Newspapers online.. 07-10-2013 | ScienceTechnology

In today's world, there are multiple ways for cybercriminals to make money long before cash is actually transferred out of a bank account. Robbing a bank has become one of the last cogs in a much broader operation.

Online theft is almost always part of a much grander scheme. Though sometimes a high-skilled individual or single group of cybercriminals will handle all parts of an operation, most cybercrime is split up into several steps, each handled by a different player, according to Vikram Thakur, a principal manager at Symantec Security Response.

Most bank account thefts begin with a single malware developer who sells malicious software on an underground black market to hackers.

On those dark channels of the Internet, criminal hackers can buy tools to steal users' bank account credentials, services to bring down websites, or viruses to infect computers.

"There's more variety and more choices than me going to my local Costco," said Raj Samani, a chief technical officer at the security company McAfee.

It is easier than ever before to find and use these services, Samani said. Hiring a criminal hacker is easy, because today's malware requires hackers to have little technological knowledge to infect hundreds or thousands of computers. And some services are fairly cheap. For instance, getting a hold of 1 million email addresses can cost just $111. That means there are more and more cybercriminals hoping to get in on an operation.

Once unsuspecting victims' credentials or bank account information has been collected, hackers may resell that data to someone who repackages it in a useful way and redistributes it on the black market.

Not all information has equal value. Often criminals are looking for credentials of wealthy individuals with accounts at financial institutions where they are familiar with the security systems.

"All the mature, smart criminals sell the goods to somebody else and cut themselves out of the operation, out of the cross hairs," said Thakur. Up to this point in the operation, no money has been stolen -- but thousands or millions of dollars have already exchanged hands.

The Socialist government of Francois Hollande published an official decree on Tuesday to erase the provision in the law that allowed courts to deprive copyright violaters of their internet connectivity if they transgressed on three occasions. However, other sanctions, such as fines, will remain in place.

The tough anti-piracy law championed by previous president Nicolas Sarkozy was embraced by the music and movie industries but came under fire from critics who said it threatened civil liberties.

"This measure is necessary because it ends a penalty that is not suited to today's world, and because it illustrates the new orientation of the government's efforts to fight online piracy," Minister of Culture Aurelie Filippetti said in a statement on Tuesday.

She added that France would now focus its efforts on websites that profit from illegal downloading rather than individual users.

France was one of the first countries to adopt a "three-strikes" law to protect artists and intellectual property owners from copyright violations. But the law, passed in 2009, has barely made a dent in online piracy as consumers moved to new technologies such as the streaming of video or music instead of downloads.

Only one person actually had his Internet access cut off in a ruling that came in June.

The French law was similar to those in place in Australia, New Zealand and South Korea. Users are sent a series of notifications to warn them that they have allegedly infringed copyright and information on legal alternatives. Repeat offenders then face fines or the removal of their internet access.

Free apps such as MyFitnessPal track diet and weight and can connect with apps like RunKeeper, which monitors fitness, to adjust calorie intake based on the speed and duration of a run.

Sleep 101, for the iPhone, and Sleep Bot, for Android devices, monitor sleep patterns and quality.

Now there's Argus, a free app for iPhones released last week. It combines multiple factors to take detailed snapshots of sleep, diet, activity and vital signs such as heart rate. It also shows how each factor relates to the others.

"People are getting more health conscious and lifestyle diseases are an increasingly large problem, especially in the last two decades," said Peter Kuhar the chief technology officer of Palo Alto-based Azumio, the company that developed the app.

"This is where mobile technologies can help to guide you to a healthier lifestyle and with that help reduce the risk," he said.

Using built-in sensors, Argus can determine whether a person is walking or running. It also pairs with the company's Sleep Time app to track sleep patterns. Heart rate is measured when a finger is placed on the device's camera.

"The importance of tracking the data is that we can increase users' awareness of their health-affecting habits and help steer them on the right path," said Kuhar, adding that the app is also useful for observing trends over time.

By correlating the data the app can show, for example, how water consumption affects sleep and how caffeine impacts heart rate.

Other apps connect with wristbands to track activity, sleep and diet. They include the Jawbone UP, for iPhone and Android, and Fitbit and Larklife, both for iPhone. The wristbands cost between $60 and $150.

Kuhar said apps that connect to devices such as wristbands may be more accurate because they are worn on the body.

MyFitnessPal also integrates with Withings, a WiFi-enabled scale; Runtastic, a fitness tracking app; and Fitbit, a wearable wristband that tracks sleep and activity for automatic logging of weight, sleep and activities.

Last month the company MyFitnessPal teamed up with RunKeeper, the iPhone and Android app that tracks running speed and duration.

"When we started MyFitnessPal we tackled nutrition first, and as we've grown, we've set our sights on other pillars that are crucial to health and wellness," said Mike Lee, co-founder of San Francisco-based MyFitnessPal.

U.S. District Judge Phyllis Hamilton in Oakland, California, on Tuesday ordered that the case be dismissed at the companies' request, averting a trial that had been scheduled for August 19.

