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Friday, May 28, 2004

US 120 MILLION COMPUTERS TO BE PURCHASED in 2004 AND 140 MILLION IN 2005
Rise in PC shipments opens stock opportunities

Thomas Kostigen, CBS.MarketWatch.com; mailto:tkostigen@aol.com

SANTA MONICA, Calif. (CBS.MW) -- More personal computers will be replaced this year and next than in the scramble leading up to Y2K.

About 120 million personal computers will be replaced this year, according to The Gartner Group, the Stamford, Conn.-based research outfit, with 140 million more computers likely to be replaced next year. The swap represents a 13.6 percent rise in PC shipments worldwide this year and 9.8 percent in 2005.

Aging PCs -- more than 30 percent of which are at least three years old -- and growth in the United States and Asia are responsible for the increase, Gartner says in its PC Forecast Scenarios report for 2004/2005.

"Recent economic forecasts anticipate even stronger growth throughout 2004 for the United States, Asia/Pacific and Japan, despite persistently high oil prices," the report says. Indeed, Japan and the Pacific regions are already leading the world in terms of growth, as Morgan Stanley's country indices attest: Japan and the Pacific regions are the best performers.

Domestically, the U.S. Department of Commerce is also predicting PC sales will rise. Earlier this year, the Commerce Department issued a report revising upwards its projections for information-technology investment by small and medium sized businesses.

All this means computer makers like Dell (DELL), Hewlett Packard (HPQ), IBM (IBM) and Apple (AAPL), are poised to rise.

The PC sector is turning in good revenue results, up 14.3 percent as an industry this quarter compared to the same period last year. On a capital-appreciation basis, stock prices are up 9.6 percent industrywide, according to data from Reuters.

Semiconductor makers, who manufacture computer chips, and even software developers, whose systems run PCs, are also getting a lift from higher sales.

In fact, replacement of operating systems is mostly responsible for the PC growth.

"Expiring OS support will play a significant role in spurring PC replacement, more so than obsolescing hardware," according to the Gartner report. "About 40 percent of all installed PCS were running older versions of Windows... at year-end 2003."

Intel (INTC) and Microsoft (MSFT) are introducing new drivers this year. Intel's Celeron M microprocessor and its Dothan chip further enhance computers (like Compaq) that boast Pentium processing.

Microsoft was supposed to introduce its XP service-pack upgraded system this month, but has delayed that launch until the third quarter. The system upgrade is designed to further enhance security from viruses, worms and hackers. A delay means IT purchasers will put off buying until late this year or next, giving an additional boost to PC sales then.

On the down side, higher oil prices may throw a glitch into shipments next year. Oil prices could be a drag on incomes and profits and inhibit planed purchases.

Other digital devices are also stacking up as PC competitors. Gartner notes the plethora of new digital gadgets is forcing consumers to prioritize their electronics spending. But without a "killer app" that would replace the PC, competition from these devices, "may prove less adverse than it might seem over the long term."

Saving the leftovers

What's truly curious, however, is what will happen to the more than 200 million computers being replaced over the next two years.

George Shiffer, who co-authored the Gartner report, says he's doing further research on, "Where does all the stuff go?"

He says, "Some will be dumped, recycled. Some will be handed down, or stuffed in closets or put in storage. But that's a lot of machine."

And because of the sheer volume (nothing of this size and volume has ever come on the market before, he adds), businesses are being set up to receive PCs from the United States. and put back out on the market. Latin American businesses are especially keen to refurbish used PCs from the United States., he says.

"There's a strong secondary market," Shiffer says. "Who knows? EBay could even form a secondary market in them."

Echoing The Wasteland, what he hopes doesn't happen is to "see them dumped into landfills."

The rise of the PC replacement sector could be a boon for PC makers, but it also could be a boon for less-advantaged people and nations that can't afford new machines.

That way, lots of people could profit in many ways; and "PC" could live up to both its acronymic meanings.

Thursday, May 27, 2004

MARYLAND LAPTOP COMPUTERS STOLEN FROM BUSINESS Howard County Times: "
Junction Drive, 10000 block, Applied Signal Technology, between 5 p.m. May 14 and 7 a.m. May 18. Laptop computers stolen."

CALIFORNIA COMPUTER ANTI THEFT TRACKING PRODUCT REVIEW Anti Theft Product Helps Recover A Stolen Laptop Computer - Camelot MarketingNews Released: May 27, 2004
Anti Theft Product Helps Recover A Stolen Laptop Computer

(PRLEAP.COM) A laptop computer is an expensive piece of equipment and thieves love them. Over a million laptops are reported lost or stolen every year. What's even more distressing is that according to the FBI, less than 2 percent of them are ever recovered.

And while the loss of this valuable equipment is bad enough, consider the likelihood that the owners of these stolen computers may be even more distressed about the loss of their stored data. Many times, the data residing on the stolen laptop proves to be even more valuable to its owner than the laptop itself.

Wouldn't it be great if there was some way you could track your stolen laptop much like you can track a stolen vehicle these days? After all, there's equipment such as LoJack and services like OnStar you can either buy or elect to have installed as a factory option onto a new car.

These anti-theft products and services can pinpoint an automobile's location so that law enforcement agencies can move in, make arrests and recover your stolen property. If you fear the loss of your mobile computer and you want to do something to catch a thief, there is an anti-theft and tracking product you can buy.

nTracker, from Synet is a new anti-theft laptop tracking, recovery and data protection system that you can install on any mobile computer running Windows.

For more information and full review please go to:
http://www.computeramerica.com/content/columns/craig/2004/2004-05-24.htm

About Craig Crossman:

Craig Crossman is a Knight-Ridder newspaper columnist writing about computers and technology. He also hosts the nation's longest running nationally syndicated radio talk show on computers and technology, Computer America, heard on the Business Talk Radio network weeknights at 10PM ET. In South Florida, you can hear a rebroadcast of a selected Computer America show each Sunday evening at 8PM ET on WJNO 1290AM.

