-Caveat Lector- from:alt.conspiracy As, always, Caveat Lector Om K ----- Click Here: <A HREF="aol://5863:126/alt.conspiracy:574454">Cyber threats catch US spies on the hop</A> ----- Subject: Cyber threats catch US spies on the hop From: <A HREF="mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]">[EMAIL PROTECTED]</A> Date: Fri, 26 November 1999 09:02 AM EST Message-id: <81m3tv$g1j$[EMAIL PROTECTED]> November 26 1999 The Times Cyber threats catch US spies on the hop FROM JAMES BONE IN NEW YORK The "information revolution" is overwhelming the eavesdropping capacity of the United States and may force a restructuring at the nation's largest spy agency, reports suggest. Informed sources told CNN that the 38,000-strong National Security Agency (NSA), which employs more than twice as many people as the Central Intelligence Agency, is considering a significant reorganisation to meet the demands of the Internet era. The NSA, based at Fort Meade outside Washington, is so secretive that its acronym is sometimes said to stand for "No Such Agency" or "Never Say Anything". Yet, equipped with the world's fastest supercomputers and working with allies such as Britain's GCHQ, it produces an estimated 80 per cent of America's intelligence. The growth of digital technology and sophisticated encryption, and the proliferation of threats since the collapse of the Soviet Union, is said to be stretching the agency's ability to keep track of communications around the world. At the same time, the transition from analog to digital phones, the prevalence of fax machines, and the increasing use of fibre optic cable, all make electronic eavesdropping more complex, as does the wider availability of encryption software that can be used by criminals and spies to encode their communications. The NSA recently became embroiled in controversy when an Ontario-based computer consultant claimed to have identified its secret backdoor - called "NSAKEY" - into Microsoft's Windows operating systems. Both the agency and Microsoft denied that it had special access to encrypted Windows files. Besides generating huge amounts of e-mail, the Internet has also created a mountain of publicly available information that the NSA must monitor - a labour-intensive task. The agency has recently had to resort to recruiting known hackers because of the shortage of computer security experts. Despite their anti-establishment bent, hackers have been offered a four-year college scholarship in return for working at the NSA during their holidays and spending at least five years there after graduation. But US officials caution that the country might not be ready for a sneak cyber-attack - sometimes known as an "electronic Pearl Harbour". There are fears that hackers around the world will mount a concerted assault on government and business computer systems at New Year to try to exploit the Y2K computer bug. ----- Aloha, He'Ping, Om, Shalom, Salaam. Em Hotep, Peace Be, Omnia Bona Bonis, All My Relations. Adieu, Adios, Aloha. Amen. Roads End DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion and informational exchange list. Proselyzting propagandic screeds are not allowed. Substance—not soapboxing! 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 credeence 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