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London, Monday, December 16, 2002
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INFOCON News
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[News Index]
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[1] Victims' families, union among powerful forces in homeland security
[2] All eyes on Total Info Awareness
[3] Threats move beyond Linux to Windows
[4] U.S. widens leeway of CIA to kill terrorists
[5] Ask Not What the Internet Can Do for You
[6] 2003 forecast: Linux will eat Unix
[7] Anti-terrorism threatens PC privacy
[8] Angry Kuwaiti hacker launches cyber attack
[9] Bugwatch: 'Tis the season to be careful
[10] High-Tech Hack Attack Case Tests the Strength of Legal Ethics in an
Electronic World
[11] Forces to test text-mining tool
[12] Home PC users to blame for virus outbreaks
[13] Versar wins Navy integration work
[14] E-government projects aim to simplify paperwork for feds
[15] A Year-end Mailbag
[16] Cobalt security patch creates new holes
[17] IDC predicts strong security app sales
[18] Top homeland security adviser to exit post
[19] Ex-Defense officials form investment fund for small tech firms
[20] Time for everyone to get serious about firewalls
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CURRENT THREAT LEVELS
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Electricity Sector Physical: Elevated (Yellow)
Electricity Sector Cyber: Elevated (Yellow)
Homeland Security Elevated (Yellow)
DOE Security Condition: 3, modified
NRC Security Level: III (Yellow) (3 of 5
_________________________________________________________________
News
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[1] Victims' families, union among powerful forces in homeland security
By Siobhan Gorman, Sydney J. Freedberg Jr., and Peter H. Stone, National
Journal
New, amorphous, and far-reaching, homeland security is a possible target
for every special interest in town-particularly those scavenging for
federal dollars or trying to duck costly new regulations.
The first taste of this intense lobbying came last month, when the
Senate's homeland security bill nearly collapsed at the last minute
under the weight of special-interest add-ons-financial breaks for
everyone from pharmaceutical companies to Texas A&M University.
The new Homeland Security Department will have a budget of nearly $37
billion and 170,000 employees from 22 different agencies. The big
challenge for the department, and for Congress, will be to harness what
threatens to become a lobbying free-for-all. Without careful
congressional monitoring, says Frank Hoffman, who was a top aide to the
Hart-Rudman Commission on terrorism, "I'm afraid the special interests
will win every single time. If all the special interests get what they
want, [the department] will turn out to be a placebo. There won't be any
real safety, because there will be so many exceptions and so many
holes."
http://www.govexec.com/dailyfed/1202/121302nj1.htm
----------------------------------------------------
[2] All eyes on Total Info Awareness
BY Dan Caterinicchia
Dec. 16, 2002
Perhaps no project being developed as a result of the Sept. 11, 2001,
terrorist attacks has caused such intense public scrutiny and debate as
the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency's Total Information
Awareness (TIA) system.
TIA, in theory, will enable national security analysts to detect,
classify, track, understand and pre-empt terrorist attacks against the
United States by spotting patterns using public and private transaction
and surveillance methods.
The system, parts of which are already operational, incorporates
transactional data systems, including private credit card and travel
records, biometric authentication technologies, intelligence data and
automated virtual data repositories. Its goal is to create an
"end-to-end, closed-loop system," to help military and intelligence
analysts make decisions related to national security, said Robert Popp,
deputy director of DARPA's Information Awareness Office (IAO), which is
heading up the effort.
http://www.fcw.com/fcw/articles/2002/1216/web-tia-12-16-02.asp
----------------------------------------------------
[3] Threats move beyond Linux to Windows
By Scott Lowe MCSE, TechRepublic
10 December 2002
UNIX admins have been dealing with rootkits since the early 1990s, when
the first ones to be discovered were exploiting SunOS 4 machines. Now,
Windows admins must get up to speed, because rootkits are also being
used to attack Windows NT and 2000 systems.
Hackers can obtain user-level security privileges and install a rootkit,
which is basically a collection of tools, to compromise a system or
network. The rootkit will exploit a known system vulnerability or crack
a password for a user with administrator-level privileges and will then
cover the hacker's tracks, making them difficult to detect. The best way
to protect your network against rootkits is to know how they work and
what type of damage they can do.
http://www.zdnet.com.au/newstech/security/story/0,2000024985,20270561,00
.htm
----------------------------------------------------
[4] U.S. widens leeway of CIA to kill terrorists
James Risen and David Johnston/NYT The New York Times
Monday, December 16, 2002
2 dozen targets put on authorized list if capture is impractical
WASHINGTON The Bush administration has prepared a list of about two
dozen terrorist leaders that the Central Intelligence Agency is
authorized to kill if capture is impractical and civilian casualties can
be minimized, senior military and intelligence officials said.
