What is The Year To Stop Domain Name Theft? An anniversary year dedicated to alerting and engaging media, lawmakers and law enforcement about domain name theft - including its everyday occurences, devastating consequences to society, businesses and individuals and need for swift criminal arrest and prosecution of domain thieves. July 22, 2012 marks 1-year anniversary of first criminal conviction of domain name theft in U.S.A. The conviction has provided us a precedent and foundation to act upon.

Monday, May 20, 2013

#StopDomainTheft

I invite you to join me on Twitter and stay abreast of all things domain theft-related. Here's my handle:

#StopDomainTheft

Sunday, May 19, 2013

Symantec "Internet Security Threat Report 2013"

Article link to the Report: http://www.symantec.com/content/en/us/enterprise/other_resources/b-istr_main_report_v18_2012_21291018.en-us.pdf

Published by: Symantec "Internet Security Threat Report 2013"

The following is an exerpt from the report:

Small Businesses Are the Path of Least Resistance

for Attackers

Last year’s data made it clear that any business, no matter its

size, was a potential target for attackers. This was not a fluke. In

2012, 50 percent of all targeted attacks were aimed at businesses

with fewer than 2,500 employees. In fact, the largest growth area

for targeted attacks in 2012 was businesses with fewer than 250

employees; 31 percent of all attacks targeted them.

This is especially bad news because based on surveys conducted

by Symantec, small businesses believe they are immune to

attacks targeted at them. However, money stolen from a small

business is as easy to spend as money stolen from a large

business. And while small businesses may assume that they

have nothing a targeted attacker would want to steal, they

forget that they retain customer information, create intellectual

property, and keep money in the bank. While it can be argued

that the rewards of attacking a small business are less than

what can be gained from a large enterprise, this is more than

compensated by the fact that many small companies are

typically less careful in their cyberdefenses. Criminal activity is

often driven by crimes of opportunity. With cybercrimes, that

opportunity appears to be with small businesses.

Small Companies #1 Cybercrime Target, Says New Report (by Jim McElgunn)

Article link:
http://www.profitguide.com/manage-grow/technology/cybercriminals-take-dead-aim-at-small-businesses-50789

Author: Jim McElgunn
Published by: ProfitGuide.com

Excerpt:

The international study, the most comprehensive annual report on cybercrime, showed a dramatic 42% increase in targeted attacks from 2011 to 2012. The study reported that small businesses are cybercriminals' favourite target for two reasons: they have a lot worth stealing—such as bank-account information, customer data and intellectual property—and they often lack adequate security practices and infrastructure.

Most Small Businesses Don't Recover From Cybercrime (by Gabrielle Karol)

Article link: http://smallbusiness.foxbusiness.com/technology-web/2013/03/21/most-small-businesses-dont-recover-from-cybercrime/

Author: Gabrielle Karol

Published by: FOX Business

Thursday, May 16, 2013

Your Business Is Never Too Small For A Cyber Attack, Here's How To Protect Yourself (by George Westerman/Forbes)

Article link: http://www.forbes.com/sites/forbesleadershipforum/2013/05/13/your-business-is-never-too-small-for-a-cyber-attack-heres-how-to-protect-yourself/

Author: George Westerman

Published by: Forbes.com

The article is by George Westerman, a research scientist in the MIT Sloan School of Management’s Center for Digital Business. He is co-author of IT Risk: Turning Business Threats Into Competitive Advantage.

Cybercrime's easiest prey: Small businesses (by Parija Kavilanz of CNN)

Article link: http://money.cnn.com/2013/04/22/smallbusiness/small-business-cybercrime/index.html

Author: Parija Kavilanz @CNNMoney

Q&A with cyber crime expert Tim Francis (by John Peabody of Reuters)

Article link: http://blogs.reuters.com/small-business/2013/05/03/qa-with-cyber-crime-expert-tim-francis/

Author John Peabody

Published by http://blogs.reuters.com/small-business

Here's the opening paragraph of the article:

Timothy C. Francis is Second Vice President for Travelers Bond & Financial Products in Hartford, CT. Francis leads Travelers’ Business Insurance Management and Professional Liability initiatives and serves as Enterprise lead for Cyber Insurance. Reuters spoke with him about what small businesses need to know about cyber crime.

