Web Headlines

Headlines from around the Web for Thursday, Feb. 21, 2008
Compiled by Melanie Bender

Privacy Group Sounds Alarms Over Personal Health Records Systems

ComputerWorld

In some cases, people whose health care information is stored in online personal health records (PHR) systems may be exposed to serious data privacy risks, according to a warning issued by a privacy advocacy group. That's because not all PHR systems are covered by the federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, the World Privacy Forum said in a 16-page report released Wednesday.

Malware's New Mantra: Think Globally, Steal Locally

InformationWeek

The era of global malware, characterized by threats like Blaster and MyDoom, is drawing to a close. Malware authors have taken to designing malicious code for local markets. A report that McAfee plans to release on Thursday describes how malware creation over the past few years has transformed from a mass market endeavor into a regional one.

March Rollout for FBI’s Data Sharing System

Government Computer News

The FBI's Criminal Justice Information Service (CJIS) plans to launch the first increment of its National Data Exchange (N-Dex) law enforcement information sharing system March 19, according to program manager Kevin Reid.

Responders, Managers Team to Control IT Incidents

Federal Times

They may be government information technology managers, but they talk like members of a SWAT team. Information security incident response teams â€" quick responders who stomp information technology emergencies in their tracks, dissect the attacks and blockade future badness â€" are in high demand these days.

Candidates Not Tuned in to Cyberthreats to Campaigns

Government Computer News

Using the Internet in an election campaign is not a new idea, but would-be presidential candidates have embraced the concept in this election cycle like never before. But along with the newfound power of the Internet comes equally significant threats, said Oliver Friedrichs, director of emerging technology at Symantec Security Response.

D.C. Cameras Have Cut Violence, Study Says

The Washington Post

The use of surveillance cameras by D.C. police has lowered violence in some areas of the city and helped to identify suspects and solve crimes, police say in a report released this week. But some remain skeptical, and a council member is questioning whether the $4 million supply of cameras merely shifts crime away from the lenses.

DOD to Test System to Improve Intergovernmental Transactions

Federal Computer Week

The Defense Department’s Business Transformation Agency (BTA) will test a better way to transfer funds with other agencies in the next seven months. BTA Director David Fisher said Feb. 19 that after a successful internal DOD pilot program last year, officials want to expand the intergovernmental transfers trial with nonmilitary agencies.

Education Needed on Importance of Broadband to Rural Areas

Arkansas News Bureau

Enticing private companies to invest in extending expensive broadband Internet infrastructure into rural areas of the state may not require government incentives, but instead the education of Arkansans, industry officials said Wednesday. "The reason people don't have a demand for broadband primarily is because they don't understand what broadband can do for them," Arkansas Broadband Advisory Council Chairman James Winningham told members of a legislative committee on advanced communications and information technology.

Security Issue Tied to Chinese Investor Remains Unresolved

The Boston Globe

Bain Capital Partners' $2.2 billion deal for 3Com Corp. is on the ropes after Bain and 3Com failed to satisfy a federal agency that the transaction wouldn't harm national security. The deal, proposed in September, would take 3Com private and give a 16 percent stake in the company to Huawei Technologies, a company with close ties to the Chinese military.

Federal Government Falling Short on Cybercrime

SearchSecurity

The federal government is falling farther and farther behind its fight against cybercrime and, despite an increase in the amount of resources being allocated to address the problem, it will continue to struggle without a lot of help from law enforcement agencies at the state, local and international levels, current and former government security officials say.