The previously undisclosed CIA list of targets includes top leaders of
Al Qaeda, like Osama bin Laden and his chief deputy, Ayman Zawahiri, and
other principal figures from Al Qaeda and affiliated terrorist groups,
the officials said. "It's the worst of the worst," one official said.
President George W. Bush has provided written legal authority to the CIA
to hunt down and kill the terrorists without seeking further approval
each time the agency is about to start an operation. Some officials said
the terrorist list was known as the "high-value target list."
A spokesman for the White House declined to discuss the list or issues
involving the use of lethal force against terrorists. A spokesman for
the CIA also declined to comment on the list.
http://www.iht.com/articles/80392.html
----------------------------------------------------
[5] Ask Not What the Internet Can Do for You
Your role in national security
by Bret A. Fausett
New Architect
January 2003
Not too many years ago, conversations about our nation's critical
infrastructure would have revolved around the Interstate Highway System
or the television and radio broadcast networks. Not so long before that,
the same conversation would have centered on railroads. Times certainly
change, and while we haven't abandoned many of the transit and
distribution systems of the last century, we've become dependent on new
ones, like the Internet.
Because of the Internet's recent elevation to critical-infrastructure
status, it is now the subject of a new national policy debate about how
to secure it. This is a result of the increased awareness of security
following the terrorist attacks of September 11 last year. Internet
security and stability is now a key responsibility of the fledgling
Department of Homeland Security.
The focus of the current security debate is a new draft policy document
called "The National Strategy to Secure Cyberspace"
(www.whitehouse.gov/pcipb/). It was prepared by the President's Critical
Infrastructure Protection Board, a group of government and private
sector heavyweights appointed by President Bush to examine the state of
network security today and to make recommendations for improvement.
http://www.newarchitectmag.com/documents/s=7766/na0103h/index.html
----------------------------------------------------
[6] 2003 forecast: Linux will eat Unix
08:32 Friday 13th December 2002
Ed Frauenheim, CNET News.com
Linux will take market share from Unix and IT spending will increase,
but among IDC's more sobering precictions is that the Internet could be
brought to its knees
Among one technology researcher's predictions for 2003 is this sobering
thought: A major cyberterrorism event will disrupt the economy and bring
the Internet to its knees for at least a day or two.
The event could take the form of a denial-of-service attack, a network
intrusion or even a physical attack on key network assets, said John
Gantz, chief research officer of IDC. Gantz spoke Thursday during a
teleconference in which the research company laid out its annual
forecast of technology developments for the coming year.
http://news.zdnet.co.uk/story/0,,t278-s2127480,00.html
----------------------------------------------------
[7] Anti-terrorism threatens PC privacy
[MacUser] 13:47
US President George Bush has approved a bill to boost US national
security that threatens the privacy of computer users around the world.
The full extent of the new arm of the US government - called the
Department of Homeland Security - is still being determined, but it will
ensure that computer operating systems, hardware, data and the Internet
are secure. The US government will be able to access these computer
systems to fulfil its remit of protecting national security.
Industry experts suggest the ramifications of this agency are huge.
'What kind of control will the US government have over the development
of commercial computer operating systems so it can access private
information under the guise of "national security"?' said Marc
Rotenberg, the director of the Electronic Privacy Information Center.
http://www.pcpro.co.uk/?http://www.pcpro.co.uk/news/news_story.php?id=36
273
----------------------------------------------------
[8] Angry Kuwaiti hacker launches cyber attack
JACK FAIRWEATHER IN KUWAIT CITY
A YOUNG Kuwaiti computer hacker was being hailed yesterday as a hero for
causing the collapse of the Iraqi information ministry web site after
loading it with viruses
The hacker, 19, known by his computer name of Koko, launched his cyber
attack after becoming incensed by a speech by Saddam Hussein last
weekend in which the Iraqi leader offered an "apology" for the 1990
invasion of Kuwait.
http://www.thescotsman.co.uk/international.cfm?id=1387132002
----------------------------------------------------
[9] Bugwatch: 'Tis the season to be careful
By Donal Casey, anti-virus specialist, Integralis [11-12-2002]
Don't lower your guard this Christmas
Each week vnunet.com asks a different expert from the antivirus world to
give their views on recent virus and security issues, with advice,
warnings and information on the latest threats.
