Catherine Forsythe of FlyingHmaster & SpywareInfo - This is very disturbing and upsetting to me personally. I've chatted with Catherine several times over the past two years and both admire and respect her for all the hard work she's done for ALL OF US at both FlyingHamster and SpywareInfo.
It is with some regret that I am posting these personal developments on FlyingHamster. As many of you know, this site was started as an adjunct to the weekly newsletters that were done on Spywareinfo. With the speed of news, it was felt that the visitors of Spywareinfo would be best served if there was a daily posting of the news concerning the internet, privacy and security.
In brief, that is how this site came to evolve. Unfortunately, the editor of Spywareinfo has abandoned the site for periods of time. This has occurred with alarming frequency. The last time I have heard from Mike Healan, the site owner, was on September 6, 2006. The front page of the site remains stopped at that point in time. The reason is that Mike Healan retained the passwords to the site controls and never passed along this information to anyone before leaving the site.
As part owner of the Spywareinfo site, I have worked to cope with some of the problems of the site in Mike’s absence. This has been time consuming and stressful . Recently, it has come to my attention that there are accusations of my mishandling of the site funds and there is an attempt to take over the site. I have had my access to the Spywareinfo Forum restricted. Not only have such actions being taken against me. This has happened to others, including Tom ‘Coyote’ Wilson. Tom was one of the original members of the Spywareinfo group when the site was started.
Since my access to the Spywareinfo Forum has been restricted and defamatory statements made about me, I have had no other recourse except to initiate legal proceedings. There is documentation from Mike Healan that I am part owner of the site. The actions to restrict access are, in essence, deplorable. It simply angers me beyond description and, therefore, I have retained legal counsel.
Further, I cannot have such nonsense about me stated on a site on which I have work for years and years. I realize the implications of such statements when I seek a professional position in the work force.*
Please Read The Whole Story to fully understand what's going on and why I'm so upset over this recent development. And, I'm requesting that if any of you feel the same way as I do about this, Please Help Catherine Financially With A Donation, even if it's only $1.00.
Our view: Porn was Amero's burden - Failure to protect children is the crime
Catherine sent me this link several days ago and after reading this...ummm...article, I've written and re-written several responses to their stupid-assed claims and still don't have a final copy ready yet.
I'm posting the link today because people need to see for themselves just how stupid these so called experts are who helped convict Julie. And that the local reporters as just as stupid as these so called experts.
Maybe I'll be able to calm myself down long enough to finish replying to the ignorant claims made in this article.
I also found a link to this story on Catherine's web site - Enduring Storm Of `Pop-Up' Madness - If you don't want to read the whole story, jump over to Page Four of the Article and read the conclusion.
Case against Julie Amero needs to be deleted by Andrew Kantor - Occasionally I like to go back to subjects of previous columns and see what's changed, usually months after they've run. But this week there's enough new information about something I wrote about only a couple of weeks ago that I feel the need to talk about it.
On February 22, I wrote about Julie Amero, the substitute teacher in Connecticut who, I believe, has been railroaded to the point of facing 40 years in prison for not doing enough to protect the kids in her class from an endless stream of porn pop-ups on an unprotected classroom computer.
Since then, more information has come out and several things of note have happened.
The most important new development was the release of the full transcript of the trial, making it possible to see exactly what was said.
And what was said was scary.*
No kidding some of the "expert" testimony is scary!! It's friggin' scary even!! Read these snippets and see if you don't come to the same conclusion for yourself...
"when asked, "Is it possible to be in an endless loop of pornography?" Hartz replied, "I've never seen that, so I would have to say probably not."
Later he was asked, "Does spyware and adware generate pornography?" and he replied, "I'm not aware that they do.""*
That testimony came from Robert Hartz, "the information services manager for Norwich Public Schools."
They're trusting the most crucial part of securing their school system computers to a FRICKIN' IDIOT!!
...another snippet...
"Then there was Lounsbury.
The core of his testimony was an incorrect statement: That your Web browser distinguishes between links you click manually and those that are opened courtesy of a popup.
"Detective," he was asked, "when you actively clicked on a link from the Web page, what are one of the detail signs that it was an active click of a link on a Web page?"
His reply: "It would be a different color. It will change colors.""*
And that testimony came from Mark Lounsbury, "the computer crimes officer for the Norwich Police Department." A friggin' detective who doesn't know shit about "how" computers work, obviously!!
