North Korea emerges as suspect in cyber attacks in US, South Korea

SEOUL, South Korea — North Korea, which has been firing missiles and spewing threats against the United States, has been identified by South Korea’s main spy agency as a suspect in the cyber attacks targeting government and other Web sites in the U.S. and South Korea.

Officials: Major SKorean, US Web sites hit by suspected cyber attack

SEOUL, South Korea — Suspected cyber attacks paralyzed Web sites of major South Korean government agencies, banks and Internet sites in a barrage that appeared linked to similar attacks in the U.S., South Korean officials said Wednesday.

Federal agency Web sites knocked out by massive, resilient cyber attack

WASHINGTON — A widespread and unusually resilient computer attack that began July 4 knocked out the Web sites of several government agencies, including some that are responsible for fighting cyber crime, The Associated Press has learned.

Supreme Court won’t block Cablevision’s remote-storage digital video recording system

PHILADELPHIA — Cable TV operators won a key legal battle against Hollywood studios and television networks on Monday as the Supreme Court declined to block a new digital video recording system that could make it even easier for viewers to bypass commercials.

‘Hacktivists’ attack sites for Iranian government and media as clashes in streets quiet

EDITOR’S NOTE: Iranian authorities have barred journalists for international news organizations from reporting on the streets and ordered them to stay in their offices. This report is based on the accounts of witnesses reached in Iran and official statements carried on Iranian media.

Hackers to code-crackers? Britain looks to geeks to foil cyber foes, protect key data

LONDON — Britain is hiring former computer hackers to join a new security unit aimed at protecting cyberspace from foreign spies, thieves and terrorists, the country’s terrorism minister said.

Political turmoil fuels ‘hacktivist’ attacks on Web sites

SAN FRANCISCO — For about 90 minutes Wednesday, visitors to the Oregon University System’s Web site found themselves taken for a ride they didn’t ask for. They were redirected to another site under the control of a hacker, who posted an 89-word screed criticizing the protests in Iran.

Hackers post message supporting Iranian regime on Oregon University System home page

PORTLAND, Ore. — Hackers defaced the home page of the Oregon University System, posting a caustic message telling President Barack Obama to mind his own business and stop talking about the disputed Iranian election.

Kazakh parliament approves Internet law that rights groups say will curb free speech

ALMATY, Kazakhstan — Kazakh lawmakers have approved Internet legislation that media rights activists say will limit freedom of speech in the Central Asian nation.

Hackers post pro-Iranian message on Oregon University System home page

PORTLAND, Ore. — Hackers got into the computers of the Oregon University System and posted a message telling President Barack Obama to mind his own business and not to comment on the disputed Iranian election.

Mont. city commission eliminates hiring policy seeking Internet passwords from job applicants

BOZEMAN, Mont. — The Bozeman City Commission has voted to eliminate a hiring policy that allowed the city to look at information found on social networking sites in considering job applications.

NC gov. bans text-messaging by motorists, gets word out by texting: ‘Hope u r not driving now’

RALEIGH, N.C. — North Carolina has become the seventh state to pass a ban this year on texting while driving. So how did Gov. Beverly Perdue get the word out?

US officials worried by signs that terrorist groups are recruiting Web-savvy cyberexperts

WASHINGTON — Terrorist groups that have long used the Internet to spread propaganda are increasingly tapping the Web to teach Islamic extremists how to be hackers, recruit techies for cyberwarfare and raise money through online fraud, U.S. officials say.

AP IMPACT: Weak security in payment industry opens door to credit card thefts

Every time you swipe your credit card and wait for the transaction to be approved, sensitive data including your name and account number are ferried from store to bank through computer networks, each step a potential opening for hackers.

Briton accused of hacking US military computers makes new legal bid to avoid extradition

LONDON — A British man accused of hacking into U.S. military computers is asking a court to halt his extradition to the United States.

FTC pulls plug on allegedly rogue Internet provider over “witches’ brew” of harmful content

SAN FRANCISCO — The federal government has severed the Internet connection of a company accused of helping criminals serve up a “witches’ brew” of nasty content online, from computer viruses to child pornography.

AP News in Brief

Obama says he’ll accept Nobel Peace Prize as ‘call to action’ toward peace and prosperity

Obama turns to ‘cyber czar’ to protect computer security

WASHINGTON — America has failed for too long to protect the security of its computer networks, President Barack Obama said Friday, announcing he will name a new cyber czar to press for action.

French Senate approves bill to cut off Internet connections of illegal downloaders

PARIS — France’s Senate has given final approval to a law that would punish people who download music and films illegally by cutting off their Internet connections.

Va. health secretary: Extent to which prescription system was compromised still not known

RICHMOND, Va. — State officials still don’t know the extent to which a hacker compromised Virginia’s prescription drug monitoring system.

Google’s Street View halted by privacy watchdog in Greece

ATHENS, Greece — A privacy watchdog has banned the Internet giant Google Inc. from gathering images in Greece for its Street View service until it provides additional privacy guarantees.

Dell policy formalizes ban on exporting broken electronics and parts to developing countries

SEATTLE — PC maker Dell Inc. on Tuesday formally banned the export of broken computers, monitors and parts to developing countries amid complaints that lax enforcement of environmental and worker-safety regulations have allowed an informal and often hazardous electronic-waste recycling industry to emerge.

Hackers steal personal information from UC Berkeley health services database; 160,000 notified

SAN FRANCISCO — University of California, Berkeley, officials said Friday that hackers infiltrated restricted computer databases, putting at risk health and other personal information on 160,000 students, alumni and others.

Pentagon says more money, people needed to defend and wage cyber warfare

WASHINGTON — Cyber espionage and attacks from well-funded nations or terror groups are the biggest threats to the military’s computer networks, a top officer said Thursday.

Pentagon says more money, people needed to defend and wage cyber warfare

WASHINGTON — Cyber espionage and attacks from well-funded nations or terror groups are the biggest threats to the military’s computer networks, a top officer said Thursday.

EU Parliament pushes for more Internet user rights, rejects telecoms package over piracy row

STRASBOURG, France — Worried about trampling on the rights of innocent consumers, the European Parliament rejected Wednesday attempts by EU governments to crack down on people who illegally download copyright-protected music and movies over the Internet.

Al-Qaida used free Hotmail, simplistic codes, almanac to prep for alleged attack

WASHINGTON — In the days following the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, alleged al-Qaida operations mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed intended to use his free Hotmail account to direct a U.S.-based operative to carry out an attack, according to a guilty plea agreement filed by Ali Saleh Kahlah al-Marri in federal court.

French lawmakers reconsider bill that would cut illegal downloaders’ Internet connections

PARIS — French legislators reconsidered a bill Wednesday that would punish people who illegally download music and films by cutting off their Internet connections.

Conficker adds new moneymaking weapon to arsenal: spam

SAN FRANCISCO — The giant Conficker computer worm, once feared as an out-of-control Internet doomsday machine, seems to have settled — for now — on trying to make money in very predictable ways.

Now playing: Hollywood vs. RealNetworks in showdown over legality of software that “rips” DVDs

SAN FRANCISCO — Hollywood calls it “rent, rip and return” and contends it’s one of the biggest technological threats to the movie industry’s annual $20 billion DVD market — software that allows you to copy a film without paying for it.