CALIFORNIA SAN JOSE COMPUTERS STOLEN Mercury News | 05/27/2004 | Police Blotter
MOUNTAIN VIEW

GRAND THEFT A computer was reported stolen at Microsoft, 1045 La Avenida Ave., about 1 p.m. Tuesday.

MENLO PARK

THEFT Someone removed a laptop computer at Belle Haven Elementary School, 415 Ivy Drive. The theft was reported about 7 p.m. Tuesday.

THEFT A scooter and laptop computer were reported stolen at Hillview Middle School, 1100 Elder Ave., about 12:45 p.m. Tuesday

AUSTRALIA COMPUTERS STOLEN Shepparton News Online - McPherson Media Group
POLICE update: Computers stolenShepparton News - Victoria,Australia
Computers and software valued at $10,000 were stolen from a business in
Field St last night. The thieves entered the premises by ...

FULL ARTICLE VIEWED WITH SUBSCRIPTION ONLY.......

ILLINOIS COMPUTER CRIMES SOLVED AT SCHOOLSNews - Park Ridge AdvocateThree Park Ridge teenagers were charged with theft and burglary last week in connection with 13 cases stretching over the last 16 months.

Police Blotter

Page 9

Park Ridge police have recovered more than $20,000 worth of stolen property in these cases, which involved the theft of at least five laptop computers, a bicycle and a CD player. Eleven of the thefts took place at Park Ridge public schools and park district facilities, the others included a residential burglary two weeks ago and a bicycle theft.

Facing one count of felony residential burglary and three counts of theft each are Mohammad A. Hamolaila, 17, of the 2000 block of South Newton Avenue, and Cody L. Barkus, 18, of the 900 block of North Florence Drive. Also charged with one count of felony residential burglary is Mitsu Y. Shah, 17, of 1100 block of North Potter Road.

The three appeared in Cook County Circuit Court in Skokie May 20 and were released on $5,000 bond each. Yesterday a judge scheduled their next court appearance for June 22.

"This is big," said Park Ridge Deputy Police Chief Thomas Swoboda last week. "I think that a lot of times when you're able to arrest a couple of individuals - a lot of times they can be responsible for a large number of crimes. This seems to be one of those situations."

While some of the stolen property - including a number of computers - was found in the possession of the three suspects, Swoboda said not all of the property has been recovered.

Park Ridge Police Chief Jeffrey S. Caudill credits "several investigative leads from citizens" and follow-up by Park Ridge detectives with leading to the arrests.

Caudill said he believes the arrests clear these thefts and burglaries from the department's "unsolved" list:

* May 11 - LDC projector taken from Maine South High School; a residential burglary on the 900 block of Forestview Avenue. List of stolen property not available.

* April 27 - CD player taken from Maine South.

* April 26 - Two laptop computers, a digital thermometer and U.S. currency taken from Lincoln Middle School.

* April 22 - Speakers taken from the Park Ridge Community Center.

* April 15 - Wireless headset taken from the Park Ridge Community Center; a volt meter taken from the Park Ridge Community Center.

* April 7 - LCD projector taken from Maine South.

* Jan. 16 - Computer equipment taken from Washington School.

* Jan. 13 - Two laptop computers taken from the Carpenter School.

* Sept. 16, 2003 - Sixty shirts and a bookcase taken from Maine Park Leisure Center.

* Aug. 4, 2003 - Bicycle taken from the 300 block of South Fairview Avenue.

* Feb. 4, 2003 - Laptop computer taken from Maine South.

WASHINGTON DC COMPUTER THEFTS REPORTED Montgomery County Crime (washingtonpost.com):

Computers Stolen"TWINBROOK PKWY., 12700 block, 5:30 p.m. May 11 to 8 a.m. May 12. Laptop computers were stolen from two offices. "

FREDERICK AVE. N., 200 block, 10:26 p.m. May 9 to 10:16 a.m. May 10. A computer and food were stolen from a business entered by breaking a door

EAST WEST HWY., 4400 block, 6 p.m. May 5 to 7 a.m. May 6. Computer equipment was stolen from a business entered by forcing open a door

JUNCTION DR., 10000 block, 5 p.m. May 14 to 7 a.m. May 18. Laptop computers were stolen from a business

Wednesday, May 26, 2004

C-CHIP TECHNOLOGIES RESEARCH REPORT C-Chip Technologies Corp.: "An Emerging Telemetry Company Providing
Asset Security and Remote Asset Management Solutions

C-Chip Technologies Corporation ('C-Chip' or the 'Company') is a Canadian-based developer and marketer of wireless, web-based communication tools that offer business users remote access, control and monitoring of a wide range of assets. These devices are used to secure and control access to vehicles, office equipment and industrial machinery. The Company recently started selling its first product, 'Credit Manager', a benefit denial receiver that can be incorporated into any vehicle by a car dealership or leasing company to deter consumers from withholding leasing payments. C-Chip?s tracking product, the 'Shadow', is being launched this quarter, and other security products, including the 'HAWK' RFID kill-switch, should follow shortly.

The telemetry market worldwide is expected to reach $12 billion per annum within three years, with a growth rate of 66% per annum. Although high-end telemetry systems are popular in the automotive industry, it?s likely the technology will rapidly move down market. Through its low-cost solutions, C-Chip is in position to benefit from this trend.

C-Chip is expanding its product line to include tracking capabilities and anti-theft devices. The diversification of C-Chip?s product line should enable the Company to attract customers looking for a bundled solution. Additionally, the Company should expand the ability to remotely manage assets beyond vehicles to consumer devices, including computers, high-end televisions and refrigerators.

