Conflict & Security archives: January-February 2005

• 28 February 2005
  

  "As the International Atomic Energy Agency prepares to open a meeting today to review Tehran's nuclear program, Iranian officials have reluctantly turned over new evidence strongly suggesting that Iran discussed acquiring technologies central to making nuclear arms and hid that fact for 18 years, according to American and European officials. The officials said the evidence, a document dated 1987, was handed over after I.A.E.A. investigators confronted Iranian officials with evidence gathered in interviews with members of the network run by Pakistan's top nuclear expert, A. Q. Khan. The document, according to officials who have seen it, includes an offer by Mr. Khan's representatives to provide a package of technologies - for a price that ran from tens of millions to hundreds of millions of dollars." Learn more in the New York Times.

• 25 February 2005
  

  "Warren Lambert thought it was just another piece of junk mail until he read the letter more closely and learned that con artists may have obtained his Social Security number, name and address -- just what they need to steal his identity and ruin his credit. Lambert is one of nearly 145,000 Americans rendered vulnerable by a breach of the computer databases of ChoicePoint Inc., a leading trafficker in a growing pool of information about who we are, what we own, what we owe and even where we go...According to a 2003 survey by the San Diego-based nonprofit Identity Theft Resource Center, the average victim spends at least 600 hours over several years recovering from identity theft. And based on wages of people surveyed, it cost the average victim nearly $16,000 in lost or potential income." Learn more at CNN.com.

• 24 February 2005
  

  "With the proliferation of surveillance cameras in everyday life and Webcams at home computers, the ease with which unsecured cameras can be detected on the Internet has become an increasing cause of concern. Last month bloggers began reporting on the ability to tap into thousands of raw Webcam feeds with a few simple Google searches, and the Spanish police arrested a suspect on charges of developing a computer virus that can activate a Webcam without the owner's permission. The Yankee Group, a market research firm, estimates that as many as 13 percent of American households have a Webcam attached to one of their computers, often sitting on top of a monitor in a living room or a bedroom." Learn more in the New York Times.

• 23 February 2005
  

  "A security breach that placed consumers at risk for identity theft grabbed headlines this week but most hacking incidents go unreported to police or the public, experts said on Thursday. Afraid of negative publicity, most companies that suffer intrusions take a tight-lipped approach that leaves consumers unaware when their identities may be compromised, they said. At the same time, businesses are becoming more willing to discuss security issues with their competitors behind the scenes in an effort to head off online threats, an approach experts say has managed to reduce the impact of computer worms and viruses." Learn why we never learn of many cases of corporate hacking, at CNN.com.

• 22 February 2005
  

  "A team of Los Alamos National Laboratory scientists has developed a prototype detector that could quickly screen vehicles and cargo crossing U.S. borders for nuclear materials. The detector would provide border security with a fast way to screen for weapons being smuggled into the United States without interrupting legitimate international trade. The scientists presented their prototype detector at the Association for the Advancement of Science in Washington, D.C., this weekend. 'We believe we've worked through all of the major obstacles to building a prototype system for a range of security scenarios,' Los Alamos lab scientist Chris Morris said." Learn more in USA Today.

• 21 February 2005
  

  "As experts warned that major cyberattacks could be brewing, a government report gave U.S. federal systems a 'D+' for computer security. While the overall mark is an improvement on last year's 'D' average, seven of the 24 agencies surveyed did not provide enough protection on their networks to get a passing grade on the computer security report card, which was released on Wednesday in Washington by the House Committee on Government Reform and here at the RSA Conference 2005." Learn how government agencies are failing to properly secure their systems, at News.com.

• 18 February 2005
  

  "In olden days the traveler simply pulled his boots on and went. The idea that he might need a piece of paper to prove to foreigners who he was would not have crossed his mind. Alas, things have changed. In the name of security (spies then, terrorists now), travelers have to put up with all sorts of inconvenience when they cross borders. The purpose of that inconvenience is to prove that the passport's bearer is who he says he is. The original technology for doing this was photography. It proved adequate for many years. But apparently it is no longer enough." The Economist discusses high-tech passports--and why they might not work.

