contributed by Shamrock
The recent MTV special "True Life: I'm a Hacker" has caused quite a stir in the underground community. Now it seems that most of what was aired was just made up fiction anyway. A statement received by HNN from Shamrock, one of the people profiled in the show, alleges that a good chunk of the show was a farce put on by him to see just how gullible MTV was.

(We aren't sure what to make of this. Is this the ultimate media hack or a childish prank that makes us all look bad? And why no verification by MTV?)

Statement From Shamrock

Comments About the Show From HNN Readers
True Life: I'm a Hacker

contributed by Ir0nMaiden
[Translated from Chinese]
The Ministry of Information Industry, Ministry of Public Security, and Ministry of State Security in Hong Kong issued a joint memorandum urging all state and private organizations to not connect internal computer systems to the world wide internet. This is in direct response to the threat of cyber attack from Taiwanese intruders. The Ministry of Information and Industry have also established the China Computer Network Security Management Center. Fearing that imported computers and software may contain security holes, Trojan Horses, or Backdoors the ministry is also asking that the development of domestically-made computers and software systems be increased.

Hong Kong Ming Pao

contributed by evilwench
An amnesty program for pirated software, sponsored by Microsoft and Adobe, failed to get even one copy of pirated software. While several people went to the event for the free t-shirts and other goodies, not one person showed up with software they thought might have been pirated.

SF Gate

contributed by M0ney
Is Cyberwarfare about Denial of Service Attacks, web page defacements, and network break-ins? Or is it more about Information dissemination, media manipulation and good ole propaganda? The Zapatista guerrillas, fighting for their freedom in Mexico, use the Internet to their advantage but not in a way you might think.

Time

contributed by Yazmon
The Shanghai Waigaoqiao Free Trade Zone Network Development Co. is offering a whopping $600 (5,000 yuan) to anyone who can defeat the security of its website within the next week. (I hope companies aren't thinking that this sort of thing will actually test anything.)

Reuters- This URL will change shortly

contributed by Code Kid
Wittenberg University in Columbus OH, had to completely shut down their web and email system after an electronic break in. During the shutdown the school installed various security improvements that make it harder for off-campus students to use the school's e-mail. The alleged attack occurred Sept. 12 and was traced to Australia.

Associated Press- via Cleveland Plain Dealer

contributed by Code Kid
Melissa.U, Melissa.V, and VBS.Freelink are new Melissa strains that are spreading across the internet. While this article doesn't provide any new information it does give some background as to what has been going on in the AV world recently.

Yahoo News

contributed by evilwench
Just how private is the information gathered by Customer Loyalty Cards? We're talking about those bar-coded cards that give shoppers at supermarkets and other stores up to a 15 percent discount in return for tracking what you buy. Supermarkets say that the data they gather is never sold or divulged to third parties. A search warrant is another matter. If an ex-spouse wants to discover if your a good parent they can subpoena the supermarket records. And no one really knows how secure these databases are.

Nando Times