Tech Talk

Internet users across the country have woken up this week to devastating news of new malware that could plant child pornography onto innocent people’s computers.

And the idea isn’t just hypothetical, it has apparently already happened and ruined one man’s life, and almost resulted in prison-time.

CBS News reported this week:

The AP story reportedabout the case of Michael Fiola, a former Massachusetts state employee whose state-owned work computer was found to contain illegal child pornography images. He was fired and charged with possession of child pornography which, had he been convicted, could have landed him in prison for up to five years, according to the AP.

However, the charges were ultimately dropped when his attorneys were able to prove the number of sites visited in the actual time frame would not be possible by a  human being.

CBS News explored this issue and determined the likelihood of such a case happening to the typical user is slim.

Among the reasons why:

• Most malware is planted to make money, and there is no indication this practice would rake in the dough.
• Images put on someone else’s computer would not be accessible whenever the planter wanted it.
• A digital trail is often left between the planter’s system and victim’s computer.
• The time lapse between image downloads is often much higher when a computer does it than when a person does.
• The prosecution will have to prove the defendant knowingly and intentionally possessed, received or distributed child pornography.

Also, users who keep their system security up-to-date should be relatively safe.

CBS advises:

• Making sure that your operating system and regularly used software are up-to-date.
• Using good software addressing malware, phishing attacks, and/or spam, and keeping it up to date. Subscriptions to paid programs should be renewed.
• Being cautious about spam and about providing information to sites you navigate to from links within even the most legitimate-appearing e-mails.

A malicious worm appears to be spreading across the Twitter network.

Over the past few hours, I have received a half dozen direct messages encouraging me to check out several supposed videos.

While I cannot confirm they are the Koobface virus, several people sent me this message:

“haha check out this vid”

I removed the url to prevent any accidental clicks.

In the past, the Koobface virus has hidden behind the promise of videos the victim was in.

Regardless of it is the Koobface, it is a dangerous link and should be avoided.

Upon doing a quick Twitter search, it is clear many users have already made that mistake and are spreading the worm.  I hope you are not the next victim.

DO NOT CLICK THIS LINK IF YOU SEE IT.  IT IS DANGEROUS TO YOUR COMPUTER AND THREATENS ANY PERSONAL INFORMATION YOU HAVE STORED THERE.

If you already clicked the link, change your password immediately, delete all posts that resulted from when you clicked the link and post a note explaining what happened.

REMINDER: Don’t ever click a link that doesn’t seem consistent with the user’s particular post pattern.  And while it’s difficult to predict exactly what could be a virus, malicious software is often hidden behind misspelled messages or items that promise to share videos or photos.

RELATED TECH TALK POSTS:

• Koobface virus spreading on Twitter
• Worm spreading through Facebook newsfeed

There’s a program growing quickly in popularity that you need to be aware of.

Skype, a service that provides free video and voice calls, instant messaging and file sharing capabilities, is a must-have tool for all Internet surfers.

One could easily connect with friends and associates via video and/or audio messaging.  During the conversation, one’s screen and files could be shared creating a dynamic Web experience.

As web cams become increasingly standard on new laptops and desktops and more folks gain access to high-speed Internet, Skype is quickly becoming one of society’s “it” programs.

And as more people join the service, it is becoming increasingly powerful.  I bet at least a dozen of your friends colleagues are using the service already.

I have known folks to use Skype to:

• video chat with friends and family members who are studying abroad
• chat audibly with several dozen friends simultaneously
• share files and screen captures while meeting virtually with professors and employers

An increasing number of users are leaving AIM and Yahoo! Messenger for Skype.

I think you should at least give it a try.

A Boston University graduate student who admitted he had illegally downloaded and shared 30 songs has been ordered to pay $675,000.

Under federal law, the jury could have ordered Joel Tenenbaum, of Providence, R.I., to pay the four recording labels involved between $750 and $30,000 per infringement, the Associated Press reported.  Law allows as much as $150,000 per track if the jury found the infringements were willful.  The maximum Tenenbaum could have been fined was $4.5 million.

In the end, the jury ordered the 25-year-old student to pay $22,500 per incident of copyright infringement, the wire service reported.

The case is the country’s second music downloading case against an individual to go to trial.  You can read about the first here.

A 32-year-old Minnesota mother of four was fined $1.9 million Thursday for the illegal downloads of 24 songs — all available for 99 cents each, CNN reported on its Web site.

Jammie Thomas-Rasset’s attorney, Joe Sibley, said he would appeal the federal jury’s decision that works out to $80,000 per song.  CNN reported it was the first such copyright infringement case to go to trial in America.  The jury could have awarded up to $150,000 per song.

Cara Duckworth, a Recording Industry Association of America spokesman, told the cable news network that her organization was “pleased that the jury agreed with the evidence and found the defendant liable.”

Thomas-Rasset called the $1.9 million figure “kind of ridiculous,” the Associated Press reported.

“There’s no way they’re ever going to get that,” she told the wire agency.  “I’m a mom, limited means, so I’m not going to worry about it now.”

Thomas-Rasset downloaded music from artists that included No Doubt, Linkin Park, Gloria Estefan and Sheryl Crow through the filing-sharing program, Kazaa, the AP reported.  She had denied downloading any songs.

Kazaa has since become a legal music subscription service following a settlement with entertainment companies.

Sibley told the AP that the judgment suggested that jurors did not believe his client’s denials of illegal file-sharing, and that they were angry with her.

This was Thomas-Rasset’s second trial.  A different federal jury ordered her to pay a mere $222,000 in 2007.  The case was later overturned and a new trial was ordered.

A spokeswoman for the RIAA said the industry is still willing to settle the case, the AP reported Thursday. But she refused to name a figure.  She had, however, said, Thomas-Rasset had been given the opportunity to settle for $3,000 to $5,000 earlier in the case.

“Since Day One we have been willing to settle this case and we remain willing to do so,” Duckworth was quoted by the AP as saying.

Thomas-Rasset was originally accused of sharing 1,700 songs on Kazaa in February 2005, but was only charged with 24 for simplicity sake, the AP reported.

This case was the only one of more than 30,000 similar lawsuits to make it to trial, the AP reported.  The majority of others had settled for about $3,500 each with the music industry.  The recording industry said it stopped filing such lawsuits last summer and is now working with Internet service providers to battle the worst offenders.

Only a few hundred lawsuits remain unresolved, the AP reported.  Of those, fewer than 10 defendants are actively fighting.

SOUND OFF: Do you think the jury award was appropriate in this case?  What should, if anything, be done to prevent illegal file sharing?