• 17 February 2005
  

  "A panel of security experts on Wednesday debated the merits of regulating the software industry as a way to curtail software flaws--and hence reduce the volume of virus attacks. With software flaws serving as the open door to viruses and worms, a panel of industry experts at the RSA Conference here pondered whether it's time to regulate software companies. The experts were mixed on the effectiveness of such a plan and whether it could be undertaken without crimping innovation." Learn more about the fierce debate over the role of government regulation in the face of high-tech security threats, at News.com.

• 16 February 2005
  

  A US credit data company has admitted that fraudsters last October accessed records on up to 35,000 people, according to reports from AP and the LA Times. Georgia-based ChoicePoint Inc. confessed on Tuesday that the scammers 'may have stolen credit reports, Social Security numbers and other sensitive information' on thousands of Californians, although it admits that 'the number of victims nationwide could total 100,000'. The revised figure comes after the company initially insisted that only California was affected - a claim dismissed as 'ridiculous' by a computer fraud expert. Fraudsters apparently gained access to the records by making bogus applications to set up more than 50 ChoicePoint accounts." Learn more in The Register.

• 15 February 2005
  

  "Crooked criminal hearts may have fluttered and skipped a beat Monday when some of Britain's most notorious thieves opened a valentine from an unwelcome secret admirer -- one of London's top female police chiefs. But the greeting -- in which Chief Superintendent Vicki Marr wrote 'thinking of you and what you do' -- was not so much an amorous expression to the underworld as part of a sting designed to catch hard-core burglars using new chemical microdot crime-fighting technology. SmartWater is a clear liquid containing microscopic particles encoded with a unique forensic signature that, when found coated on stolen property, provides a precise trace back to the owner." Learn more in Wired News.

• 14 February 2005
  

  "The United States has been flying surveillance drones over Iran since last year to look for evidence of nuclear weapons programs and probe air defenses, The Washington Post reported Sunday. Citing three U.S. officials with knowledge of the effort, the Post said the small, pilotless planes use radar, video, still photography and air filters designed to pick up traces of nuclear activity to gather details not accessible by satellites.The drones were first spotted by dozens of Iranian civilians in late December, setting off a flurry of local newspaper stories about whether the country was being visited by UFOs." Learn more about these surveillance flights in Wired News.

• 11 February 2005
  

  "A revolutionary night-vision system developed for the Dutch military makes night-time video images look as clear and colourful as those shot in broad daylight. The idea was to improve on the fuzzy grey or green pictures that are the hallmark of today's night-vision systems. Although these monochrome images are an improvement on unaided night vision, their lack of colour can make them hard to interpret. Full-colour night vision would help emergency services and the military better assess their surroundings, says Alex Toet of the TNO research lab in Soesterberg, the Netherlands, who led the team that developed the system. He says it will make it easier to judge distances, enhancing 'situational awareness.'" Learn more about this night vision technology in the New Scientist.

• 10 February 2005
  

  "When a toy soldier with a gun to its head on a Web site briefly tricked the world into believing a U.S. soldier was in Iraqi rebel hands, the glare of public attention shined once again on one the Internet's darkest corners... Governments have tried and mostly failed to keep the sites and the guerrillas offline. The Web sites pop up on new computer hosts or are replicated elsewhere by sympathizers. Rebel Web sites also happen to be primary sources of intelligence for the troops pressing the counterinsurgency war: U.S. military, the CIA and others grappling to understand Iraq's shadowy guerrilla bands. 'They're useful for everybody,' said Jeremy Binnie, an Iraq analyst with Jane's. 'The insurgents get to publicize their side of the story...And from the intelligence point of view, it's a good way to find out how these guys are thinking.'" Learn more at CNN.com.