The recent acquisition of Canadian Security Agency helps position C-Chip as a full-service asset monitoring and security company. C-Chip will soon be able to offer customers an end-to-end solution that includes hardware

CONTINUED at weblink"

NORTH DAKOTA COMPUTERS STOLEN FROM SCHOOL AP Wire | 05/26/2004 | Property stolen from Minot school: "Posted on Wed, May. 26, 2004

Property stolen from Minot school

Associated Press


MINOT, N.D. - About $7,500 worth of property was taken from classrooms at a school here, police say.
Detective Bob Barnard said at least three computers were stolen from North Hill Elementary, along with a 27-inch television, a boom box, a computer scanner and a North Dakota state flag.
The burglars apparently cut window screens to get into the school early Monday morning, Barnard said."

BRITISH COLUMBIA MAPLE RIDGE SCHOOL HIT BY COMPUTER THIEVES Maple Ridge NewsThe school district is stepping up its security with electronic entry systems, patrols and other measures after recent thefts of school master keys.
Every school in the district has had its locks changed after thieves broke into the district education office on Brown Avenue May 9 and made off with about $80,000 worth of computer equipment plus master keys.
About a month earlier, a copied master key was found broken off in a lock at Garibaldi secondary and there was a rash of unexplained early-morning alarms at several local schools.
Secretary-treasurer Don Woytowich said Thursday local school sites will now all receive distinctive high-security keys that are next to impossible to copy without permission.
"Also, we're trying to really reduce the number of keys that are out there," Woytowich said. "We do know that we have had, I think, a problem with people being too willing to pass keys off in a school, and we think the first incident was just that."
The district will also be moving to electronic card entry systems for all schools. High schools will get the first card systems, which cost about $5,000 each. As the budget permits, they will be phased in a few at a time over the coming years, Woytowich said.
The May 9 break-in took place in the evening, when both a dispatch clerk and custodian were on site.
Woytowich said the dispatch clerk heard some noise but thought it was the custodian. The custodian later stumbled across one of the thieves, who fled the scene.
It's believed more than one person is responsible for the thefts, which included about four servers and four expensive systems for testing networks. The equipment did include software and some district information, but Woytowich doesn't expect any long-term problems.
He also doesn't expect to see the equipment again.
"Normally what happens is this sort of stuff is pawned pretty quickly," he said.
More alarming is the degree of organization required for the job. The thieves knew the alarm would be off because staff were on site, and that the custodian would be working at the opposite side of the building from the computer lab.
"They were too organized for it to be a random break-in," school board chair Cheryl Ashlie said.
Ashlie stopped short of calling it an inside job, but said the thieves' detailed knowledge "does definitely cause us some concern."
Also unknown is whether or not the key theft was pre-planned. Woytowich said master keys are supposed to be kept with the person who signs them out and shouldn't have been on site. No disciplinary action is being planned, he said, but the proper sign-out procedure will be reinforced.
The district has also increased patrols at the district education office and has introduced some new security measures that only a select few will know about.
"I can tell you we have made a number of changes to make sure the same type of incident couldn't happen again," Woytowich said.
Police continue to investigate the thefts. Ashlie said she hopes the criminals are brought to justice - particularly because they were so organized.
"I would like to see this followed through on," Ashlie said. "I'd hate to think we're going to be a target on an ongoing basis."

BALTIMORE LAPTOP COMPUTER STOLEN FROM STATE HIGHWAY DEPARTMENTbaltimoresun.com - Police Blotter: "Theft: A laptop computer valued at $4,500 was stolen Monday from the desk of an employee at the State Highway Administration building in the 700 block of N. Calvert St. "

RHODE ISLAND COMPUTER LAPTOP STOLEN FROM UNIVERSITY projo.com | Providence, R.I. | Member CenterProvidence,RI,USA
... on May 18. Diane Maynard reported that a laptop computer was stolen
from her office at a Johnson & Wales University building at 334 Westminster
St. on May 18. ...

Tuesday, May 25, 2004

US DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITYDHS | Department of Homeland Security | Information & Infrastructure

Information & Infrastructure

The Department's research and technology focus will seek to develop capabilities to detect and deter attacks on our information systems and critical infrastructures. The S&T Directorate will develop a national research and development enterprise to support homeland defense. This research and development effort will be driven by a constant examination of the nation's vulnerabilities, repeated testing of our security systems, and a thorough evaluation of the threats and weaknesses in the system.

Internet Security

DHS will promote research and development of software and technology that will protect information systems and databases.

Current best practices for protection are available through the following web sites:

National Infrastructure Protection Center
Federal Computer Incident Response Center
SANS Institute
CERT Coordination Center


Telecommunications

DHS will support the telecommunications critical infrastructure by promoting research and development of tools and technology to prevent disruption or compromise of these services.

For additional information on the telecommunications sector refer to the following web site:

National Communication System helps maintains a close working relationship between the government and the telecommunications industry

Security Systems

One important DHS priority will be to examine the vulnerabilities found in security systems. The emphasis will be on catastrophic terrorism - threats to the security of our homeland that could result in large-scale loss of life as well as triggering major economic repercussions. The focus will be on both evolutionary improvements to current capabilities as well as the development of revolutionary new capabilities.

AUSTRALIA REWARD OFFERED BY BUSINESSMAN FOR RETURN OF STOLEN COMPUTERS portmacquarie.yourguideWork lost in computer theft
Wednesday, 26 May 2004

By LAUREN BARKER

A COMPUTER software designer wants his computer back – so much so he is offering a $3000 reward to the person who tracks it down.

His laptop was among three computers stolen from his Flynn St home in a brazen daylight break-in on Sunday.

People say that information makes the world go round, but for this business professional, it is his entire world.

A project he has been working on for eight months, which was two days from completion, was among the information stored on his computer hard drive.

He was due to send the project to his Sydney employers on Monday, only to come home the night before to discover his house ransacked and $10,000 worth of equipment stolen.

"I was in shock ... extreme shock," said the owner, who does not want to be named.

"To come home and see your house turned upside down is hard."

The equipment included a HP Pentium PC laptop worth $5500. It is described as black with a HP logo on the front and various connection features.

