April 26, 2001
NOTE: This InfoGram will be distributed weekly to provide members of the emergency services sector with news and information concerning the protection of their critical information systems. For further information please contact the U.S. Fire Administration's Critical Infrastructure Protection Information Center at (301) 447-1325 or email at usfacipc@dhs.gov
The Technical Support Working Group is a federal interagency organization focused on developing new technology for countering terrorism. It recently sponsored the development of two infrastructure protection software tools addressing water supply and water source contamination and consequence management. The group worked on the project with the cooperation of the Federal Emergency Management Agency. For emergency response and consequence management purposes, both products can be connected to the Internet via a modem or cellular accessible network to enable multiple inputs and assessments from various locations in a large-scale disaster situation. Both systems are operational in the Windows 95/98/00/NT environment of either laptop or desktop computers. The developer will soon make the software available to federal, state, and local water systems.
Given the prospects of a mounting electricity shortage, the White House is preparing to encourage the construction of three new domestic nuclear power plants according to government and industry officials. The Bush administration will release a closely held comprehensive energy policy in May 2001 with emphasis on increasing the domestic energy supply. While proposals to expand domestic oil exploration have captured most of the headlines, the White House is expected to announce steps to boost nuclear power output and construct new plants-one of the few forms of generating electricity that does not cause air pollution.
The National Infrastructure Protection Center (NIPC) issued an advisory on 26 April to warn network administrators of the potential for increased hacker activity directed at U.S. systems during the period of 30 April to 7 May 2001. After American hackers attacked over a hundred Chinese websites since 4 April, Chinese hackers publicly stated their intention to retaliate against what they perceive as U.S. interference in Chinese affairs. To date, Chinese hackers have already defaced numerous U.S. websites with pro-Chinese or anti-American rhetoric.
According to an article in AntiOnline, there are websites that allow testing computer systems for weaknesses. The anti-virus company, Symantec, offers "Security Check" at www.symantec.com/securitycheck. This site will test the web connections of Windows PCs and Macs for susceptibility to hack attacks. It also will check the anti-virus program to make sure it is updated. Additionally, the program will examine the browser to see how much personal information was left on visited sites. Another website that lets Windows users check whether computers are adequately protected is "Shields Up" by Gibson Research at www.grc.com/default.htm. Both sites are free.
Government officials estimate that only 20% of computer crime incidents are being reported because agencies either do not have the technical sophistication to discover the crimes or they want to keep the bad news quiet. The experts believe that the 155 root compromises to federal computers reported last year likely represent a fraction of the actual number. "It's a serious issue," said Jim Craft, a federal information security officer. This problem is further compounded when considering the number of state and local government computer crimes that are not reported. Craft said senior managers at all levels of government fear the unwelcome attention that computers crime reports generate. "In many cases, organizations lack the money and tools to detect or fight computer crime." The leaders of the fire and emergency services are encouraged to report computer crime incidents to one of the points of contact seen below the weekly lexicon.
In computer programming, a set of symbols used to represent characters and format commands and instructions in a program. Source code refers to the set of commands and instructions making up a program.
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DHS and the FBI encourage recipients of this document to report information concerning suspicious or criminal activity to DHS and/or the FBI. The DHS National Operation Center (NOC) can be reached by telephone at 202-282-9685 or by email at NOC.Fusion@dhs.gov.
The FBI regional phone numbers can be found online at www.fbi.gov/contact/fo/fo.htm
For information affecting the private sector and critical infrastructure, contact the National Infrastructure Coordinating Center (NICC), a sub-element of the NOC. The NICC can be reached by telephone at 202-282-9201 or by email at NICC@dhs.gov.
When available, each report submitted should include the date, time, location, type of activity, number of people and type of equipment used for the activity, the name of the submitting company or organization, and a designated point of contact.
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