• 9 February 2005
  

  "After working for more than a year with input from several U.S. hospitals and government agencies, IBM made available last week new software to help track and manage public-health crises--such as bioterrorism--and other medical challenges, including quality of care. The new software, called WebSphere Business Integration for Healthcare Collaborative Network, can help hospitals and public-health agencies create and tap into electronic networks that analyze clinical data for unusual medical patterns that could give early indications of possible disease outbreaks, bioterrorism, or noncompliance to institutional best practices for quality care." Learn more about IBM's new software in Information Week.

• 8 February 2005
  

  "Coffee shop Web surfers beware: An evil twin may be lurking near your favorite wireless hotspot. Thieves are using wireless devices to impersonate legitimate Internet access points to steal credit card numbers and other personal information, security experts warn. So-called evil-twin attacks don't require technical expertise. Anyone armed with a wireless laptop and software widely available on the Internet can broadcast a radio signal that overpowers the hot spot. Then, masquerading as the real thing, they view the activities of wireless users within several hundred feet of the hot spot." Learn more about this Wi-Fi security vulnerability in USA Today.

• 7 February 2005
  

  "Worried that the nation's aging nuclear arsenal is increasingly fragile, American scientists have begun designing a new generation of nuclear arms meant to be sturdier and more reliable and to have longer lives, federal officials and private experts say. The officials say the program could help shrink the arsenal and the high cost of its maintenance. But critics say it could needlessly resuscitate the complex of factories and laboratories that make nuclear weapons and could possibly ignite a new arms race." Learn more about the United States' new nuclear weapons program, in the New York Times.

• 4 February 2005
  

  "If a Los Angeles-area scientist has his way, car chases may become as antiquated as horse-mounted cavalry. James Tatoian, chief executive of Eureka Aerospace in Pasadena, California, is developing a system that uses microwave energy to interfere with microchips inside cars. Once the chip is overloaded with excessive current, the car ceases to function, and will gradually decelerate on its own, he said. 'If you put approximately 10 or 15 kilovolts per meter on a target for a few seconds, you should be able to bring it to a halt,' Tatoian said. Most cars built in the United States since 1982 have some type of on-board microprocessor. Today, the processors are advanced enough to control functions such as fuel injection and GPS equipment." Learn more in Wired.

• 3 February 2005
  

  "Chechen warlord Shamil Basayev, who claimed responsibility for last year's brutal terrorist attack on a Russian school, was quoted as saying Thursday that the separatist rebels are planning more such operations. In an interview with Channel 4 News to be broadcast Thursday night, part of which was quoted in Thursday's Times of London newspaper, Basayev expressed regret for the hundreds of deaths in the June hostage-taking attack on the school in the Russian town of Beslan. But he blamed some of the deaths on flame-throwers used by Russian special forces who attacked the school to end the siege...'We are planning more Beslan-type operations in the future because we are forced to do so,' the Times quoted Basayev as saying." Learn more at CNN.com.

• 2 February 2005
  

  "Since the Can Spam Act went into effect in January 2004, unsolicited junk e-mail on the Internet has come to total perhaps 80 percent or more of all e-mail sent, according to most measures. That is up from 50 percent to 60 percent of all e-mail before the law went into effect. To some antispam crusaders, the surge comes as no surprise. They had long argued that the law would make the spam problem worse by effectively giving bulk advertisers permission to send junk e-mail as long as they followed certain rules. 'Can Spam legalized spamming itself,' said Steve Linford, the founder of the Spamhaus Project, a London organization that is one of the leading groups intent on eliminating junk e-mail." Learn more in the New York Times.