There was also an Apple PowerBook G4 and an Apple iBook, both containing university notes and original music recorded by the owners.

The businessman has 20 clients across the country and is working on projects for many of these.

"The laptops usually come everywhere with us," he said.

"A lot of the information stored on the computers is personal."

He said he usually copied his work to another disc but, because he had been travelling, he had not bothered for the past six weeks.

Now he is focusing on getting the computers back by offering a healthy reward.

"A new computer won't help solve the problem ... I don't have my work," he said.

Anyone with information can contact 0405 789 167

GEORGIA COMPUTERS STOLEN FROM LIBERTY MUTUALAccessNorthGa.com - North Georgia's Newsroom: "GAINESVILLE - Gainesville Police are looking for what happened to $8,000 worth of missing computer equipment from Liberty Mutual on Browns Bridge Road.

'It occurred sometime between Friday and Sunday of last weekend,' says Police Lt. Jeff Harris. 'It was reported on Monday.'

'It appears that, at some point, there were workers in the building that could have been involved,' Harris says. 'However, investigators are still working on suspects, and working on the case at this time.'

Harris says authorities can't say exactly what type of equipment was stolen, and there was very little damage left behind."

UTAH LAPTOP STOLEN FROM UTAH VALLEY STATE COLLEGE UVSC basketball player arrested for a burglary in Orem :: The Daily Herald, Provo UtahTwo separate incidents in the past week have landed one Utah Valley State College basketball player in jail for a burglary in Orem and have police seeking an unidentified teammate for questioning in connection with a simple assault in Salt Lake City.

Orem police arrested David A. Heck, 19, of Orem on Saturday morning on a charge of possession of stolen property after a purportedly stolen laptop computer was found in his apartment at Village on the Parkway, Orem Police Lt. Doug Edwards said. Heck was booked into Utah County Jail and has been released on his own recognizance.

Orem officers say they have identified a second suspect involved in the incident and are expected to take him into custody, Edwards said. He did not name the suspect.

Meanwhile, Salt Lake City police were looking for a UVSC basketball player in connection with a simple assault that allegedly occurred early Thursday morning outside Club Vortex in downtown Salt Lake City.

Heck, a sophomore forward on UVSC men's team, is currently enrolled in the school, said Derek Hall, UVSC spokesman. Athletic director Mike Jacobsen was trying Monday to meet with the student athletes, he said.

UVSC men's basketball coach Dick Hunsaker said Monday he had only heard Heck's side of the story and could not comment.

Heck and a second man are suspected of entering an unlocked apartment Saturday morning at Village on the Parkway. The victim, who was sleeping in the apartment at the time, heard voices and awoke to find his $1,200 laptop computer and $300 speakers were gone. The victim called the police at about 2 a.m.

A witness saw the men in the area, Edwards said, and identified them for police.

"They eventually found the computer in Mr. Heck's apartment, and he was arrested," Edwards said.

Two days earlier, Salt Lake police responded to a call of simple assault outside Club Vortex, 404 S. West Temple St., involving a UVSC basketball player, according to a Salt Lake City Police Department report.

The Herald learned about the incident from an e-mail Monday.

Police did not release the player's name. Names were blacked out in the Salt Lake police report.

According to the report, the assault stemmed from a basketball game played earlier in an Orem gym. The game became heated and an argument broke out.

Later, participants happened to be at Club Vortex at the same time, the police report said. Three brothers left the club and were walking north and were stopped by six others at about 390 S. West Temple, the report said. Some comments about the game were exchanged and one man was punched in the face, it said

WYOMING COMPUTER STOLEN FROM RESTAURANTIn Brief: "Casper restaurant burglarized

The Western Grill restaurant, 2333 East Yellowstone Hwy., reported a break-in Sunday, Casper police said.

Sgt. Larry Baker said the suspect broke a window out to get into the business and that the person took a laptop computer.

The unknown thief left the business through a back door, he said."

NEW YORK COMPUTERS STOLEN FROM COUNCILMAN's OFFICENew York City - PoliticsMay 24, 2004

Controversial City Councilman Allan Jennings' Jamaica office was burglarized over the weekend, he said.

Jennings said that $3,000 in camera video equipment, a laptop and recently ordered Gateway desk top computers were stolen from his office sometime over the weekend.

"They just cleaned us out," Jennings said. "Criminals don't have any regard for anything, they don't respect the church and they don't respect government offices. This is terrible."

Police responded to the office on 146th Street just after 9 a.m. yesterday. Apparently a staffer closing the office at 7 p.m. Saturday, pulled down the metal gate and didn't lock it, police said. When the staffers returned to work Monday, they found the gate partly up.

The office burglary marked the second time in the past week that police were called to Jennings office. On Thursday, police were called after Jennings received a death threat, a council official said.

Jennings confirmed that he had received a death threat in a letter mailed to his office that contained racial epithets.

Jennings said that detectives took DNA and fingerprint samples from the letter.

In March, Jennings received another threatening letter that appeared to contain a white-substance when it was opened.

The substance proved to be harmless and the FBI arrested an individual already under investigation for making terrorist threats against public officials, Jennings said.

Jennings has been at the center of a sexual harassment scandal at City Hall where a female staff attorney accused him of making unwanted sexual advances. The embattled councilman blamed the negative media coverage for the death threats.

Monday, May 24, 2004

CeBIT AMERICA CeBIT America - Homepage
CeBIT America is the leading Information & Communications Technology (ICT) event for the Enterprise Business Marketplace. Attend this event to gain insight, information and answers to all of your enterprise technology needs.

This world-class event brings together buyers and sellers of Information & Communications Technologies to share industry perspectives, network and conduct business.

