Law and Order

Earlier this week, the Copyright Alert System (CAS)—better known as "Six Strikes"—finally debuted. On Wednesday, both Verizon and Comcast activated the service.

The new system is funded by a group known as the Center for Copyright Information (CCI), which is made up of five major American ISPs, the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA), and the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). It's been in the works for years and may provide a significant change to the copyright infringement policing regime in the United States.

Dylan Wheeler, a computer security and gaming enthusiast who lives near Perth in Western Australia, could very well be in a lot of trouble.

Wheeler, who is in his late teens, is by his own description somewhat of a hacker. He claims to have breached both Microsoft's and Sony's game development networks, extracting software tools used to develop games for the upcoming versions of the Xbox and PlayStation.

The founder of hacking group Lulzsec, Sabu, has had his sentence postponed in order to continue working with the FBI.

Sabu - real name Hector Xavier Monsegur - encouraged Lulzsec members to hack websites including those of the CIA, Serious Organised Crime Agency (Soca), Sony Pictures Europe and News International during the summer of 2011. But little did the group's members know that at that time Sabu was a double agent, working with the FBI.

China has apparently added a unique new weapon to its sprawling arsenal. A new report from U.S. security company Mandiant reveals a new Chinese military unit dedicated to carrying out hacking attacks against Western targets that include major corporations and industries. Such a move is almost unprecedented and exemplifies how conflict is evolving into the digital realm. It has become all too easy for a hostile nation to target another's infrastructure though the internet.

US prosecutors have postponed the sentencing of "Sabu" - real name Hector Xavier Monsegur – who led the LulzSec hacking crew during the summer of 2011 while working as a double agent for the FBI.

Monsegur was due to appear at a Manhattan federal court on Friday for sentencing on ten counts of hacking, one of bank fraud, and one of identity theft, which together carried a maximum penalty of 124 years.

Software and tech hardware companies have to protect their secrets and shield their upcoming products from the prying eyes of competition right up to the day they choose to announce. In a multi-billion dollar industry like gaming, market players take this kind of thing seriously. Very seriously. An Australian hacker was visited by a handful of law enforcement officials this week on allegations that he’s been stealing intel about the not-yet-released new Xbox, a Microsoft product. (NASDAQ:MSFT)

A provincial appeals court in Canada has ruled that police can search the mobile phone of an arrested person only if there is no password on that phone. With a digital locking mechanism, however, officers must get a warrant.

“In this case, it is significant that the cell phone was apparently not password protected or otherwise ‘locked’ to users other than the appellant when it was seized,” the Court of Appeal for Ontario, wrote in its unanimous decision. “Furthermore, the police had a reasonable belief that it would contain relevant evidence.”

The British Phonographic Industry (BPI) is seeking to block file-sharing sites Fenopy, H33t and Kickass Torrents, the BPI said on Tuesday.

"We are seeking court orders requiring ISPs to block access to three infringing websites," said BPI Director of Communications, Adam Liversage, in an email. The BPI wants the U.K. ISPs BT, Sky, Virgin Media, O2, Everything Everywhere and TalkTalk to block access to these sites, Liversage said.

Leaking information and materials regarding upcoming consoles is serious business. Just ask SuperDaE, the anonymous source whose parceling of information and attempted sale of his supposed Microsoft "Durango" development kit has purportedly earned him a visit from police and an FBI agent.

The mysteriously well-informed source posted on Twitter this morning that "police raided me," apparently based on a warrant that cited Microsoft, eBay, and Paypal. He later followed up to say that an FBI agent and seven to eight police were involved in the raid.

Indonesian police expressed optimism about their investigation into the recent hacking of email accounts belonging to publicly-listed coal miner PT Bumi Resources, saying they were making further probes into the coal miner’s stolen data and any links with its business partners.

Police chief spokesman Brig. Gen. Boy Rafli Amar said here on Friday that with further investigation the police would be able to identify the hackers and bring them to the courts.