Wednesday, May 15, 2013

Cyber crime: Biggest danger to intellectual property comes from within (by Michael Dempsey/Financial Times)

Article link:
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/856b17e8-a760-11e2-9fbe-00144feabdc0.html#axzz2TPz8DJXT

Author: Michael Dempsey
Published by: Financial Times

Tuesday, May 7, 2013

Domain Theft Bankrupting Small Businesses and Entrepreneurs’ Dreams (PR Web)

Former World Religious Travel Association president and domain theft victim seeks to raise awareness of novel and growing form of business theft: stealing company websites.

View full press release at: http://www.prweb.com/releases/2013DomainTheftHijacking/05Cybersquatting/prweb10684022.htm

Lexington, KY (PRWEB) May 07, 2013

Domain name theft destroys companies, people’s lives and entrepreneurs’ dreams, cautions Kevin J. Wright. His first hand experience of the devastation wrought by domain theft has spurred him to outspoken attempts to educate business owners about the threat and help them protect themselves.

Wright has launched a resource for victims of domain theft at http://www.StopDomainTheft.com, as well as a YouTube Channel http://www.DomainTheftVictims.com. Wright also plans to raise awareness of domain theft issues through published writings and speaking engagements.

Wright is past president of the World Religious Travel Association (WRTA), the voice of the $18 billion faith-based tourism industry. Wright watched helplessly as the organization became a victim of domain name theft, email interception and cyber squatting. Domain thieves led to the organization’s Chapter 7 bankruptcy filing in January 2011; liabilities exceeded $350,000 and impacted the lives and finances of staff, suppliers, creditors and stakeholders. As a result of these devastating consequences, Kevin J. Wright, is now speaking out on behalf of domain theft victims everywhere and raising urgent awareness of the issue.

“Domain theft is the hijacking of your website. It’s tantamount to identity theft. Once your website is stolen, so is your company’s identity,” said Kevin J. Wright, WRTA’s founding owner who suffered the financial consequences of domain theft as a victim. “My mission is to publicize this very destructive and novel form of business theft, because it’s getting worse. I hope to decrease the number of victims and hold cybercriminals accountable.”

Domain name theft occurs with regularity, according to industry experts and a 2007 The Wall Street Journal article. Small businesses and aspiring entrepreneurs are among the most vulnerable victims.

Domain thieves are often insiders, including rogue employees, shareholders or contractors, but can also be organized cybercriminal groups. Generally they seek financial gain by selling the stolen domain or by extorting the rightful owner. Other motivations may include desire to financially harm a business (often a competitor), take revenge against an employer, steal clients or gain increased revenues and exposure through promotion of one’s own products and services on a stolen website.

Enrico Schaefer, trial attorney and Internet law expert of Traverse Legal, writes at ezinearticles.com:
"URL theft by a partner or co-owner is perhaps the most common example of domain name theft. Domain names stolen in this fashion account for about 25% of the calls and emails we receive in the domain theft area."

July 2013 marks the second anniversary of the first known criminal conviction of a domain thief in the United States, New Jersey resident Daniel Goncalves was sentenced in 2011 to five years in prison for stealing the domain name P2P.com from Internet entrepreneurs Marc Ostrofsky, Albert Angel and Lesli Angel and selling it on eBay.com for more than $110,000.

“In our effort to redress the injuries inflicted on us we came to appreciate how undeveloped this area of the law is, and how victims of domain theft face an unmarked and totally uphill battle to get a remedy,” said Albert Angel, one of Goncalves’ victims. Angel is an attorney and former Dept. of Justice prosecutor.

Wright is committed to ensuring his new efforts not only help business owners realize the scale of the problem, but also law enforcement and lawmakers.

Saturday, April 13, 2013

9News Oklahoma: Local Business Owner Victim of Domain Name Theft

News 9 - Oklahoma City:

While you may have heard of identity theft before but what about someone stealing your domain name? An Oklahoma City businessman said it happened to him.