CeBIT America’s exhibition floor and conference programs are designed to provide a fresh look at ICT technology and to assist you in making informed decisions with the latest strategic direction on industry trends and best practices in integrated business solutions

BULLDOG TECHNOLOGIES INVESTMENT OVERVIEW FROM CEOCASTCEOcast - Newsletters: "SPECIAL SITUATIONS:
Bulldog Technologies, Inc. (OTCBB: BLLD) $2.73
With the growing focus on security, we have searched for promising ideas in the area. One area that has only recently begun to receive scrutiny has been the shipment of cargo. With millions of containers shipped daily to and from remote locations, the risk of dangerous cargo entering the country has never been greater. Bulldog Technologies has developed a remote security system specifically for use in the cargo transportation industry. The Bulldog Security System, widely known throughout the cargo industry as BOSS, can be used to protect and monitor cargo containers, semi trailers, trucks/vans and other assets in storage or while in transit.
Where does the opportunity exist? While it is widely recognized within the shipping industry that while in storage or in transit, cargo containers are sealed but usually not locked or alarmed, few outside the business are aware of this risk. One of the biggest issues facing shippers today is cargo theft, which exceeds $10 billion annually. Bulldog's line of products protects cargo from being stolen as well as unwanted packages being planted on board of transport vehicles.
Bulldog has developed real-time monitoring and intrusion detection products that allow dispatchers, security personnel, emergency response teams, and drivers to monitor valuable cargo during the storage and delivery processes. The Bulldog Online Security System offers comprehensive security monitoring for cargo transported in tractor-trailers, delivery trucks/vans and ocean containers. The company?s products protect the cargo from the time it is stored in a yard throughout the delivery process. The sensors have the ability to monitor door seal integrity and any movement of trailer. It interfaces with the Bulldog Security Server to allow for ththe use of roof-top sirens, flashing lights and security monitoring services. If a truck using Bulldog is tampered with or stolen, the driver receives notification via a pager within 10 seconds.

While the container industry is growing at 5% to 8% annually, location based GPS sales have grown much more rapidly, reaching an estimated $16 billion last year alone. With 30 million containers carrying cargo internationally, the challenges of securing such assets are daunting. Since BLLD’s product retails for just $1,500, a carrier could receive much of its initial investment back in the form of reduced insurance premiums. Recently, global insurance provider Royal & Sunalliance agreed to offer significant incentives for users of Bulldog's products. Companies will receive a 20% discount in their annual insurance premiums associated with theft and a reduction in the deductible associated with theft claims from the current deductible of 30% of the value of the shipment to 15% of the value of the shipment. The Ecuadorian branch of ACE Seguros S.A., which provides insurance and re-insurance services for the cargo transportation industry throughout Latin America, also has begun to offer similar incentives. Due to the severe security concerns within cargo transportation in Ecuador, ACE has committed to a premium discount of 20% and a deductible discount of 15% for cargo secured with the Bulldog System. If other insurers follow suit, this could create a major marketing opportunity for the company.

BLLD has also inked key distribution agreements and formed important strategic partnerships. EMS Technologies, Inc., a leading innovator in the design and manufacture of wireless and satellite solutions, which focuses its unique range of advanced technologies on the needs of broadband and mobile information users, is one. BLLD will use some of its technology in the BOSS™ System. Among distributors, the company has signed deals with Nettel Incorporated to distribute its products in Ecuador and Eurocomm Paging of Texas. Recently, it entered into an agreement with Energy Control Systems of Saudi Arabia, to secure petroleum tanker trucks.

The company has accomplished a great deal since going public last November via a reverse merger. It recently completed a private placement, raising just under $5 million at $2.25 per share, which should help it accelerate production and marketing initiatives. The company began production of the first BOSS™ units in January. The stock has been volatile lately, reaching a high of $5 in mid-April, before retreating to current levels. Still, it has gained 44% for the year. With a first-mover advantage in a huge untapped market, there appears to be much upside potential here.

"

MIAMI COMPUTERS DESTROYED AT HIGH SCHOOL PREVIOUSLY VICTIMIZED BY VANDALS nbc6.net - News - Vandals Cause $40,000 Damage At Coral Gables High SchoolPOSTED: 5:51 pm EDT May 24, 2004
UPDATED: 6:06 pm EDT May 24, 2004

CORAL GABLES, Fla. -- Vandals broke into a South Florida school between Sunday night and Monday morning, smashing computers, vandalizing books and killing the school's expensive exotic fish.

The vandals also covered their tracks, taking out a surveillance camera panel that could have captured their identities and dropping the videotapes into the school’s salt-water aquariums.

They also took some fish out of the aquariums and cut their heads off, apparently with a large paper cutter, then put foam into tanks to kill the rest o the fish, according to police.

Coral Gables High School officials estimate the damage at between $40,000 and $50,000.

The school’s principal told police he left the school at 5 p.m. Sunday and found the damage when he returned to the school at 4:30 a.m. Monday.

In the library, books were strewn around the floors and aisles. There were also glow sticks left behind, apparently as a marker of the vandals’ path.

School administrators were forced to move 12 classes as a result of the damage.

Coral Gables High School Principal Alex Martinez called on the public to help identify the perpetrators.

“It's one of those issues where, you know, schools need all the help possible, especially when you acquire important items like computers and all types of technology, and then to have something as senseless as this happen,” Martinez said.

The school was the site of a similar incident in August 2003, when nine computers were stolen.

They found the culprit and his accomplices after other students and video cameras in the school spotted them.

This time, police will not have the luxury of surveillance tapes to use in their investigation. But they are hoping someone saw something, perhaps from one of the school’s athletic fields, which are used by community residents on weekends.

GHANA COMPUTERS STOLEN FROM MINISTRYGeneral News of Monday, 24 May 2004“Don’t Politicize Burglary At My Ministry” – Barimah
The Minister of Employment and Manpower Development, Mr Yaw Barimah has asked the public to give a political slant to the theft case in his office last Thursday, 20th May 20004.

According to the Minister, the case is a criminal one which has been reported to the police for further investigations.

Speaking to Peace FM today, May 24, Mr Barimah hoped that the perpetrators of the crime would be uncovered and would subsequently be made to face the law. The Minister stated that, in the theft case, two computers and their central processing unit (CPU) which both belong to his private secretary were taken away by the thieves.