It's no wonder that Julie was convicted in the first place with such so called "expert testimony" like this being presented to a jury who was just as ignorant as the experts about how computers work!
Thank you Catherine for the link!!
Windows Live OneCare eats Outlook mail for lunch by Robert Vamosi - A recent update to the Microsoft antivirus engine for Windows Live OneCare will quarantine the PST file used to store e-mail messages for Microsoft Outlook, preventing access to messages, appointments, tasks and journal entries. It affects versions of Outlook, including Outlook 97 and 2000, and Outlook Express running on Windows XP when the .pst file contains an infected attachment. Microsoft will issue an update on Patch Tuesday, March 13, 2007. In the meantime, in a post on one of the Microsoft forums, Microsoft representatives suggest the following actions to regain access to lost e-mail:
1. Close the Outlook or Outlook Express application.
2. Click Change OneCare Settings in the main OneCare user interface.
3. Click on the Viruses & Spyware tab.
4. And then click on the Quarantine button.
5. Select the PST or DBX file.
6. Click Restore.
Once the e-mail file has been recovered, you'll also need to change the OneCare antivirus settings affecting future virus scans. To do so, follow these instructions:
1. Click Change OneCare Setting in the Main user interface.
2. Click Viruses & Spyware tab.
3. Click on the Exclusions button.
4. Click on the Add Folder button.
5. Navigate to the specific folder that contains the DBX or PST file to be excluded.
6. Click OK to finish.*
Computer profs urge independent investigator in teacher porn case - Nearly 30 Connecticut computer science professors have signed a letter urging an independent investigation in the case of a Norwich substitute teacher convicted of exposing her students to pornography on a classroom computer.
The professors, from eight Connecticut colleges and universities, took out an ad in Tuesday's Hartford Courant on behalf of Julie Amero, a 40-year-old Windham resident with no prior criminal record.*
Experts rebuke Amero ruling - The president of a Florida computer protection software company, skeptical of the conviction of a Norwich substitute teacher in a computer porn case, says computer experts are joining to aid in her defense.
Alex Eckelberry, owner of Sunbelt Software, said he and a "forensic team of A-list players across the country" are performing a forensic technical review of the computer hard drive used in the January conviction of Julie Amero.*
Thank you Catherine for these updates!!
Change in Court Date for Julie Amero - It seems that the sentencing date for Julie Amero has been changed:
“The scheduled sentencing Friday for a Connecticut substitute teacher convicted of exposing her middle-school students to pop-up internet pornography has been postponed so the 40-year-old’s new defense team can learn about the case.”*
Connecticut teacher convicted on school porn charge a victim of spyware, says BigFix CTO - The scheduled sentencing Friday for a Connecticut substitute teacher convicted of exposing her middle-school students to pop-up internet pornography has been postponed so the 40-year-old's new defense team can learn about the case.
Julie Amero, 40, is now scheduled to be sentenced March 29 in Norwich Superior Court. She faces up to 40 years in prison after a jury convicted her earlier this month of allowing seventh-grade students at Kelly Middle School to view graphic sexual images.
Information security experts, however, believe Amero is herself the victim of adware and spyware.*
Sentencing postponed in Julie Amero case - The former Norwich substitute teacher convicted of exposing her seventh-grade students to Internet porn is getting extra time to bolster her defense team.
Superior Court Judge Hillary Strackbein agreed Monday, court documents show, to postpone Friday's sentencing for Julie Amero, 40, the Windham woman convicted last month on four counts of risk of injury to a minor. Her sentencing will take place March 29 in Norwich Superior Court, where she faces 40 years in prison.*
Amero sentencing postponed - Attorney John F. Cocheo, who represented Amero at trial, requested the postponement to allow time for a new attorney and consultant to familiarize themselves with the case.
In his letter to the court, Cocheo said attorney William Dow has become involved in the case, along with sentencing consultant Clinton Roberts. Cocheo could not be reached for comment Monday.*
Persecution of the Innocent - Julie Amero - The court opted to deny / prevent the defense from presenting evidence to rebut the evidence introduced by the state. After two independent forensic investigations concluded that malware, not Julie was responsible for the infestation of pop up ads for pornography sites.
Obviously this has been going on for a while now, but I just heard about it myself...AND I'M PISSED!! I cannot believe this lady was actually convicted of the charges against her and that she may soon be sentenced up to 40 years for something she's not guilty of!!
