-Caveat Lector- <A HREF="http://www.ctrl.org/"> </A> -Cui Bono?- from: http://www.aci.net/kalliste/ Click Here: <A HREF="http://www.aci.net/kalliste/">The Home Page of J. Orlin Grabbe</A> ----- Information Warfare Doomsday Cult Designed Japanese Gov. Software The cult is now available to do work on IRS computers. The Japanese government has ordered an urgent review of its computer systems after it emerged that members of Aum Shinri Kyo, a doomsday cult, have inadvertantly been used to design and install sensitive government software. The involvement of Aum members could have potentially allowed the cult to infiltrate government systems and gather information on matters such as national defence, security officials said on Wednesday. The cult, recently renamed Aleph, is accused of having conducted a 1995 sarin gas attack on the Tokyo subway which killed 12 people and left hundreds injured. It has not commented on the case. Government officials claimed on Tuesday that no damage had been done to national security interests. Though the software was on the verge of being activated in the Defence Agency, the government had ordered an immediate ban on all Aum-linked software, Mikio Aoki, cabinet secretary, said. "It should not be impossible to replace this with the software developed by other companies," he said. However, the revelation is an embarrassing blow for the government, which has been attempting to clamp down on Aum since the 1995 attack. Hideharu Ishikawa, president of Artemis, a security company, said: "Aum could have done anything - install mechanisms inside the (government) network to allow them remote access, or even to create a network malfunction." The news is likely to fuel concern that Japan is still ill-equipped to address security problems in the fast-developing information technology world. Earlier this year hackers invaded a large number of Japanese government computers systems, with apparent ease, leaving derogatory messages about World War Two. "Japan is still naïve about many security issues - let us hope that the Aum (case) is a wake up call," said one Western security expert on Wednesday. The case arose because Aum members have recently started a series of computing businesses to earn revenue for the group. These did not usually identify themselves with Aum, and the police appear to have been unaware of their activities until they conducted a raid on one Aum member on Wednesday. Police said on Wednesday that about 90 government agencies and private companies had used Aum-linked software, often through sub-contractors. The Defence Agency, for example, was due to start operating Aum-linked software this week to handle communications between the Ground Self Defence Force and outside networks. Although this software did not handle classified military matters, Aum could potentially have used the access to gain information of many military matters, security officials say. Nippon Telegraph and Telecommunications said on Wednesday that it had also inadvertantly used Aum-linked software for a variety of programmes, including a service which allows users to send greeting cards through the internet. NTT said it was investigating whether customer privacy had been breached. The origins of the software had not been immediately evident since NTT had only had direct contact with software companies with no connection to Aum, officials said. It was these companies that had subcontracted development to Aum companies. The Financial Times, March 2, 2000 ----- Aloha, He'Ping, Om, Shalom, Salaam. Em Hotep, Peace Be, All My Relations. Omnia Bona Bonis, Adieu, Adios, Aloha. Amen. Roads End <A HREF="http://www.ctrl.org/">www.ctrl.org</A> DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion & informational exchange list. Proselytizing propagandic screeds are not allowed. Substance—not soap-boxing! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory'—with its many half-truths, misdirections and outright frauds—is used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. That being said, CTRL gives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and always suggests to readers; be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no credence to Holocaust denial and nazi's need not apply. Let us please be civil and as always, Caveat Lector. ======================================================================== Archives Available at: http://home.ease.lsoft.com/archives/CTRL.html http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/ ======================================================================== To subscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SUBSCRIBE CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] To UNsubscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SIGNOFF CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] Om