This came after Apple issued to Amazon a covenant not to sue over the online retailer's use of the term, eliminating the need for Amazon to pursue a counterclaim seeking permission.

Apple began selling applications for mobile devices via its App Store service in July 2008. Amazon launched Amazon Appstore for Android in March 2011. Apple began the lawsuit that month.

"We no longer see a need to pursue our case," Apple spokeswoman Kristin Huguet said. "With more than 900,000 apps and 50 billion downloads, customers know where they can purchase their favorite apps."

Martin Glick, a lawyer for Amazon, said in an interview, "This was a decision by Apple to unilaterally abandon the case, and leave Amazon free to use 'appstore.'"

"We're gratified that the court has conclusively dismissed this case," Amazon spokeswoman Mary Osako said. "We look forward to continuing our focus on delivering the best possible appstore experience to customers and developers."

In its lawsuit alleging trademark violations and false advertising, Apple accused Amazon of misusing the "app store" name in connection with the sales of apps for Android devices and the Kindle Fire, a tablet that competes with Apple's iPad.

Amazon countered that the term "app store" had become so generic that using it would not mislead customers.

It said in a court filing that even Apple Chief Executive Tim Cook had used the term generically, in discussing "the number of app stores out there," while his predecessor Steve Jobs had talked about the "four app stores on Android."

Hamilton dismissed Apple's false advertising claim in January.

Later that month, the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously barred a small company, Already LLC, from trying to void Nike Inc's trademark for a line of basketball sneakers, after Nike issued a covenant not to pursue its own infringement lawsuit.

The court said allowing Already's counterclaim could encourage litigation and discourage innovation.

Nats, the national air traffic control body, said UK airspace was not shut, nor were all flights in and out of the UK suspended - as one airport had said.

The problem was apparently caused by a "rogue flight plan", resolved by a re-boot of the computer system at Nats' Swanwick, Southampton, control centre.

Operations were returning to normal by lunchtime, Nats said.

Outbound flights were by then being delayed by no more than 20 minutes.

Nats said: "Operations are now returning to normal and we are working with the airports, airlines and Eurocontrol (the European air traffic management body) to clear the backlog of flights to ensure disruption is kept to a minimum.

"We regret any inconvenience this technical problem has caused, however our first priority will always be the safety of the flying public."

Jersey Airport had tweeted just after 10:00 BST on Tuesday that the computer failure at Swanwick had "resulted in the temporary suspension of all flights in and out of UK air space."

In an update 25 minutes later, the airport said there was "once again movement in UK skies. However, some delays may result."

The airport said passengers could check-in as usual.

7,086 flights Flights were also delayed at East Midlands Airport and Southampton Airport.

Southampton Airport suffered delays in the morning, but by 14:00 BST said there were "a few short delays" although passengers could check-in as usual.

A spokeswoman for Gatwick Airport earlier said "there are minor delays particularly with flights to Jersey, where the airspace issue is happening."

She said flights from Europe could be delayed by the restrictions placed around Jersey's airspace.

Low-cost operator Easyjet said there were no delays or flight problems.

Heathrow Airport, the UK's largest hub, had delays of 20-30 minutes at one point. British Airways said all its flights were operating as scheduled.

It uses a sensor to detect gaseous chemicals that are given off if cancer cells are present.

Early trials show the tests gives accurate results more than nine times in 10, its inventors told PLoS One journal.

But experts say more studies are needed to perfect the test before it can become widely available.

Each year around 10,000 people in the UK are diagnosed with bladder cancer. Doctors have been searching for ways to spot this cancer at an earlier stage when it is more treatable.

And many have been interested in odours in urine, since past work suggests dogs can be trained to recognise the scent of cancer.

Prof Chris Probert, from Liverpool University, and Prof Norman Ratcliffe, of the University of the West of England, say their new device can read cancer smells.

"It reads the gases that chemicals in the urine can give off when the sample is heated," said Prof Ratcliffe.

To test their device, they used 98 samples of urine - 24 from men known to have bladder cancer and 74 from men with bladder-related problems but no cancer.

Prof Probert said the results were very encouraging but added: "We now need to look at larger samples of patients to test the device further before it can be used in hospitals."

Dr Sarah Hazell, senior science communication officer at Cancer Research UK, said: "It would be great to be able to detect the 'smell' of cancer in a robust and practical way but, promising though this work is, we're not there yet.

"This latest method is still at an early stage of development, and needs to be tried out on a much larger set of samples, including samples from both women and men.

WikiLeaks, on its own Twitter feed, said that states involved in deciding an asylum destination for Snowden, who fled the United States last month, "will make the announcement if and when the appropriate time comes".

Snowden, who is wanted in the United States on espionage charges after revealing details of secret surveillance programs, is believed to be holed up in the transit area at a Moscow airport where he arrived on June 23 from Hong Kong.

