Network Security June 1995

Church puts freedom of Internet on trial

Brian Riggs

Having left the Church in 1982, former Scientology minister Dennis Erlich has been using a Los Angeles electronic bulletin board service (BBS) to post invective commentary on the Church and its teachings, As part of his criticism, Erlich has repeatedly drawn from copyrighted material owned by the Church of Scientology. Additionally, some of the posted Church teachings not intended for public dissemination and considered trade secrets.

also not be held responsible” if its services are used illegally, she said. “This is a case where technology has gone ahead of the legal system”, Kells continued.

The Church of Scientology was formed by L. Ron Hubbard in 1954 and has been promulgated through his much publicized book “Dianetics”. In a preliminary hearing in late February, the BBS and the provider that gives it Internet access - San Jose, California-based Netcom On-Line Communications Services Inc. - were determined not to be responsible for carrying what US courts may determine to be illegal information, The same hearing issued a temporary restraining order against Erlich, prohibiting him from posting material until the case is brought to court.

An unusual lawsuit involving an electronic bulletin board, a disgruntled minister, and secret religious teachings promises to put the free-wheeling exchange of information available on the Internet to the test. The Church of Scientology, based in Los Angeles, California, has filed a law suit against a ministerial malcontent and the online services that allowed him to post confidential and copyrighted material without its permission.

Judge says hacker deserves more time

Chris Bucholtz

Attorneys and Poulsen’s lawyers and a sentencing hearing occurred on April 10th. Details of the plea bargain were not disclosed, but Poulsen’s attorneys said they were hoping for a sentence close to the four years Poulsen has already served. Real said he was most upset by Poulsen’s attempt to discover the names of undercover businesses operated by the FBI. Poulsen also used stolen codes to invade an Army network, eavesdrop on the phone calls of his former girlfriend and tap into conversations of the Pacific Bell security officials who were investigating him. Poulsen’s arrest in 1991 came after nearly two years on the run When he was arrested, he was wanted for taking control of the phone lines of two Los Angeles radio stations to win a Porsche sports car and a vacation.

A judge has rejected a hacker’s secret plea bargain and complained that federal guidelines do not provide a long enough sentence for his actions. US District Judge Manuel Real said that Kevin Lee Poulsen deserved more prison time than the 14 years current law allows after Poulsen pleaded guilty to seven counts of wire fraud, conspiracy and intercepting wire communications,

Poulsen also faces as much as 85 years for separate charges of espionage. After his initial arrest, a classified 1987 Air Force document containing orders for Army paratroops was found in a locker Poulsen had rented, along with stolen phone equipment. Poulsen is the first hacker charged with espionage.

Despite the court’s decision not to try the Internet providers, the Church intends to refile against them. “A means of control should exist whereby access operators and their organizations are held responsible for what is posted on the Internet”, said Helena Korbin, attorney for the Church. However, this is not the commonly accepted wisdom, according to Kathleen Kells, director of the US-based non-profit organization Computer Professionals for Social Responsibility. “We hold that the service carrier should

Security takes centre stage at Internet conference

“Legal and law enforcement people are tired of seeing hackers serving light sentences, coming out of jail and becoming heroes in the media”, said John Pescatore, research director for security services at IDC Government. “They’re handed job offers and fame, and the law enforcement people think it’s sending the message that crime pays.”

Chris Bucholtz

Despite the exponential growth of the Internet, most financial institutions have been slow in embracing the technology because of the risk of online crime.

Real rejected the plea bargain brokered by US District

“Banking On the Internet: Opportunity or Threat”, a conference in New York City at the end of March addressed some of the fears. Sponsored by the International Bank Study

10 01995 Elsevier Science Ltd