[extropy-chat] FWD (SK) Re: Ever wonder what happens to phishing scam profits...?

[Terry W. Colvin]

On Thu, Mar 30, 2006 at 01:30:00AM -0800, wrote:

> Such information isn't necessarily obtained through phishing scams:
> 
> http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/11731365/
>  
> Urban Legends Reference Pages --> http://www.snopes.com

This ATM card issue is probably a system compromise at a credit card
processor similar to the issue that occurred with Card Systems,
Inc. in Tucson.  Card Systems no longer exists as an independent 
entity
as a result of their Visa contract being cancelled--but they were
simply acquired by another processor.  I hope they have fixed their
issues.

Card Systems at one point blamed their auditors for not finding
problems--they were audited by a branch of Savvis that used to be
Cable & Wireless Security.  Savvis is the networking company that
fired its CEO, Robert McCormick, after he got involved in a very
public billing dispute over a $241,000 bill with the strip club 
Scores
(http://money.cnn.com/2006/03/08/news/newsmakers/scores.suit/index.htm).
The chief information security officer at Savvis responsible for the
entity that performed the audit was "Dr." Bill Hancock, whose team
apparently missed some significant problems
(http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_zd2970/is_200507/ai_n14799307).

Hancock has frequently claimed to be a Navy SEAL, a Vietnam vet, 
and a
Vietnam POW, though he's listed on websites as a fake.  His M.S. and
Ph.D. degrees in "Computer Sciences" are from a defunct diploma mill
that operated in Hawaii and then off the coast of Australia, 
Greenwich
University.  His bachelor's degree is from Thomas Edison College, 
which
is accredited.
(Source: 
http://blog.netwarriors.org/articles/2003/10/28/the-billfiles-v4-0
and http://www.pownetwork.org/phonies/phonies1015.htm)

Hancock has been CISO of Exodus Communications, Cable & Wireless USA,
and Savvis Networks.  He has testified before Congress as a security
expert, and has been chairman of the cybersecurity committee of the
Network Reliability and Interoperability Council (NRIC).

He actually seems to have very good security knowledge, but is also a
major bullshitter, which is not a good characteristic for someone in
a position of trust.

-- 
Jim Lippard


-- 
"Only a zit on the wart on the heinie of progress." Copyright 
1992, Frank Rice


Terry W. Colvin, Sierra Vista, Arizona (USA) < fortean1 at 
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