Return-Path: <sentto-279987-3610-1004421300-fc=all.net@returns.onelist.com> Delivered-To: fc@all.net Received: from 204.181.12.215 [204.181.12.215] by localhost with POP3 (fetchmail-5.7.4) for fc@localhost (single-drop); Mon, 29 Oct 2001 21:56:08 -0800 (PST) Received: (qmail 11493 invoked by uid 510); 30 Oct 2001 05:54:17 -0000 Received: from n9.groups.yahoo.com (216.115.96.59) by 204.181.12.215 with SMTP; 30 Oct 2001 05:54:17 -0000 X-eGroups-Return: sentto-279987-3610-1004421300-fc=all.net@returns.onelist.com Received: from [10.1.4.55] by n9.groups.yahoo.com with NNFMP; 30 Oct 2001 05:55:00 -0000 X-Sender: fc@red.all.net X-Apparently-To: iwar@onelist.com Received: (EGP: mail-8_0_0_1); 30 Oct 2001 05:54:59 -0000 Received: (qmail 4907 invoked from network); 30 Oct 2001 05:54:59 -0000 Received: from unknown (10.1.10.142) by l9.egroups.com with QMQP; 30 Oct 2001 05:54:59 -0000 Received: from unknown (HELO red.all.net) (65.0.156.78) by mta3 with SMTP; 30 Oct 2001 05:54:58 -0000 Received: (from fc@localhost) by red.all.net (8.11.2/8.11.2) id f9U5t1903901 for iwar@onelist.com; Mon, 29 Oct 2001 21:55:01 -0800 Message-Id: <200110300555.f9U5t1903901@red.all.net> To: iwar@onelist.com (Information Warfare Mailing List) Organization: I'm not allowed to say X-Mailer: don't even ask X-Mailer: ELM [version 2.5 PL3] From: Fred Cohen <fc@all.net> X-Yahoo-Profile: fcallnet Mailing-List: list iwar@yahoogroups.com; contact iwar-owner@yahoogroups.com Delivered-To: mailing list iwar@yahoogroups.com Precedence: bulk List-Unsubscribe: <mailto:iwar-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com> Date: Mon, 29 Oct 2001 21:55:01 -0800 (PST) Reply-To: iwar@yahoogroups.com Subject: [iwar] [fc:Culprits.in.rising.cyber-attacks.unknown] Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Culprits in rising cyber-attacks unknown Philly.com, 10/29/2001 <a href="http://inq.philly.com/content/inquirer/2001/10/29/business/COMP29.htm">http://inq.philly.com/content/inquirer/2001/10/29/business/COMP29.htm> With most of the civilized world still anxious from the recent terrorist attacks and even more recent anthrax poisonings, do we also need to worry about cyber-attacks? Yes. Is there any connection between burgeoning computer hacking and virus activity and Sept. 11 and its aftermath? The answer to this is not so clear. What is clear is that the United States' critical information-technology infrastructure is being attacked. Although no lives have been lost, a huge amount of money is being wasted trying to ward off and recover from the onslaught. So far this year, the rate of hacker attacks - attempts to gain unauthorized access to a computer system or its data - is more than double that of last year, according to the latest figures from CERT, the government-funded computer emergency group at Carnegie Mellon University. The cost of cleaning up after attacks from viruses and worms - malicious computer code often sent through e-mail - is particularly high. The worldwide cost reached $17.1 billion last year, a 41 percent increase over the previous year, according to Computer Economics, an information-technology research firm. Businesses have the most to lose, but individuals are at risk, too. Before last year, despite heavy Internet use, I rarely saw a virus. Lately I've been subjected to an average of one attack a week, all of which have been thwarted, thus far, by antivirus software and my cautious handling of e-mail attachments. Nobody has established a link between cyber-vandalism such as this and the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon. There doesn't seem to be any significant change in malicious Internet activity related to Sept. 11, says Marty Lindner of CERT. However, President Bush this month created a government panel to look at ways to protect against cyber-terrorism. Circumstantial evidence indicates that many Internet attacks may be coming from abroad. But it has also been shown that many hacks and viruses in the past have come from within the United States, so premature conclusions should be avoided. Regardless of where Internet attacks originate, you need protection. One rule of thumb is to never open an e-mail attachment if you don't know the person it comes from or if you're not expecting it from someone you do know. Viruses can trick you into thinking they're deliberately sent by people you know. The latest worms - worms are viruses that can spread without human involvement - don't even require you to open an e-mail attachment to do their dirty work. The recent Code Red and Nimda worms exploited vulnerabilities in Microsoft's server software. If you're connected to the Internet, you need antivirus software, and as protection against hackers, you need a firewall, particularly if you have a cable or DSL modem or are part of a local area network. The best regarded antivirus program for some time has been Norton AntiVirus from Symantec. The company also makes an excellent firewall called Norton Personal Firewall and other security programs for individuals and businesses. But an even better firewall program for individuals is ZoneAlarm from Zone Labs. Businesses need beefier protection than individuals, and security firms have been quick to respond to post-Sept. 11 security fears. The worldwide market for information-security services is projected to triple to $21 billion by 2005, according to a recent report from IDC, an information-technology research firm. Much of the growth in spending is predicted to take place within small businesses and the financial-services sector. Whatever security approach you take, keep current by installing patches and upgrades as they become available. Also, prepare for data recovery if disaster does strike. Finally, protect yourself from hoaxes as well. Vmyths.com is one of a number of sites that can prevent needless hair-pulling. ------------------------ Yahoo! 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This archive was generated by hypermail 2.1.2 : 2001-12-31 20:59:58 PST