Monday Morning News Kick Off: Inside the Russian Cyber-Underground; Data Breach at Yale University; American Idol and Much More

Welcome to the Monday Morning News Kick Off post from the ITAC blog. Once again it is Monday, and once again, it is time to get back into the work groove. Well, the editorial staff at the ITAC blog was kind enough to pull together all the key identity theft, cyber security and data breach stories you need to start your week on the right foot. And, this week, we even linked to a story from E! News (that is a first) – we can’t help but cover a story about a pseudo-celebrity being charged for identity theft.

Inside the Russian Cyber-Underground
When people think of cyber-crime, the typical image being pushed today is that of highly organized criminal operations. New research, however, suggests the underbelly of cyber-space may be less mafia-like than some think. In an effort to improve the level of understanding of today’s black hats, security researchers Fyodor Yarochkin and “The Grugq” have spent several months looking at Russian hacker forums. “It is an ongoing project that we started about 18 months ago,” Grugq told eWEEK. “Originally it started when Fyodor investigated some service offerings from Russian hacker forums for a specific project that I was working on. It turned out to be extremely interesting and amusing, so we discussed doing more long-term monitoring on the forums. It grew from there into what is now a continuous monitoring program.”

Calif. Breach Notification Bill Going Back to the Governor
A California proposed bill that would update the state’s pioneering data breach notification law is heading back to the governor’s desk. The bill from Democratic Sen. Joe Simitian is a reintroduction of the same measure that he proposed last year, but which was ultimately vetoed by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. The current legislation, known as SB-1166, has been approved by the California Legislature, Simitian announced Thursday. Read the full SC Magazine article here.

Google Street View Opt Out Goes Live in Germany While Spain Investigates
German citizens in several cities can now request that photos of their homes or businesses be blurred to prevent them being identified in Google’s Street View photo service, as part of a deal between that country’s privacy authorities and the search company prior to the launch of Street View in Germany. Anyone who wants a building blurred has to fill out a Google form — which has a message from the company encouraging them not to do so — and then respond to a verification email. Read the full GigaOm post here.

Camp Trains Future Cybersecurity Experts
In a classroom in Dover, Del., 20 university students — all men — are intently typing at long conference tables. The computer screens are below the table, under dark glass, so no one can see what they’re doing. Makeshift cardboard barriers separate five different teams. It’s a game of capture the flag, 21st century style. Mike Ridenour, 24, and his team are hacking their way into a computer network to find so-called flags, or hidden pieces of data. Ridenour is using information he found on a social networking site to try to hijack the account of an IT administrator. Read the full NPR story here.

‘American Idol’ Chikezie Eze Pleads in ID Theft Case
Chikezie Eze is getting off easy. The former American Idol finalist has been sentenced to community service after copping to an identity theft charge. Eze was busted back in February for using a stolen credit card to score two bottles of cologne at the Beverly Hills Nieman Marcus store. Eze, 24, pleaded no contest today to the misdemeanor count in a plea deal with prosecutors. In turn, a second count of grand theft was dropped. According to the Los Angeles District Attorney’s Office, the airport screener-turned-aspiring singer, who placed 10th on the seventh season of the hit Fox talent show, was sentenced to three years’ probation in addition to the community labor. Read the full E! News Online post here.

Conn. Attorney General Investigates Yale Data Breach
Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal announced that his office is investigating a data breach linked to a reported theft by Yale Medical School of a laptop computer containing personal health information on as many as 1,000 people. According to a news release, Blumenthal’s office is investigating the breach’s causes and whether state or federal laws have been violated. “Yale Medical School is cooperating with my office—recognizing that it has a profound responsibility to safeguard sensitive health information and must be accountable to approximately 1,000 individuals whose information may be at risk,” Blumenthal said in the release. Read the full Modern Healthcare post here.