Mr Yaw Barimah said equipment contain recent vital information on labour. The theft of the computers at the Ministry has however been linked to a ploy by security personnel to hide some files containing vital documents that may exonerate former Employment and Social Welfare Minister, Alhaji Mohammed Mumuni, from allegations of money laundering and fraud made by Messrs Bafour Awuah and Associates.

National security agents are being accused of acting on orders from above. Reacting to these, the Minister said the documents the former Minister was asking for, are still available at the Ministry and not part of the records stored in the CPU stolen.

He said he suspects an insider who has access to the building, may be behind the theft

NEW YORK COMPUTER LAPTOP SECURITY ISSUES Buffalo News - Who ya gonna call when bad boys filch a computer? Laptop copsWho ya gonna call when bad boys filch a computer? Laptop cops

By FRED O. WILLIAMS
News Business Reporter
5/24/2004

Photo illustration by Bill Wippert/Bufffalo News

Lugable laptops appeal to all kinds these days, from college students to traveling professionals - even some grade schools hand them out.
Also attracted are thieves.

Who can blame them, when the electronic swag is worth an average $1,800 or more, easily plucked from a conference room or drowsy airport gate. Precise figures are hard to come by, but estimates put laptop thefts at more than 100,000 annually. In a survey by the Computer Security Institute in San Francisco, 251 corporate respondents said laptop theft cost them $6.8 million in 2003, an average of $27,000 per company.

How to protect your lugged one?

You can chain most machines like a bicycle using a built-in slot, providing at least a deterrent. But carrying a steel cord is a turnoff - and it won't help you while on the go anyway, unless you chain the machine to your wrist.

Now, laptop cops are coming up with new technological bells and whistles - literally, in some cases - that use electronic brains to outwit snatchers.

Motion sensors like the $100 Targus Defcon, an add-on PC card, take a car-alarmlike approach, sounding off when jostled. Some alarms come with a remote control that lets you squelch the siren, so they can be left on during travel.

Then there's the LoJack approach, used by tracking software that will signal the laptop's location when it's connected to the Internet. Hidden on the hard drive, programs like LapTrak and xTool secretly transmit the machine's Internet address. For $49 a year xTool maker Stealth Signal in Houston will track your laptop and, if stolen, figure out the user's location. Then it's up to police to make the bust.

That may sound like a lot of trouble, but if you're using a company-provided laptop, you may already be running tracking software and not know it. Corporate laptops are increasingly protected - and trackers are finding that theft is often an inside job.

"We've caught a lot of people in companies," said Victoria Correa, director of sales and marketing for Stealth Signal. "One lady reported it stolen, then took it on vacation and used it the whole time," Correa said. "When she got back, they already knew (the thief) was her."

Daniel M. Deakin, associate director of local-area-network systems at the University at Buffalo, calls tracking a "pretty neat technology."

"With the software they put on there . . . the next time (the laptop) shows up on a network, it phones home," he said.

Tracking technology doesn't get the endorsement of Buffalo police, however. Lt. Jacob Ulewski said he went to an address on Oak Street once that was fingered by a computer company as the location of a stolen laptop.

"The guy denied everything," and there wasn't enough evidence to obtain a warrant, he said - especially for a relatively small property crime. "The whole thing isn't worth it."

Correa said Stealth Signal recovers 72 percent of stolen laptops. Not always quickly - the company recently recovered a machine that went missing back in 2001, she said.

If you're carrying corporate secrets or your Ph.D. dissertation, locking down your data is more important than your hardware. Some operating systems like Windows 2000 Professional block access with a password, while software like Pretty Good Protection, distributed free for personal use, locks individual files and folders.

"People should think about the data that's on their notebook," said Robert Richardson, editorial director at the Computer Security Institute. "You really should imagine your worst enemy sitting down and rubbing their hands together" over the trove of information on your hard drive.

That's the approach that Russ Miller takes. As director of the supercomputer center at the University at Buffalo, Miller runs one of the academic world's biggest number crunchers. But on the road, he takes a "relatively inexpensive" laptop with him.

"I never put anything confidential on there," he said, restricting the lightweight machine for e-mail and whatever presentation he might be giving. The computer code he develops for simulating molecular structure? That he leaves at home.


e-mail: fwilliams@buffnews.com



NEW YORK LONG ISLAND COMPUTER STOLEN FROM BUSINESSNewsday.com - Long Island Crime/Courts: "Garden City Park

An Atlantic Avenue business was entered through a window April 26 or 27. Computer equipment was reported stolen."

AUSTRALIA BUSINESSES COUNT THE CYBER COST OF WEAK COMPUTER SECURITYAustralian IT - Security reels under virus load, says survey (Karen Dearne, MAY 25, 2004)Security reels under virus load, says survey
Karen Dearne
MAY 25, 2004

BUSINESSES are struggling to keep ahead of the large volume of attacks on IT systems and the ever-changing threats, the 2004 Australian Computer Crime and Security Survey shows.

Organisations are doing more to protect their networks, but about half were hit by attacks in the past year that harmed the confidentiality, integrity or availability of systems.

Electronic attacks and other computer crime cost public and private organisations an average $116,000 each — up 20 per cent on the previous year.

Respondents reported a total of $15.9 million in financial losses.

A whopping 88 per cent of attacks involved viruses, worms or Trojans, representing 45 per cent of total financial losses.

Of repondents surveyed, 60 per cent said attacks were successful largely because of unpatched or unprotected software — up from 29 per cent a year earlier — and 61 per cent said keeping up to date with threats was the hardest part of managing computer security.

They found it difficult to apply all critical patches to their systems in a timely manner.

Theft of laptops (58 per cent) and insider abuse of computer resources (69 per cent) were common problems.

The findings were greeted with concern yesterday at AusCERT2004, the Asia-Pacific IT Security conference held this week at the Gold Coast.