Watch the 9 News report here about this domain theft on You Tube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7IvNIMZj5Fg

Domain name theft victim

Wyoming: Computer Crime Units/Task Forces, Statutes, Laws and Resources

Below is brief overview of computer crime laws, statutes, crime units/task forces and other related computer crime information/resources specific to Wyoming.

WYOMING COMPUTER CRIME UNITS
+ Wyoming Computer and High Tech Crimes http://attorneygeneral.state.wy.us/dci/compfaq.html

WYOMING COMPUTER CRIME LAWS/STATUTES
Wyo. Stat. §§6-3-501 to 6-3-504

Text from above statute can be found at:
+ http://legisweb.state.wy.us/statutes/statutes.aspx?file=titles/Title6/T6CH3AR5.htm

Additional Wyoming Computer Crime Laws/Statutes Resources
+ http://statelaws.findlaw.com/wyoming-law/wyoming-computer-crimes-laws.html

Wisconsin: Computer Crime Units/Task Forces, Statutes, Laws and Resources

Below is brief overview of computer crime laws, statutes, crime units/task forces and other related computer crime information/resources specific to Wisconsin.

WISCONSIN COMPUTER CRIME UNITS
+ Wisconsin Computer Crimes Unit http://www.doj.state.wi.us/dci/pubintegrity/
+ Wisconsin Financial Crimes Unit http://www.doj.state.wi.us/dci/financial/

WISCONSIN COMPUTER CRIME LAWS/STATUTES
Wis. Stat. Ann. §943.70

Text from above statute can be found at:
+ http://docs.legis.wisconsin.gov/statutes/statutes/943/III/70

Additional Wisconsin Computer Crime Laws/Statutes Resources
+ http://statelaws.findlaw.com/wisconsin-law/wisconsin-computer-crimes-laws.html

West Virginia: Computer Crime Units/Task Forces, Statutes, Laws and Resources

Below is brief overview of computer crime laws, statutes, crime units/task forces and other related computer crime information/resources specific to West Virginia.

WEST VIRGINIA COMPUTER CRIME UNITS
+ West Virginia Cyber Crime Cooperative
+ West Virginia Cyber Crimes Task Force
article link http://www.dfinews.com/news/west-virginia-cyber-crime-unit-opens-new-facility

WEST VIRGINIA COMPUTER CRIME LAWS/STATUTES
W.Va. Code §§61-3C-1 to 61-3C-21

Text from above statute can be found at:
+ West Virginia Computer Crime and Abuse Act
+ http://www.legis.state.wv.us/wvcode/code.cfm?chap=61&art=3C

§61-3C-1. Short title
§61-3C-2. Legislative findings
§61-3C-3. Definitions
§61-3C-4. Computer fraud; access to Legislature computer; criminal penalties
§61-3C-5. Unauthorized access to computer services
§61-3C-6. Unauthorized possession of computer data or programs
§61-3C-7. Alteration, destruction, etc., of computer equipment
§61-3C-8. Disruption of computer services
§61-3C-9. Unauthorized possession of computer information, etc.
§61-3C-10. Disclosure of computer security information
§61-3C-11. Obtaining confidential public information
§61-3C-12. Computer invasion of privacy
§61-3C-13. Fraud and related activity in connection with access devices
§61-3C-14. Endangering public safety
§61-3C-15. Computer as instrument of forgery
§61-3C-16. Civil relief; damages
§61-3C-17. Defenses to criminal prosecution
§61-3C-18. Venue
§61-3C-19. Prosecution under other criminal statutes not prohibited
§61-3C-20. Personal jurisdiction
§61-3C-21. Severability

Additional West Virginia Computer Crime Laws/Statutes Resources
+ http://statelaws.findlaw.com/west-virginia-law/west-virginia-computer-crimes-laws.html
+ http://www.wvdhhr.org/mis/613c.htm

Sunday, March 24, 2013

Washington: Computer Crime Units/Task Forces, Statutes, Laws and Resources

Below is brief overview of computer crime laws, statutes, crime units/task forces and other related computer crime information/resources specific to Washington.