This week Donal Casey, antivirus specialist at Integralis, warns of the
dangers of complacency as the festive season nears.
As Christmas approaches, many IT security personnel are bracing
themselves for a hike in personal internet usage as staff log onto
e-cards, online shopping facilities and web mail sites to organise their
festivities and send greetings to loved ones.
http://www.pcw.co.uk/News/1137519
----------------------------------------------------
[10] High-Tech Hack Attack Case Tests the Strength of Legal Ethics in an
Electronic World
By The Lawyer's Column
Washington Post Staff Writer
Monday, December 16, 2002; Page E04
When you think of computer hacking, the stereotypical suspects who come
to mind are pimple-faced, pocket-protected teenagers who crack code for
kicks. Think Matthew Broderick as the teen hacker in the 1983 film "War
Games."
Now picture the computer hacker in pinstriped, double-breasted suits on
billable hours.
Would you believe that a respected law firm, corporate defense attorneys
in Dallas and Washington, a petrochemical company, and an industry trade
association now stand accused of illegally breaking into the Web site of
an expert trial witness?
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A55951-2002Dec14.html
----------------------------------------------------
[11] Forces to test text-mining tool
BY Dan Caterinicchia
Dec. 16, 2002
As part of an upcoming war games experiment focused on information
sharing among coalition partners, U.S. Joint Forces Command will test a
text-mining technology that quickly combs through millions of documents
in numerous languages.
The tool is intended to help analysts identify relationships among
targeted people, places and events.
The Multinational Limited Objective Experiment 2 is scheduled for Feb.
10-28, 2003, and includes Australia, Canada, Germany and the United
Kingdom. It will explore security issues with the goal of examining how
to build an operational net assessment (ONA) in a distributed,
collaborative environment, according to Joint Forces Command officials
http://www.fcw.com/fcw/articles/2002/1216/web-jfc-12-16-02.asp
----------------------------------------------------
[12] Home PC users to blame for virus outbreaks
Double the trouble of last year...
The proportion of emails containing viruses has almost doubled
year-on-year, and the blame is being laid at the door of home users.
Virus-scanning firm MessageLabs said it stopped 9.3 million viruses in
two billion emails this year, which equated to one virus in every 215
emails. This is compared to 1.8 million viruses stopped in 718 million
emails in 2001, or one virus in every 398 emails.
According to the report, which measured results up to the end of the
second week of December, the most active virus was Klez.H with 4.9
million copies stopped by MessageLabs. Yaha.E came second with 1.1
million copies, then it was Bugbear.A with 842,333.
http://www.silicon.com/bin/bladerunner?30REQEVENT=&REQAUTH=21046&14001RE
QSUB=REQINT1=56816
----------------------------------------------------
[13] Versar wins Navy integration work
BY Matthew French
Dec. 13, 2002
Versar Inc. announced Dec. 12 that the Navy has awarded the company a
$6.5 million, five-year contract for systems integration work.
The initial work under the contract will support the integration of
network-centric data management systems at military test and training
ranges in the United States using Versar's Next Generation Management
Information System.
http://www.fcw.com/fcw/articles/2002/1209/web-navy-12-13-02.asp
----------------------------------------------------
[14] E-government projects aim to simplify paperwork for feds
By Amelia Gruber
Some of the administration's e-government initiatives will put pay and
other human resources information online, making life much easier for
federal employees, an Office of Management and Budget official said
Friday.
At least six of the administration's 24 e-government initiatives will
put electronic training, travel, records management and payroll
resources at workers' fingertips, according to Mark Forman, associate
director of information technology and e-government at OMB, speaking at
an e-government conference on Friday. The initiatives aimed at federal
workers will also include a one-stop recruitment center and information
on simplifying the acquisitions process.
The goal is to "simplify and unify" internal agency procedures that have
become inefficient, Forman said. New hires would no longer have to fill
out 15 or more forms asking for overlapping, redundant information, he
said. And workers could complete training from their desks, which would
cost less than if agencies sent employees to courses outside the agency.
http://www.govexec.com/dailyfed/1202/121302a1.htm
----------------------------------------------------
[15] A Year-end Mailbag
"Why are you rambling?," and other feedback received by your anti-virus
columnist.
By George Smith Dec 15, 2002
As the end of the year approaches, it's time to turn the column over to
some outside grumbling, and expose scabs that regular readers of these
essays say need repeated picking.
Nick B., a sysadmin of a network of some national repute, writes to say
he'd like to see some different -- more real -- figures attributed to
losses due to computer virus-related troubles. So I called upon him to
don his thinking cap for a minute and indulge me as chairman for a day
of Economics-Schmeckonomics, a high-tech risk assessment firm I
concocted to lend realism to the exercise.
