The Common Scold: CYBER-SCARY

About
The Common Scold

The Common Scold is named after a cause of action that originated in Pilgrim days, when meddlesome, argumentative, opinionated women who displeased the Puritan elders were punished by a brisk dunk in the local pond. Believe it or not, the tort lasted until 1972, when State v. Palendrano, 120 N.J. Super. 336, 293 A.2d 747 (N.J.Super.L., Jul 13, 1972) pretty much put it to rest. But the thought of those feisty women, not afraid of a little cold water, has always cheered me up and inspired me. I first used the moniker as the name of my humor column at the University of San Francisco School of Law many moons ago, and revive it now for this blawg!

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CYBER-SCARY

Monday's keynote speaker, David Thomas, presented, without question, the scariest keynote ever in the 26-year history of LegalTech. Thomas, deputy asst. director of the Science and Technology Branch of the FBI, offered a mesmerizing hour on cyber-crime that made every last attendee want to immediately close all their bank accounts, credit cards, and trading accounts -- and pay for everything with cash.

Thomas' compelling report discussed the explosion of cybercrime, and told tales of how phishers and hackers are able to download instructions -- and openly solicit business partners -- via the web. One of his most interesting observations was that the FBI spends three days training its folks on Google -- because of its immense power and nuanced capabilities.

Let's hope Thomas gets invited back for an encore.

I Googled Thomas, and found these recent articles about him:

www 2006 (Edinburgh)
The Register
An unidentified University -- I suspect Univ. of Maryland
Computer Weekly
Insurance Journal
Internet Security News

SANS News Bites

January 30, 2007 in Technology | Permalink

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June '08: Can You Adapt? EDD is wreaking havoc on traditional law firm caste systems, with new roles for attorneys, paralegals, IT and other litigation support staff. Opportunities abound for the ambitious.

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