreign governments or foreign
corporations who may take a long time, very gently probing to understand
where computers are that they can take over or compromise," says Goldsmith.
"On command, they can be made to act as a supercomputer to attack a target,
as happened recently, or crack a privacy code intended to protect financial,
medical, or other critical data."

UPI Science News

HACKER'S PLEA

by Joe Warminsky

Famed hacker Kevin Mitnick is working with First Amendment lawyers to find a way around his probation restrictions, which bar him from consulting or advising anyone in "any computer-related activity." Mitnick told the Wall Street Journal: "I'm basically out of work. The bottom line is, I'm sorry for what I did. Now I just want to move forward and help people,(and) make a living for myself." Larry Hawley, his probation officer, allowed him to speak to a Senate panel earlier this year about government computer security, but stopped short of giving Mitnick the green light to write a column for publisher Steven Brill's upcoming Web site, Contentville. If Mitnick's lawyers succeed, the Journal points out that he still won't be able to read the column online. His probation forbids him from using a computer until January 2003. Mitnick spent about five years in prison for hacking into the computers of major corporations.

"LOVE BUG" PLUS

by Joe Warminsky

The "Love Bug" virus caused audience ratings at anti-virus sites to skyrocket for the week that ended May 7. Nielsen/NetRatings says Symantec.com and McAfee.com saw increases of more than 100 percent in the total number of visitors who were surfing from home. The numbers for the on-the-job audience were even higher. Nielsen says McAfee.com had 1,439,346 unique at-work visitors, an increase of 239 percent from the previous week, and Symantec.com had 705,277 unique at-work visitors, an increase of 187 percent from the previous week.

BRIT SERVICE PROVIDER BALK AT MI5 SNOOPS

by Joe Warminsky

An Internet surveillance bill that is moving through Britain's Parliament continues to alarm privacy and civil liberty advocates there. The Regulation of Investigatory Powers bill would require Internet service providers to allow Britain's MI5 domestic security agency to snoop directly on their traffic. Government officials say the bill would not give British law enforcement any new powers, but opponents are concerned that it will allow agents to avoid getting warrants to collect information about people, namely the Web sites they are visiting. The bill was scheduled for its second reading in the House of Lords on Thursday.

MICROSOFT JUDGE WANTS TOUGHEST REMEDY

by Joe Warminsky

The judge deciding the federal antitrust case against Microsoft not only rejected the software giant's attempt for a lesser penalty, he seems to be asking the federal government to toughen its proposed remedy. U.S. District Judge Thomas Penfield Jackson on Wednesday asked antitrust attorneys from the Justice Department to revise their suggestion to break Microsoft into two. The judge turned down a request by Microsoft to allow the company several months for additional remedy hearings. The government's plan would separate Microsoft into a company that would handle the Windows operating system and another that would handle business and consumer applications. The government also asked that the two new companies be barred for up to 10 years from working together, a punishment Microsoft argued against, saying its engineers often give each other ideas about different products. Jackson said he wanted a new document from the Justice Department by Friday, and then he would give Microsoft 48 hours to respond.

BILL GATES, "INTERNET ENTERING THIRD-PHASE"

by Joe Warminsky

Microsoft founder Bill Gates said Wednesday that the Internet is entering a so-called "third phase" in which computer power becomes a more service-oriented tool that companies can use to strengthen ties with other companies, customers, business partners and even their employees. He described the Internet's place in the business world as becoming more of a two-way medium rather than a one-way, portal-driven system. "The Internet is entering a third, rational phase where the bottom line is technology, and online business needs will become increasingly interactive," Gates said, speaking at the company's annual CEO Summit at its headquarters in Redmond, Wash.

by Joe Warminsky

TRADEMARK INFO

Trademark and copyright law is becoming more and more important in electronic commerce, as every new business sports a slick logo, a slogan and intellectual property that could be worth millions. The humor site www.enormicon.com pokes fun at corporate image creation by explaining an 18-step system for setting up an e-business. Take Step 4, for instance: "eNormicom's patented Nametron 3000 uses a complex system of algorithms and formulas to combine morphemes, phonemes and gigonemes to create a Singular Cohesive Action Moniker (S.C.A.M.) for your company. The result is a truly best-of-breed name that conveys the essence of your brand's soul."

UPI

U2 "POPMART"

by Joe Warminsky

TVY RECORDS TO SUE MP3

Independent record label TVT Records became the latest company on Wednesday to sue MP3.com for copyright infringement. TVT, which has released music by Nine Inch Nails, Snoop Dogg, Guided By Voices and others, says that most of the songs in its catalog can be found in the MP3.com database. A group of major record labels won a similar suit against the digital music company in April. MP3.com said its service only access songs that users have already purchased on compact disc, thus limiting the spread of the digital files. The company agreed to remove the major-label songs from its database, pending a licensing agreement to use them.

FAILURE, IT'S A GOOD THING

Silicon Valley's movers and shakers have often perceived failure as a badge of honor, a sign that someone is willing to think big, even if the idea doesn't work the first time around. A new site, www.startupfailures.com takes the concept a step further, acting as a potential support group for anybody who has tried their luck in high-tech, only to crash and burn. "Our purpose is to take the stigma out of failing and help you recover quickly from the failure and get back in action," says the site's main page. Nick Hall, the site's founder, says he's failed in three industries: financial services, beverages and the Internet.

YAHOO PARIS

by Joe Warminsky

Yahoo! and a Paris court appear to be headed for a protracted legal battle over the Web portal's policy of allowing access to auctions and sales of Nazi memorabilia. The court on Monday said Yahoo! had hurt the "collective memory" of France and ordered the company to block access to the offending Web sites by July 24. Yahoo! on Tuesday said that doing so would set a problematic precedent for freedom of information on the Internet. Reports said the company is considering an appeal. France has laws against the sale or exhibit of objects that have racist overtones.

"HOW MUCH IS MY BID FOR THIS RIFLE SALVAGED FROM WACO!"

by Joe Warminsky

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