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Politics : High Tolerance Plasticity -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: kodiak_bull who wrote (9230)	10/9/2001 12:07:46 PM
From: stockman_scott	Respond to of 23153

Cyber Security Key to New U.S Initiative Monday October 08 06:25 PM EDT By Jay Lyman, www.NewsFactor.com Federal and other officials say that cyber security will be a key component of the new Office of Homeland Security -- but some computer security experts worry that more bureaucracy will bog down protection. While the man named to head the new office, former Pennsylvania governor Tom Ridge, has a history of tapping technology for public policy issues, there is concern over his ability to coordinate some 40 agencies, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI (news - web sites)) and the Central Intelligence Agency (news - web sites) (CIA (news - web sites)). And although officials as high as the President of the United States stress the value of secure information in the war on terrorism, industry experts doubt that government can cut through the red tape to protect the Internet. "I think there's a big need [for cyber security], but I'm not sure the way the government is going about it will really have much effect," SecurityFocus incident analyst Ryan Russell told NewsFactor Network. "I think we're a long way off from being secure. The best we can do is act responsively, and I don't see that changing for at least the next decade." Information Is Power There has been some skepticism that a new Office of Homeland Security is the best way to address the kinds of security gaps that allowed September's hijackers to slip through the system, and to prevent future attacks, including on the Web. But at Ridge's swearing in on Monday, President George W. Bush (news - web sites) said the new office has his weight behind it. "The Homeland Security Office has a series of specific goals, and will have my authority to meet them," the President said. "One, take the strongest possible precautions against terrorism by bringing together the best information and intelligence. In the war on terror, knowledge is power." While it is still taking shape, the "homeland defense" initiative also includes a new deputy national security adviser who will coordinate anti-terrorism efforts of the National Security Council, which now includes an Office of Cyber Security. Tech Admins Only Still, security experts like Russell say that cyber security problems center on the need for system administrators, not federal administrators. "It looks like most of the problems out there have to do with bodies to do the work," he told NewsFactor. Russell, who recalled a two-day authority delay when he was asked to look at a government agency server, said officials typically focus too much on "penetration testing" to find out whether systems are vulnerable, leaving the same security holes year after year. "They're finding gaping, massive holes and keep coming back and finding the same problems over and over again," he said. "You never can tell what's going to result, but I'm skeptical based on the past." A New World Russell did say that the terrorist attacks may have changed the mindsets of government officials and large software makers like Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT - news), putting a new priority on security. "They seem to be acknowledging there is a systemic problem," Russell said, adding that government is a large user of Microsoft products and has the same security problems as other users of the popular software. Speaking at the White House on Monday, Ridge -- who has made deals with Microsoft, Unisys and other technology companies while governor of Pennsylvania -- indicated a need to bring together the various federal, state and local agencies involved in securing everything from local highways to the information superhighway. He added that candor and cooperation would be the driving principle for the new office. "The President's executive order states that we must detect, prepare for, prevent, protect against, respond to and recover from terrorist attacks -- an extraordinary mission," Ridge said. "But we will carry it out."

To: kodiak_bull who wrote (9230)	10/9/2001 1:04:01 PM
From: jim_p	Respond to of 23153

KB, The tech crash in CA is very much the same as the oil crash was in Houston in the 80's in terms of magnitude. For those who were around in Houston back then, the oil markets crashed in 1980-1 and the real estate market didn't even hit their peak valuations until 1982-3. The bottom of the markets were in around 1986 and the recovery in prices didn't happen for about 10 years later. The last thing a person sells is his home. The boat, second home, girl friend etc all go first. Be careful out there in la la land, the worst is several years away. JMTC, Jim

To: kodiak_bull who wrote (9230)	10/9/2001 2:09:19 PM
From: stockman_scott	Respond to of 23153

A suspicious incident shuts down a Metro station near Washington... Message 16477254

To: kodiak_bull who wrote (9230)	10/9/2001 2:37:28 PM
From: stockman_scott	Respond to of 23153

