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FBI amassing largest face, fingerprint, palm database in the world
Merry Christmas, American public! Reuters is reporting that FBI is moving ahead with its plan to spend a billion US taxpayer dollars on what it calls the Next Generation Identification system, which it aims to make the largest biometrics cache in the world. Because really, what could possibly go wrong in letting the government collect records of everyone's faces, fingerprints, and palm patterns (what, no retinal scans?) and even collude with private employers to automatically collect and add all the biometric data amassed during potential employees' criminal background checks? Nothing, absolutely nothing. Obviously.P.S. -The only other document on NGI we were able to immediately turn up appears to come from 2006, and it doesn't like the same that Reuters is referring to. [Warning: PDF link]
Several Second Life banks hacked - millions stolen
The last few days have seen some consternation in the Second Life economic markets as several banks have had their servers brute-forced hacked. Understandably there is a fair amount of uncertainty as some of the affected parties are being less than forthcoming, but according to Nobody Fugazi, normally a reliable commentator, the following banks have been attacked, although SLIB seems to have escaped without any loses: L&L Bank and Trust SL Investor's Bank Giovinazzo Choice Investments Whitfield Holdings/Royal Invest SL Business Bank LNLBT has publicly stated it has lost over US$11,000 (about L$3,000,000) and has currently suspended trading. LNLBT has also notified the governance team at LL and is working with them. One has to wonder when the police or FBI will be involved too. Hacking a server for cash is a criminal offense in most places, and although US$11,000 isn't the biggest fraud in the world, it's not something you're likely to see ignored.
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Passengers evacuate plane after finding ownerless cellphone
Just in case last month's airport scare wasn't enough, today we're finding that an Alaska Airlines flight from San Jose was evacuated upon landing "after a passenger found an unclaimed cell phone tucked in his seat." Both the FBI and Port of Seattle police eventually concluded that the mobile "posed no safety threat," but apparently, it was worth looking into. When found, the handset "appeared to have been taken apart, put back together and shoved into the seat," but after all was said and done, no humans were injured, other flights at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport were only delayed for about ten minutes and some poor soul is wishing he / she had opted for that cellphone insurance back in the day.[Via SlashPhone]
'Speed' in a grocery store? FBI investigates telecommuting robbers
High-tech foreign criminals may have hacked into retail security systems in order to remotely monitor customers and employees in the course of at least 12 bold robberies in as many states during the past week, officials say. FBI agents are seeking an individual or group of conspirators who have been calling stores and banks from Texas to Kansas to Rhode Island on pre-paid, overseas cellphones and informing whomever picks up that a bomb will be detonated at the location if funds are not wired to a specific offshore account. What's more, the caller claims to have visual surveillance of the premises and proceeds to give certain accurate details about the environment -- in one case attempting to get a hostage to cut off another's fingers, and in another forcing everyone in the store to strip naked. CNN is reporting that at least $13,000 has been extorted so far -- though the total is likely much higher -- and that investigators are now pursuing a suspect in Portugal "who appears to be linked to the account number" that the money is being transferred to.Read- CNNRead- KPHO[Via Slashdot]
Kidnap victim saved by the PSP
A Tennessee man who was kidnapped and tortured for nine days in a motel managed to escape thanks in part to the Sony PSP.According to an FBI report obtained by the Knoxville News Sentinel, one of the two assailants had given the other a hand-held video game that he played "virtually all day that day and much of the night." (GamePolitics later confirmed from an FBI filing that it was a PSP.) The victim loosened his bindings while the kidnapper played and, when the he had fallen asleep, used the opportunity to escape.Both men have been arrested in connection to the incident; there is an investigation as to the mens' involvement in similar cases.