Nick reckoned he could be as accurate as anyone from anti-virus PR firms
in supplying numbers and I agreed. It turns out losses at Nick's
enterprise are spread over a wide range of things: "imperfectly
preventing viruses from coming in," hard disk failure (about "seven
percent on our network" per annum) and other garden-variety pests. One
of these was the brain sinkhole known as the JDBMGR.EXE hoax, a fake
virus warning that mercilessly spawns phone calls from users who have
balled up something by following its bogus instructions for removal.
http://online.securityfocus.com/columnists/130
----------------------------------------------------
[16] Cobalt security patch creates new holes
By John Leyden
Posted: 13/12/2002 at 15:19 GMT
A security-hardening patch for Sun Cobalt appliances causes more
problems than it solves, the company admits.
Instal the SHP (Security Hardening Patch) on Cobalt RaQ 4 server
applianc and you make it vulnerable to attacks from crackers who could
run arbitrary code on the appliances with root privileges, Sun warns in
a notice issued this week.
http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/55/28565.html
----------------------------------------------------
[17] IDC predicts strong security app sales
By ComputerWire
Posted: 16/12/2002 at 09:44 GMT
Market forecasts made by researchers with International Data Corp
suggest that integrated hardware appliances will next year become the
primary purchase target for enterprises buying security software.
The firewall/virtual private network (VPN) security appliance market
maintained a healthy growth rate of 34% from 2000 to 2001 and exceeded
the $1bn mark in vendor revenue, the market researchers report.
Netscreen Technologies Inc, SonicWall Inc, Cisco Systems Inc and Nokia
Internet Communications all sell high-speed integrated security
appliances that host a variety of Virtual Private Network (VPN),
firewall, anti-virus or content-filtering applications in a single unit.
WatchGuard Technologies Inc also figures in the sector after it acquired
RapidStream Inc, another supplier of high-speed security appliances.
http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/55/28576.html
----------------------------------------------------
[18] Top homeland security adviser to exit post
>From National Journal's Technology Daily
Mark Holman, who has been a close, long-time aide to White House
Homeland Security Adviser Tom Ridge, is leaving his post as deputy
assistant for Homeland Security at the end of the year, Influence Online
reported.
Holman is returning to the Washington office of Blank Rome Consulting, a
lobbying unit of Philadelphia law firm Blank Rome Comisky & McCauley.
Holman worked for Ridge for almost two decades, as chief of staff for
then-Rep. Ridge, R-Pa., from 1983 to 1991, and then as chief of staff
for Ridge when he was governor of Pennsylvania.
http://www.govexec.com/dailyfed/1202/121302td2.htm
----------------------------------------------------
[19] Ex-Defense officials form investment fund for small tech firms
By William New, National Journal's Technology Daily
A team of veterans of the defense community is forming a venture-capital
fund designed to address the gap between small commercial technology
firms and the government's needs for military and homeland security
goals.
"You have a discontinuity between how the government and commercial
world operate," said David Oliver, a former Defense Department
acquisitions officer who now heads his own consulting firm in
Alexandria, Va. "We are trying to bring to government's attention things
that are technological advantages" and make a profit at the same time.
Oliver said in an interview that the private sector has many great
technologies, but it is "really hard" to place technologies properly
within government. The trick is to match the technology with the person
in government who needs it and who is willing to accept it, he said.
http://www.govexec.com/dailyfed/1202/121302td1.htm
----------------------------------------------------
[20] Time for everyone to get serious about firewalls
By Hiawatha Bray, Globe Staff, 12/16/2002
here's nothing like getting a computer for Christmas - especially if
it's somebody else's.
If your machine's on the Internet, it's under near-constant attack from
people who'd like to ''own'' it. And if some digital crook can read all
of your files or install a piece of rogue software on your machine, you
might as well give him the sales receipt as well.
Everybody frets about viruses, rightly enough. But computer users are
only just starting to get serious about protecting their machines from
network intruders. Firewalls - software programs that analyze and
regulate exchanges of data between your computer and the Internet -
aren't a foolproof solution, but they are a minimal requirement for safe
surfing. Yet millions of us don't use them, even as they become cheaper,
simpler, and more desperately needed.
http://www.boston.com/dailyglobe2/350/business/Time_for_everyone_to_get_
serious_about_firewalls+.shtml
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Copyright 2002, IWS - The Information Warfare Site
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