The survey, conducted by AusCERT in conjunction with law-enforcement agencies, canvassed large and medium organisations in 17 private industry sectors and local, state and federal government.

"Businesses are no longer sitting back in ignorance, but the environment is becoming more difficult to deal with," AusCERT director Graham Ingram said.

"People have been hit so often and so hard that dealing with these things should be an essential part of business.

"It's highly disturbing to find 60 per cent of attacks exploited common vulnerabilities."

Mr Ingram said early warning and preparation were key issues.

"We've got to stop the vulnerabilities that these worms exploit from being out there in such huge numbers," he said.

"That gets back to better software and better systems running on the internet."

The report's author, AusCERT's Kathryn Kerr, said worms and viruses did not discriminate; once released, writers had no way of knowing who would be hit.

People doing remote scanning were generally uninterested in their victims, but the machines they compromised could be used against others.

"An attacker's modus operandi is to compromise a third party's machine, whether it's a home user's ADSL broadband connection or a university's massive bandwidth link," Ms Kerr said.

"This minimises the chances of tracking back to the attacker."

Alastair MacGibbon, director of the AFP's High Tech Crime Centre, said criminals were constantly scanning the internet for vulnerable machines to hide behind.

"People might store their tools on one system and launch an attack from another," he said.

"You can turn up the compromised box but it's much harder to see where the traffic is coming from — to find who's controlling it.

"It's very rare that you can go straight to the offender, but there is a greater perception of anonymity than there is real anonymity. It's a matter of whether we are able to focus our resources."

Most attacks were launched from compromised boxes outside Australia, and the AFP routinely conducted inquiries offshore via its liaison network, he said.

"We're certainly seeing money flows offshore, particularly going into eastern Europe," Mr MacGibbon said.

"Because of the nature of electronic crime, though, that may not be the end-point for the money."

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THE FINDINGS

Companies that are part of the nation's critical information infrastructure (CII) suffered more damage than those that were not. Half this sub-group reported harmful attacks, compared with 42 per cent of non-CII firms.

Most attacks came from external sources. "Unsolicited malicious damage" was cited by 52 per cent.

70 per cent of organisations reported higher spending on computer security in the past year, but only 5 per cent said they were managing all IT security issues well.

69 per cent said IT security staff lacked training and skills and 85 per cent thought general staff and management lacked awareness of security issues.

65 per cent said changing user attitudes and behaviour was a major challenge.

75 per cent said they had not reported harmful attacks to police or other authorities, compared with 62 per cent a year ago. Incidents were either considered not serious enough to report, or the organisation had not been explicitly targeted.

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Karen Dearne is attending AusCERT2004 as a guest of AusCERT

NORTH CAROLINA POLICE ADDRESS COMPUTER DATA THEFT The Robesonian Online:

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"Computer danger
Lumberton police Lt. Mickey Biggs says his department has seen a dramatic increase over the last year in reported identity theft cases, with cases rising to as many as one or two a week.
And more often than not, the computer is the high-tech avenue most of the culprits take in separating people from their personal information. Biggs said folks who store their personal information on laptop computers are doubly-victimized when their laptops are lifted.
Biggs suggests using Spyware or firewall programs that can be bought at computer or office supply stores or downloaded free off the Internet to help protect your personal information. And Biggs says it's probably best not to store any financial information on a laptop that is easily stolen"

JAPAN GOVERNMENT OFFICE ROBBED OF COMPUTERSMainichi Interactive - Top News: "Ibaraki government office robbed of computers, cash

HITACHI, Ibaraki -- Fifteen personal computers and nearly 700,000 yen in cash has been stolen from a local government office here, police said Monday.
Drafts of in-house documents are recorded on the computers' hard disks, but they do not contain any personal information, city officials said.
At around 7 a.m., a security guard posted to the building of the Hitachi Municipal Government's Public Enterprise Bureau in the Sukegawacho district found one of its windows broken, and alerted local police.
Police officers found that 15 laptop personal computers had been stolen from two sections of the bureau. Moreover, a fireproof safe had been pried open and about 690,000 yen collected as tap water and sewage charges were stolen.
The Public Enterprise Bureau is located about 100 meters away from the municipal government headquarters. (Compiled from wire reports, Japan, May 24, 2004)"

Sunday, May 23, 2004

SAN FRANCISCO DATA THEFT PROBLEMS DUE TO COMPUTERS STOLEN Growing use of laptops a security risk for customer infoThousands and thousands of consumers' Social Security numbers have gone missing in recent months due to a rash of thefts involving computers and stored data.

So why would Bank of America tell its workers that, beginning in October, they'll be required to carry around bank-owned laptops if they want to access the company's network from remote locations?

That edict is contained in internal memos recently issued to BofA employees, along with a new policy that relatively safe desktop PCs used for working from home will have to be replaced with laptops toted to and from the office.

"The objective is to increase efficiency and lower our costs," said Betty Riess, a bank spokeswoman. "Our goal is to have one PC per associate, operating on one platform."

Benjamin Jun, vice president of San Francisco's Cryptography Research, a security consulting firm, said many companies favor laptops for remote access to their systems. They keep workers mobile and, thanks to uniform security measures, help prevent computer viruses from getting in.

"The other side of that, though, is that when you issue a large number of laptops, a greater percentage will be lost or misused," Jun said. "It's a fact of life."

San Francisco's Wells Fargo learned this the hard way after a laptop containing the names, addresses and Social Security numbers of thousands of mortgage customers nationwide was stolen in late February.

When a pair of bank employees traveling in the Midwest stopped for snacks at a gas-station convenience store, a car thief made off with their unlocked rental car. The keys had been left in the ignition. The laptop was in the trunk.

A month later, a computer hard drive containing the names, addresses and Social Security numbers of 95,000 people insured by the Alameda Alliance for Health was stolen in Sacramento. The hard drive was being driven to a bank for safekeeping by the chief executive officer of a company called Insurance Benefit Spot Check, which helps process insurance claims.