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro said on Friday that he had decided to offer the 30-year-old American asylum. Nicaragua and Bolivia also have said they would take in Snowden, who has appealed to about 20 countries for political asylum.

Alexei Pushkov, the pro-Kremlin chairman of the international affairs committee in Russia's lower house of parliament, tweeted that Snowden had accepted Venezuela's asylum offer, but the tweet swiftly disappeared from his Twitter feed.

Pushkov later tweeted that he had seen the news on state-run Russian television channel Rossiya-24, but a representative of Rossiya-24 said it had been referring to Pushkov's initial tweet.

"Edward #Snowden has not yet formally accepted asylum in Venezuela," Wikileaks, whose British legal researcher Sarah Harrison is assisting Snowden and travelled to Moscow with him, later said on Twitter.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has said Snowden should choose a final destination and go there as soon as possible, but it is unclear how he would get to any of the Latin American countries that have offered him asylum.

Bolivia has accused Spain, France, Portugal and Italy of closing their skies to President Evo Morales' plane last week after being told it was carrying Snowden from Moscow to Bolivia.

There are no direct commercial flights from Moscow to Venezuela, Nicaragua or Bolivia, and U.S. authorities have urged nations around the world not to give Snowden refuge.

"Mr Snowden ought to be returned to the United States where he is wanted on felony charges," White House spokesman Jay Carney said on Tuesday, adding that "he should not be permitted to engage in further international travel beyond the travel necessary to return to the United States."

Interim head of state Adli Mansour announced a faster-than-expected timetable to hold elections in about six months. Scorned by the ousted Muslim Brotherhood, he is under mounting pressure to plot a path back to democracy less than a week after the army overthrew the first freely elected president.

A day after 55 people were killed when troops opened fire on Brotherhood supporters, Hazem el-Beblawi, a liberal economist and former finance minister, was named interim prime minister. Former U.N. diplomat Mohamed ElBaradei, now a liberal party leader, was named deputy president for foreign affairs.

News quickly followed of $8 billion in grants, loans and fuel from Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

Crucially, the choice of Beblawi won the acceptance of the ultra-orthodox Islamist Nour Party - sometime ally of toppled President Mohamed Mursi and his Brotherhood. Nour leaders have been courted by the military-backed interim authorities to prove that Islamists will not be marginalized by the new government.

Yet the worst day of violence in more than a year has left Egypt more divided than ever in its modern history. The Brotherhood is isolated and furious at Egyptians who passionately reject it.

The bloodshed has raised alarm among key donors such as the United States and the European Union, as well as in Israel, with which Egypt has had a U.S.-backed peace treaty since 1979.

Rich Gulf Arab states, long suspicious of the Muslim Brotherhood, have shown fewer reservations. The United Arab Emirates offered a grant of $1 billion and a loan of $2 billion. Saudi Arabia offered $3 billion in cash and loans, and an additional $2 billion worth of much-needed fuel.

In a further demonstration of its support, UAE Foreign Minister Abdullah bin Zayed visited Egypt on Tuesday, the most senior foreign official to arrive since Mursi's removal.

"EVEN IF THEY KILL US ALL"

The Brotherhood says Monday's violence was an unprovoked attack on worshippers holding peaceful dawn prayers outside a barracks where they believed Mursi was being held.

Obama will meet privately with his cabinet on Monday morning about the plan and then make public remarks at 11:50 a.m. (1550 GMT).

The White House said the plan would build on progress made so far in opening up government data to entrepreneurs and in modernizing government services.

SoftBank and Sprint received final regulatory approval for their deal from the Federal Communications Commission last week.

The new center will specialize in developing mobile apps for Matrix clients in China and around the world. Matrix said it expects to launch additional centers across China.

Financial details were not disclosed.

The centre is a joint venture of Matrix and PTL Group, a Chinese based company owned by Israeli shareholders, serving as a partner to Matrix and John Bryce in China.

Zvi Shalgo, chief executive of PTL Group and chairman of the Israeli Chamber of Commerce in Shanghai, said an increasing number of Israeli and international companies are opening development centers in China to leverage the knowledge of the target market as early as the development stage and customize products for the Chinese market.

"This cuts the time to market and improves the competitive advantage," he said.

Bolivia says the four countries banned Morales' plane from their airspace on suspicions he was transporting Snowden to Bolivia in defiance of Washington, which wants the fugitive returned home to face espionage charges.

Outraged, Bolivia is now calling the incident an act of "state terrorism" by the United States and its allies against Morales, an outspoken critic of U.S. policies.

"We are simply asking the government of Spain and the other governments, of course, to clarify and explain where that version of Mr. Snowden being on the presidential plane came from. Who spread that fallacy, that lie?" Communications Minister Amanda Davila said.

Davila said the government believes the United States knew that Snowden was not on the plane and simply wanted to intimidate Morales, who has since offered unconditional asylum to Snowden.

"As experts in international law and human rights have said, this is a massive attack," she said. "It's the first case of state terrorism against a president, against a nation, against a people. That's what we're talking about now."