• 1 February 2005
  

  "A spherical roving robot designed to detect and report intruders has been developed by a Swedish start-up company. The design was first developed with planetary exploration in mind, at the Angstrom Space Technology Center, part of Uppsala University, Sweden. But Rotundus, formed in December 2004 plan to market the ball-shaped bot as an automated security guard. 'We knew it would have applications on Earth,' says company CEO Nils Hulth. 'It is very robust when compared to robots that use wheels or tracks and can travel through mud or even snow.'" Learn more about this strange robot that can be used for exploration and security purposes, in the New Scientist.

• 31 January 2005
  

  "Police and prosecutors are fashioning a new weapon in their arsenal against criminals: digital evidence. The sight of hard drives, Internet files and e-mails as courtroom evidence is increasingly common. 'Digital evidence is becoming a feature of most criminal cases,' said Susan Brenner, professor of law and technology at the University of Dayton School of Law, in an e-mail response for this article. 'Everything is moving in this direction.' Digital evidence may play a significant role in the trial of pop superstar Michael Jackson on charges of child molestation. Computers were among the items authorities in California seized during their search of Jackson's Neverland Ranch in November 2003." Learn more about "digital evidence" at CNN.com.

• 28 January 2005
  

  "Identity theft is less likely to happen online than through traditional means, like losing or having your wallet stolen, according to a survey released Wednesday. And when the identity of the thief is known, it's more likely to be one of your relatives. There were 9.3 million new victims of identity fraud in 2004, or 4.3% of the U.S. adult population, according to the 2005 Identity Fraud Survey Report. It was released by the Council of Better Business Bureaus and Javelin Strategy & Research." Although it has long been associated with identity theft, a new study indicates that the internet actually plays a very minor role in most ID theft schemes. Learn more in USA Today.

• 27 January 2005
  

  "I.B.M.'s plan to sell its personal computer business to Lenovo of China hit a political speed bump yesterday. The chairmen of three House committees urged the Bush administration to conduct a formal investigation of the deal to determine whether it poses a risk to national security. In a letter to Treasury Secretary John W. Snow, the Republican committee leaders said they were concerned that the deal could give advanced technology to the Chinese government, and would leave a company controlled by China responsible for handling some United States government contracts." Learn why some lawmakers oppose the sale of Lenvo for national security reasons, in the New York Times.

• 26 January 2005
  

  "U.S. officials want to see if the same technology that speeds cars through highway tolls and identifies lost pets can unclog border crossings without compromising security. Homeland Security Undersecretary Asa Hutchinson announced Tuesday that the government will begin testing radio frequency identification technology at this crossing and four others by midsummer. Weeding out potential terrorists, drug dealers and other criminals from shoppers, truckers and tourists who regularly pass through border crossings takes time. The RFID technology is designed to reduce the wait while giving authorities more information on who's coming into the country and who's leaving." Learn more in USA Today.

• 25 January 2005
  

  "The rain is turning to snow on a blustery January morning, and all the men gathered in a parking lot here surely would prefer to be inside. But the weather couldn't matter less to the robotic sharpshooter they are here to watch as it splashes through puddles, the barrel of its machine gun pointing the way like Pinocchio's nose. The Army is preparing to send 18 of these remote-controlled robotic warriors to fight in Iraq beginning in March or April. Made by a small Massachusetts company, the SWORDS, short for Special Weapons Observation Reconnaissance Detection Systems, will be the first armed robotic vehicles to see combat." Learn more in USA Today.

• 24 January 2005
  

  "Nanotechnology is grabbing headlines for its potential in advancing the life sciences and computing research, but the Department of Defense found another use: a new class of weaponry that uses energy-packed nanometals to create powerful, compact bombs. With funding from the U.S. government, Sandia National Laboratories, the Los Alamos National Laboratory, and the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory are researching how to manipulate the flow of energy within and between molecules, a field known as nanoenergentics, which enables building more lethal weapons such as 'cave-buster bombs' that have several times the detonation force of conventional bombs. Learn more in the Technology Review.