WASHINGTON COMPUTER CRIME UNITS
Office of Attorney General - Internet Crime http://www.atg.wa.gov/page.aspx?id=19150
Washington State Patrol - High Tech Crime Unit http://www.wsp.wa.gov/crime/iad.htm

WASHINGTON COMPUTER CRIME LAWS/STATUTES
Wash. Rev. Code Ann. §§9A.52.110 to 9A.52.130

Text from above statute can be found at:
+ http://apps.leg.wa.gov/rcw/default.aspx?cite=9A.52&full=true

9A.52.110	Computer trespass in the first degree.
9A.52.120	Computer trespass in the second degree.
9A.52.130	Computer trespass -- Commission of other crime.

Additional Washington Computer Crime Laws/Statutes Resources
+ http://statelaws.findlaw.com/washington-law/washington-computer-crimes-laws.html

Saturday, March 23, 2013

Utah: Computer Crime Units/Task Forces, Statutes, Laws and Resources

Below is brief overview of computer crime laws, statutes, crime units/task forces and other related computer crime information/resources specific to Utah.

UTAH COMPUTER CRIME UNITS
Utah Cybercrime Task Force (Office of Attorney General) http://attorneygeneral.utah.gov/contact_us.html

UTAH COMPUTER CRIME LAWS/STATUTES
Utah Code Ann. §§76-6-702 to 76-6-705

Text from above statute can be found at:
+ http://www.le.state.ut.us/code/TITLE76/76.pdf

Additional Utah Computer Crime Laws/Statutes Resources
+ http://statelaws.findlaw.com/utah-law/utah-computer-crimes-laws.html

76-6-701 - Computer Crimes Act -- Short title.

76-6-702 - Definitions.

76-6-703 (Superseded 11/01/10) - Computer crimes and penalties.

76-6-704 - Attorney general, county attorney, or district attorney to prosecute -- Conduct violating other statutes.

76-6-705 - Reporting violations.

Monday, March 18, 2013

Virginia: Computer Crime Units/Task Forces, Statutes, Laws and Resources

Below is brief overview of computer crime laws, statutes, crime units/task forces and other related computer crime information/resources specific to Virginia.

VIRGINIA COMPUTER CRIME UNITS
Office of Attorney General - Computer Crime Section http://www.ag.virginia.gov/CCSWeb/Default.aspx
Virginia State Police http://www.vsp.state.va.us/BCI_CID.shtm

VIRGINIA COMPUTER CRIME LAWS/STATUTES
Va. Code §§18.2-152.1 to 18.2-152.14

Text from above statute can be found at:
+ http://leg1.state.va.us/cgi-bin/legp504.exe?000+cod+TOC18020000005000000000000

18.2-152.1	Short title
18.2-152.2	Definitions; computer crimes
18.2-152.3	Computer fraud; penalty
18.2-152.3:1	Transmission of unsolicited commercial electronic mail (spam); penalty
18.2-152.4	Computer trespass; penalty
18.2-152.5	Computer invasion of privacy; penalties
18.2-152.5:1	Using a computer to gather identifying information; penalties.
18.2-152.6	Theft of computer services; penalties
18.2-152.7	Personal trespass by computer; penalty
18.2-152.7:1	Harassment by computer; penalty
18.2-152.8	Property capable of embezzlement
18.2-152.9	, 18.2-152.10
18.2-152.11	Article not exclusive
18.2-152.12	Civil relief; damages
18.2-152.13	Severability
18.2-152.14	Computer as instrument of forgery

Additional Virginia Computer Crime Laws/Statutes Resources
+ http://statelaws.findlaw.com/virginia-law/virginia-computer-crimes-laws.html

Sunday, March 17, 2013

Texas: Computer Crime Units/Task Forces, Statutes, Laws and Resources

Below is brief overview of computer crime laws, statutes, crime units/task forces and other related computer crime information/resources specific to Texas.

TEXAS COMPUTER CRIME UNITS
+ Computer Information and Technology and Electronic Crime Unit (Texas Dept. of Public Safety)
http://www.txdps.state.tx.us/ccrime.htm
+ Texas Cybercrime Unit (Office of Attorney General) https://www.oag.state.tx.us/criminal/investigation.shtml

TEXAS COMPUTER CRIME LAWS/STATUTES
Tex. Penal Code §§33.01 to 33.03

Text from above statute can be found at:
+ http://www.statutes.legis.state.tx.us/Docs/PE/htm/PE.33.htm

Additional Texas Computer Crime Laws/Statutes Resources
+ http://statelaws.findlaw.com/texas-law/texas-computer-crimes-laws.html

Saturday, March 16, 2013

Tennessee: Computer Crime Units/Task Forces, Statutes, Laws and Resources

Below is brief overview of computer crime laws, statutes, crime units/task forces and other related computer crime information/resources specific to Tennessee.

