Feds Search P2P Networks to Thwart Piracy; TSA Prepares Revised Screening Program; Nokia Finds Partner for Mobile Security

Feds Search P2P Networks to Thwart Piracy

Federal authorities singled out peer-to-peer networks for the first time, according to the Justice Department, in an investigation yesterday into distribution of pirated fames, software, movies and music. According to a story in The New York Times, the government targeted a group called The Underground Network. According to the FBI, the group requires members to share at least 100 gigabytes of data as a condition of membership. The feds searched the computers of those suspected of operating hubs that coordinated the sharing of files. The FBI infiltrated the group by posing as a potential member with several movies, programs games and songs to share. Once a member, an FBI agent downloaded dozens of copyrighted files.

For more details, read the full article in The New York Times.

TSA Prepares Revised Screening Program

The controversial aviation passenger screening system, known as CAPPS II, will get a slight overhaul, according to the Transportation Security Administration. The Washington Post reports that the new verions, called “Secure Flight,” will have agency workers take over the screening process instead of leaving it to the airlines. The CAPPS II system was designed to authenticate the identity of passesngers and determine whether or not they posed a threat to the safety of the flight. The latest move by the TSA is seen by some as a preventative step against public backlash. Said one person involved in the project, “They’re just trying to do something they know is going to be a step in the right direction but won’t cause the public to shoot them. It’s al being hampered by the political problem.”

For more details, read the full article in The Washington Post.

Nokia Finds Partner for Mobile Security

New encryption technology from Nokia and Stockholm-based Pointsec Mobile Technologies may help entreprises secure the growing number of mobile devices under their purview. According to a report by IDG News Service, (a sister company to CXO Media) the new technology will give mobile devices the same type of security afforded to desktop and laptop computers. The technology falls short of encrypting incoming or outgoing data, such as e-mail or SMS messages.

For more details, read the full IDG News article in InfoWorld.