So, I'm trying my best to help spread the word and am asking, no...I'M PLEADING, with all of y'all to contribute to Julie Amero's Legal Defense Fund, PLEASE.
Here are several links to various articles about What Happened to Julie Amero...
Pop-up ads can land you in jail - By Ryan Russell - If you find yourself the victim of pop-up ads on a computer, with children in the vicinity, you could face decades in prison. I wish that I was exaggerating or being sensationalistic, but for Julie Amero this is far too real.*
Teacher Faces Jail Over Pornography on Class Computer - By Alison Leigh Cowan of The NY Times - Julie Amero, a substitute teacher at a middle school in Norwich, Conn., said she had simply wanted to e-mail her husband. The authorities contend that she was — purposely or, perhaps, carelessly — exposing 11- and 12-year-old students to pornography rather than teaching them English.*
Teacher’s porn conviction sparks tech debate - Graphic images inadvertently appeared on classroom PC, Conn. woman says - Substitute teacher Julie Amero faces up to 40 years in prison after being convicted of exposing seventh-grade students to pornographic images on their classroom computer in Norwich, Conn.*
Mouse-Trapped by Mark Rasch - Substitute teacher Julie Amero faces up to 40 years in prison for exposing kids to porn using a classroom computer, but the facts strongly suggest that she was wrongfully convicted. Many issues remain, from the need for an independent computer forensics investigation and the presence of spyware and adware on the machine, to bad or incomplete legal work on both sides of this criminal case.*
Norwich porn a fluke, expert says By Daniel Axelrod Norwich Bulletin - Touting Norwich Public Schools' Internet filtering software, the district's technology administrator said a former substitute teacher's ability to access pornographic Web sites in a classroom was a freak occurrence.*
Teacher Faces Prison for Pop-Up Infested PC by Steve Bass - Crazy, but true: Woman convicted of exposing minors to porn, could serve 40 years.*
The Strange Case of Ms. Julie Amero: Commentary by Mr. Herb Horner - W. Herbert Horner has worked in computers since 1966. He was Systems Software Engineer for General Dynamics, Operating Systems Internalist for Sperry Univac, and he has diagnosed and corrected mainframe operating systems for the U.S. Armed Forces, NSA, IRS, and various commercial interests.
He now operates his own consulting firm, Contemporary Computer Consultants, writes custom software for medical, municipal, business, and forensic applications. He also does network design, implementation, and administration. He also is a computer forensic examiner who was called as a defense expert witness in the Julie Amero case.*
The Julie Amero Tragedy - Nancy Willard, M.S., J.D. Center for Safe and Responsible Use of the Internet - This paper presents an analysis of the tragedy of the case of Julie Amero, a substitute teacher who was convicted of endangering minors. What actually happened was her computer got "porn trapped" and she made every effort to prevent the students from viewing inappropriate material.*
Oh My Word!! I could keep going all night long finding numerous relevant links that ALL SUPPORT JULIE, and correctly lay the full blame on the school for screwing this up, but that still would not help Julie now since she's already been wrongly convicted. What needs to happen now is for enough people to "get involved" and help Julie get an appeal of this stupid-ass conviction and have it reversed.
Please, Help In Any Way You Can...Spread The Word, Contribute To Julie's Legal Defense Fund, Write Someone, Anything. Just Get Involved Somehow, Please!!
I donated $20 myself just this evening. For some that may not be a lot, for others it could be more than they could afford. Please, donate whatever amount you can currently afford...$1, $5, $10, $20, $50, $100...Whatever y'all can afford. Every little bit that Julie receives today can help her pay for Real Computer Security Experts to testify on her behalf that CAN/WILL help keep her out of prison!
Seriously, please help Julie.
Anti-Spyware Test Results - By David Hartsock - I know you've all been waiting with baited breath for the results of the Knock Down Drag Out Anti Spyware Cage Match. It's been quite a task for me to complete, but let's get down to business!*
Anti-Spyware Cage Match Winner - By David Hartsock - Here we are at end of the anti-spyware test. In the last issue of the newsletter I presented a table of results and Excel spreadsheets of all files and registry keys. If you missed them you should take a look. I've created a new table that shows the whole picture below. Have a look and I'll go into more detail.* 01/24/2007
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