TENNESSEE COMPUTER CRIME UNITS
Tennessee Bureau of Investigations
Cybercrime http://www.tbi.tn.gov/cyber_crime/cyber_crime.shtml
Technical Services Unit http://www.tbi.tn.gov/Crime_invest/tech_serv_unit.shtml

TENNESSEE COMPUTER CRIME LAWS/STATUTES

Text from above statute can be found at:
+ http://health.state.tn.us/STD/PDFs/TN_Computer_Crimes_Act.pdf
+ http://statelaws.findlaw.com/tennessee-law/tennessee-computer-crimes-laws.html

Additional Tennessee Computer Crime Laws/Statutes Resources
+ http://dnc.com/legal/statutes/TN/Tenn._Code_Ann./39-13-601.adpx
+ http://www.forwardedge2.usss.gov/pdf/TN-laws.pdf
+ http://www.tncrimlaw.com/TPI_Crim/27_05_b.htm

Saturday, February 2, 2013

South Dakota: Computer Crime Units/Task Forces, Statutes, Laws and Resources

Below is brief overview of computer crime laws, statutes, crime units/task forces and other related computer crime information/resources specific to South Dakota.

SOUTH DAKOTA COMPUTER CRIME UNITS
+ http://www.fbi.gov/minneapolis/about-us/our-partnerships/partners
The Minnesota Cyber Crime Task Force (MCCTF)—a joint FBI and U.S. Secret Service task force that includes members of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and local law enforcement—investigates cyber crime in the Minneapolis Division.....FBI agents assigned to the Computer Analysis Response Team (CART) also operate out of the task force. The MCCTF continues to reach out to additional partners within the states of Minnesota, North Dakota, and South Dakota to form partnerships to jointly investigate cyber and high-tech crimes.

SOUTH DAKOTA COMPUTER CRIME LAWS/STATUTES
S.D. Cod. Laws §§43-43B-1 to 43-43B-8

Text from above statute can be found at:
+ http://legis.state.sd.us/statutes/DisplayStatute.aspx?Type=Statute&Statute=43-43B-1
+ http://legis.state.sd.us/statutes/DisplayStatute.aspx?Type=Statute&Statute=43-43B

Additional South Dakota Computer Crime Laws/Statutes Resources
+ http://statelaws.findlaw.com/south-dakota-law/south-dakota-computer-crimes-laws.html
+ http://law.justia.com/codes/south-dakota/2011/title43/chapter43b/43-43b-1/

South Carolina: Computer Crime Units/Task Forces, Statutes, Laws and Resources

Below is brief overview of computer crime laws, statutes, crime units/task forces and other related computer crime information/resources specific to South Carolina.

SOUTH CAROLINA COMPUTER CRIME UNITS
+ South Carolina Law Enforcement - Computer Crime Center
http://www.sled.sc.gov/ComputerCrimesCenter.aspx?MenuID=ContactInformation

+ Charleston Police Computer Crime Unit http://www.charlestoncity.info/dept/content.aspx?nid=796

+ Here's 2002 article of South Carolina opening nation's 1st state crime center (at that time) dedicated to computer/high tech crimes
www.esecurityplanet.com/trends/article.php/1561811/SC-Opens-Nations-First-Cyber-Crime-Center.htm

SOUTH CAROLINA COMPUTER CRIME LAWS/STATUTES
S.C. Code §§16-16-10 to 16-16-40

Text from above statute can be found at:
+ http://www.scstatehouse.gov/code/t16c016.php

Additional South Carolina Computer Crime Laws/Statutes Resources
+ http://law.justia.com/codes/south-carolina/2010/title16/chapter16/
+ http://statelaws.findlaw.com/south-carolina-law/south-carolina-computer-crimes-laws.html

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