The data was inside a leather satchel that was left inside the car when Spot Check's CEO stopped for an appointment with his accountant. A thief smashed the car's window and stole the satchel, including the data-rich hard drive

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OHIO COMPUTER STOLEN FROM BUSINESScantonrep.com
Canton Repository (subscription), OH - 16 hours ago
... n BREAK-IN. Someone broke into East Coast Karate, 5398 Fulton Dr. NW, on Friday and took a $2,500 computer, a police report said. n ARREST

FLORIDA MIAMI THEFTS OF COMPUTERS REPORTEDThe Miami Herald | 05/23/2004 | Police report: 31,000 in equipment stolen from building site:
"Business ransacked: Someone pried open the rear door and entered Painease Comprehensive Medical Services, 4100 NW Third Ct., between 9 p.m. May 4 and 10 a.m. May 5. Stolen from the suite: three printers, three office phones, the business checkbook, stereo equipment, two desktop computers, a notebook computer, a fax machine and a copy machine. Value: $8,850."

Electronics stolen: Seven flat-screen monitors valued at $1,400 and a Proxima Power Plant projector valued at $2,000 were stolen from the training room at USI Florida, 8100 SW 10th St. A member of the cleaning crew saw a man wearing white gloves and carrying a large box leaving the suite between 7 and 7:45 p.m. May 10.

Laptop stolen: The alarm was set and the business was locked and closed when someone used a rock to smash an office window at United Aerospace Corp., 9800 Premiere Pkwy. A laptop computer was stolen between 7 p.m. May 11 and 6:30 a.m. May 12. The value of the computer was not reported.



NORTH CAROLINA LAPTOP COMPUTER STOLEN FROM COMPANYheraldsun.com: Police looking into rape report: "Police charged a Durham man with felony possession of stolen property Friday, warrants stated.
Kenneth Dwayne Bellamy, 27, of 3 Howlett Place allegedly had an IBM Thinkpad laptop computer stolen from Data Direct Incorporated valued at $2,000, warrants stated.
Bellamy was scheduled to appear in court Monday at 9 a.m. and his bond was set at $5,000. "

MALAYSIA COMPUTER SECURITY ISSUE ADDRESSED Usual areas of computer fraudCOMPUTERS are highly sophisticated tools with versatile capabilities – from enabling global communications and manning transport and traffic systems to facilitating global commerce and industry.

We have become very dependent on computers in almost all aspects of our daily lives. These machines process and store vast quantities of information – from the mundane, like flight details, hobbies and recipes, to the highly confidential like government defence and security intelligence, sensitive business information, personal data and credit details.
Maintaining these machines in good working order and safekeeping the retained information from abuse, however, are highly complex tasks, as security is easily breached if we are careless.

It is like having a large house with lots of doors and windows. We must have a good alarm system and ensure that seldom-used doors and windows are always shut or sealed off.

The number of persons with access to the main door must be limited. Enforcement of established procedures becomes a pertinent issue, especially since you first must be aware that abuse has occurred!

Information on paper is easy to protect – we just need to store it in a quality safe. But how do we keep digital information under lock and key? Digital information floats in a network. It is precisely this inability to secure the information that leads to its abuse.

Imagine where even simple personal information may be obtained to perpetrate a crime: Your employees’ details are stored in your payroll/HR database. Any person who has stolen such details may assume an employee’s identity, and apply for credit cards or even ask for a replacement card, using their personal details for verification.

The list is endless: issuance of unauthorised purchase orders, payment of salaries to non-existent staff or payment to non-existent suppliers, supply of goods to bad or fictitious customers etc.

How will you know whether this has or has not happened in your own organisation? What measures have you taken to ensure this cannot and will not happen in your own company? Are all automation and friendly software to be blamed or the users themselves?

The current fastest growing problem in global computer fraud is identity theft.

More popularly known as ‘phishing’, it occurs when someone attempts to get hold of your personal and credit details – the person then assumes your identity and transacts with third parties, leaving a trail of expenses and liabilities for you and the vendor to sort out.

These transactions are dealt via the Internet (without face-to-face contact), and it is practically impossible to trace the culprits unless you are lucky.

Employers, government agencies and other corporate entities that store or have access to our bio-data, professional and tax data, medical data, and Mykad data are regularly subjected to countless phishing attempts, and must be secured well. (For more information and ideas on preventing identity theft, go to http://www. identitytheft.org)

Computer fraud is the direct or indirect result of unauthorised, and sometimes authorised, access to computers and their applications, and the data residing therein. The invariable result is gain for the perpetrators and damage to the rightful owners.

Several “creative” approaches are employed. Understanding how these schemes work will enable us to reduce or block some of them and, at times, anticipate their moves.

Computer fraud is accomplished through manipulation of input, programs, data, output and the routes through which data travel.

Examples of common internal computer fraud schemes are billing schemes, inventory fraud, payroll fraud, skimming, cheque tampering and register schemes.

Quite often, these schemes harm large companies – e.g. fraud by damaging or modifying data; or programs (e.g. programs that process payroll or dispense cash via ATMs are altered or vandalised). The reasons for such crimes, in addition to financial gain, include economic advantage over competitors, industrial espionage and military or naval espionage.

Common external computer fraud schemes include telecommunications fraud (free calls); hacking – either for fun or to steal data; Internet fraud – selling some product/service; software piracy – theft of intellectual property (Source: Fundamentals of computer fraud, 1999, Association of Certified Fraud Examiners: Austin, TX).

Credit card fraud is a virulent extended form of computer fraud and is quite widespread in some countries. Theft of data contained on magnetic stripes of credit cards is accomplished by skimming the cards at a merchant outlet or accessed by a hacker from some storage system.

The appropriated data is encoded onto a blank card, and the cloned card is then used to run up huge expenses. It can happen to anyone, as even Bill Gates got stung recently.

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