Virtual Feds scope out 'Second Life' casinos
"Adam Reuters," the adorable virtual persona of real-life reporter Adam Pasick, breaks a story on FBI agents checking up on the virtual gambling in nerd hangout Second Life. Since gambling isn't legal in most of the US, it presumably isn't legal on the internet either, even when it's using "Cuddle Bucks" or whatever the pretend currency in Second Life is. So far, the Feds haven't shut anything down, but stay tuned ... any time now, a whole lot of furries may have to find another place to play the slots.[Via Second Life Insider]
FBI adds Iomega hard drive to most wanted list
Have you seen this drive? The FBI -- you know, the people in charge of your "permanent record" -- is offering up to $25,000 for information leading to the return of a missing "Iomega hard drive." Apparently, the drive contains personal information on "at least a half-million people." It was reported missing from the Birmingham, Alabama Veterans Administration Medical Center where it was used by an employee in medical research to backup data. That's right, medical research. So if you've seen the drive then by all means, let us know. We don't want the reward, we're just curious about the super-soldier hallucinogens developed by the VA's hippy chemists back in the late 60s... that's all.[Thanks, Chris]
FBI raid brings down illegal Lineage II service
The FBI's cyber squad has unsealed details of a California man's bid to host an illegal emulation of NCsoft's Lineage II MMORPG. The scheme was simple enough: obtain a copy of the game's stolen source code, rent some servers to host the game, undercut NCsoft's subscription fee -- and watch the money pile up. Blinded by greed, hoisted up by his arrogance, the man would let NCsoft hate (all the way from South Korea). They ain't gon' do nothin' 'bout it...When the man failed to shutdown his fraudulent site following a stern request, NCsoft turned to its Austin, Texas offices (didn't know about those, did ya?), which quickly contacted the FBI. Last November, agents raided the man's home and thereafter put an end to the crooked enterprise. The accused now faces up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.[Thanks, Froren]
Penny Arcade on FBI 360 confiscation
Penny Arcade takes on the recent middle school shooting threat in Ohio this week. 360 Fanboy readers will recall that an Ohio middle school student, during a game on Xbox Live, told a California teen that he had plans to bring a gun to school. The California teen's father subsequently contacted the FBI. The middle schooler was later arrested and several items were confiscated from his home, including a pistol and his Xbox 360. Some find the claim that the 360 is "evidence" to be rather dubious, and that is the subject of today's comic. Oh, and in case you're wondering why the man on the right is devouring what appears to be a necktie, it is in fact Fruit by the Foot. Hit the "read" link to check out the comic.[Thanks, JohnHeist. Image credit: Penny-Arcade (obviously)]
FBI taps cellphone mics to eavesdrop on criminals
While we figured the NYPD could just install Magic Message Mirrors in every mafia hotspot in the Manhattan area, the Genovese family has proven quite the eagle-eyed bunch when it comes to spotting wiretaps, tailing, and other (failed) attempts of bugging their conversations. In order to tap into critical conversations by known mafioso and other, less glamorous criminals, police are utilizing a "roving bug" technique which remotely activates the microphone of a crime lord's cellie, giving the boys in blue convenient access to their secret agenda(s). The presumably controversial tapping was recently approved by top US DoJ officials "for use against members of a New York organized crime family who were wary of conventional surveillance techniques." Software hacks (and actual phones, too) have previously allowed such dodgy eavesdropping to occur, with "Nextel, Samsung, and Motorola" handsets proving particularly vulnerable, but this widespread approach in tracking down criminal conversations could hopefully pinpoint future targets where prior attempts failed. Of course, if mafia members hit the internet every now and then, they're probably removing those batteries right about now anyway.
Fugitive's Skype call leads to his arrest
Here's a tip for all you privacy freaks out there: Skype isn't nearly as secure as you might think. Just ask Kobi Alexander, wanted by the Feds on charges of financial fraud, who was nabbed found by a private investigator earlier this week. Moshe Buller, the private investigator who's been trying to locate Alexander, tracked him down when Alexander's Skype call was traced to a computer in Sri Lanka. Alexander, the former CEO of the scandal-ridden Comverse, had been on the lam from U.S. authorities for a few weeks, and at one point his mugshot graced the website of the FBI. But fear not security-mongers, our friends at Ars link to a year-old study out from George Mason University that says that VoIP can be secured. Or not.Update: Ryan points out in the comments that Bloomberg News is reporting that Alexander may have left Sri Lanka before actually being arrested.Update 2: We traded emails with the Bloomberg News reporter, Jonathan Ferziger, who's been following the case, and who told us that Alexander was not arrested, according to Sri Lankan police spokesman Rienzi Perera. Ferziger added that Moshe Buller, the private investigator who's been on the case, "presumably knows where he went, although he hasn't said so publicly."[Via Ars Technica]
Man suspected of terrorism due to PSP
With a powerful 333MHz processor, GPS and wi-fi capabilities, and tons of Japanese girl games, the PSP can be transformed into a mighty tool for terrorists to use. At least, that's what a police officer thought when he pulled over Robert from PSP 3D."I started laughing, I knew nothing better to do at the time; these people thought I was a terrorist. They probably thought I was using the electronic device to decrypt confidential passwords, try to detonate some sort of triggered bomb, or something along those lines."You can head over to PSP 3D for the rest of this John Grisham-like thriller. And remember, next time you want to play your PSP on the plane, the FBI might be watching you...[Thanks, Joe!]
FBI seizes 20,000 CyberHome DVD players
It's all fun and games until the FBI comes a knocking. CyberHome USA of Fremont, CA just had more than 20,000 of their CyberHome-branded DVD players seized from a warehouse by a task force which included local, state and federal agencies. Turns out they've neglected royalty payments to Philips, to the tune of millions of dollars. Their DVD players and other consumer tech is sold through outlets such as Amazon, Best Buy, Circuit City, Fry's, Target and Wal-Mart, and they happen to be "one of the world's largest manufacturers and importers of DVD devices." California has laws on the books that provide for up to three years in prison and fines up to $500,000 for dealing with more than 1,000 items bearing a counterfeit mark, which CyberHome seems to have been doing in spades ever since Philips revoked their license. The players were loaded onto eight tractor-trailers, and are worth an estimated $2 million at retail. We're not exactly sure what the police plan to do with all that tech, but we're sure it'll involve a lot of "Starsky & Hutch - The Complete Second Season."