F.B.I. Shifts Focus to Try to Avert Any More Attacks By PHILIP SHENON and DAVID JOHNSTON Tuesday October 09 08:57 AM EDT The New York Times Agents were ordered to curtail their investigation of the Sept. 11 attack so they can pursue leads of a second round of attacks. The Justice Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation have ordered agents across the country to curtail their investigation of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks so they can pursue leads that might prevent a second, possibly imminent, round of attacks, senior law enforcement officials said. Since Sept. 11, Attorney General John Ashcroft has become increasingly involved in the details of the F.B.I.'s counterterrorism operation. He often spends hours each day with Director Robert S. Mueller III of the F.B.I. at the bureau's high-tech operations center, demonstrating the importance the Bush administration places on the effort to thwart future attacks. The officials said the attorney general and the F.B.I. director had also ordered agents to end their investigative surveillance of some terrorism suspects and immediately take them into custody. The order has resulted in the arrest of many immigrants suspected of involvement with groups linked to Osama bin Laden. But it has also met with resistance from F.B.I. agents who believed that surveillance if continued for days or weeks might turn up critical evidence to prove who orchestrated the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. "The investigative staff has to be made to understand that we're not trying to solve a crime now," said a law enforcement official, speaking on condition of anonymity. "Our No. 1 goal is prevention." Another official said Mr. Ashcroft and Mr. Mueller had struggled to overcome a culture within the F.B.I. in which agents detain terrorist suspects only after collecting detailed evidence, often based on wiretapping and other electric surveillance. The problem is "a culture, a mindset," the official said. An F.B.I. spokesman, John Collingwood, disputed the suggestion that agents were reluctant to make arrests. "We all agree that this is the proper course to follow," Mr. Collingwood said. "The F.B.I. must continue investing towards maximum prevention capacity on every front" Law enforcement officials said the investigation of the Sept. 11 attacks was continuing aggressively. At the same time, they added, efforts to thwart attacks have been given a much higher priority. Mr. Ashcroft and Mr. Mueller have ordered agents to drop their investigation of the attacks or any other assignment any time they learn of a threat or lead that might suggest a future attack. Officials said Mr. Mueller, who was sworn in last month, believed that his agents had a broad understanding of the events of Sept. 11 and now needed to concentrate on intelligence suggesting that other terrorist attacks were likely. He said at a news conference last week that the bureau was trying to follow up on 260,000 tips, about half of them received on a special hot line and Internet site. The F.B.I. has described the investigation of the terrorist hijackings as the most exhaustive in its history. Even minor witnesses say they have been interviewed repeatedly, which appears to have alarmed some officials who believe that agents should instead be chasing tips suggesting new terrorist attacks. A woman in Florida who was a neighbor to two of the hijackers said last week that she had been interviewed 18 times by the F.B.I. At a news conference today, Mr. Ashcroft said federal, state and local law enforcement agencies were placed "on the highest level of alert" after the United States began a military strike on Afghanistan on Sunday. "We are taking strong precautions and other appropriate steps to protect the American people while we win this war," he said, announcing that 614 people had been arrested or detained during the investigation, up from about 500 early last week. Some officials suggest that Mr. Ashcroft has in effect taken command of F.B.I. operations along with Mr. Mueller, often spending hours a day in the 40,000-square-foot Strategic Information and Operations Center at F.B.I. headquarters on Pennsylvania Avenue, across the street from the Justice Department. That has rankled some veteran rank-and-file agents, who regard his assertiveness as an intrusion that threatens the traditional independence of the F.B.I. within the Justice Department, its parent agency. Others at the Justice Department say they welcome the close cooperation between the department and the F.B.I. after years of discord. "This is important progress," a senior official said. Mr. Ashcroft's relationship with Mr. Mueller contrasts sharply to that of Janet Reno, the former attorney general, and Louis J. Freeh, who preceded Mr. Mueller. Mr. Freeh was assertively independent, and at times he acted in direct opposition to the wishes of Ms. Reno. Mr. Mueller appears to be far more willing to coordinate his decision-making with Mr. Ashcroft, a role that Mr. Mueller played earlier this year when he temporarily took the job as deputy attorney general. In part, Mr. Mueller owes his appointment to Mr. Ashcroft. It was Mr. Ashcroft who urged President Bush to select Mr. Mueller and lobbied for him even when Bush aides appeared to want to look elsewhere. At his news conference today, Mr. Ashcroft declined to say if the government knew of new, credible threats of terrorism. "I am not prepared to, nor will we, get into a situation where we try to outline all the threats that may or may not come to the United States on a regular basis." He said the F.B.I. had contacted 18,000 law enforcement organizations nationwide and 27,000 corporate security managers advising them of the need for the "highest state of alert." While urging vigilance, he also said Americans should not succumb to fear and should continue to try to lead normal lives. "I do not think that Americans should avoid sporting events or should avoid undertaking their lives in a way which is appropriate to American freedom," Mr. Ashcroft said.