• 21 January 2005
  

  "Computer scientists are at work on software to scan Arabic documents, even handwritten ones, for specific words or phrases, technology its developers say could aid in intelligence gathering. The development of optical character recognition software for written and machine-printed documents will fill a void in technology evident as study of the language post-9/11 has increased, the computer scientists said. The software also is meant to expand access to modern and ancient Arabic manuscripts." Computer scientists are working to develop software that can digitally recognizes arabic. It is thought that such a program would be a boon to both scholars and Western intelligence analysts. Learn more in USA Today.

• 20 January 2005
  

  "Three researchers at the Boston University Medical Center fell ill in 2004 after being exposed a potentially deadly bacterium in a Level 2 biosecurity lab. Yet city and university officials kept the news quiet until after the centre's application to build a more high-level biosecurity lab (Level 4) in a densely populated part of Boston was accepted by the city this January. University officials blamed careless procedures in their existing Level 2 lab, and say the researchers were studying a strain of the bacterium which causes tularaemia, also known as 'rabbit fever', but had thought the strain was harmless...The incident raises warning flags about the proliferation of biodefence labs working with dangerous pathogens in the US." Learn more in the New Scientist.

• 19 January 2005
  

  "As Wi-Fi networks become popular in American homes, more people are exposed to dangers such as spyware, and the need to secure systems against those threats becomes more urgent. But for many ordinary owners, the complexity of dealing with a wireless network is leading them to put security on the back burner. If technology providers can't come up with products that will change that attitude, then the problem can only get worse. People often struggle with installing their networks, causing them to think twice about putting in additional security measures or starting again from scratch to close potential vulnerabilities, experts said." Learn more at News.com.

• 18 January 2005
  

  "Ever been cut off by a Hummer while chugging along the interstate? Tailgated by a Honda while motoring to the mall? Thoroughly ticked off by a Toyota as you cruise to the beach? Now there's an alternative to steaming along on road rage. Law enforcement officers in Arizona and Washington state are asking the public to head to the Web and report reckless drivers online. It's perhaps the newest strategy to deal with the problem of aggressive driving, joining more conventional methods such as education campaigns and crackdowns by police." Motorists in some states can now use the web to combat aggressive drivers. Learn more in USA Today.

• 17 January 2005
  

  "After the tsunami hit Sri Lanka on 26 December, Victor Goonetilleke, head of the island's amateur radio society, delivered a short-wave radio set and two 12-volt car batteries to the prime minister's emergency headquarters in Colombo. For two days, while the military struggled to restore electricity supplies and phone lines, the prime minister was able to use the short-wave link to talk to staff on the ground. Short-wave signals from Sri Lanka, the Andaman Islands and mainland India also helped to spread news of the disaster around the world. When phones and mains electricity are down, making the internet unusable, short-wave radio enthusiasts are able to maintain emergency communications. But not, perhaps, for much longer." Learn how new plans for the internet could interrupt short-wave signals, in the New Scientist.

• 14 January 2005
  

  "Acts of terrorism like the September 11, 2001, attacks on the U.S. are a worst-case symptom of global insecurity brought about by the festering interplay among poverty, infectious disease, and environmental degradation—the true 'axis of evil,' according to the Worldwatch Institute in its State of the World 2005 report. The Washington, D.C.-based research group released its annual report Wednesday. It concludes that until these conditions—and compounding factors such as the spread of small arms—are fiercely fought, political instability, warfare, and extremism will continue to thrive." Learn more in the National Geographic.

• 13 January 2005
  

  "The FBI may have to scrap a new computer program aimed at helping agents share information in the war on terror because officials consider it inadequate, the Los Angeles Times reported Thursday. The newspaper, citing unidentified officials, said the FBI was so convinced the software, known as Virtual Case File, would not work as planned that it had taken steps to start soliciting outside proposals for new software. The problems could force a further delay in a four-year, $500 million overhaul of the FBI's antiquated computer system." Learn more at News.com.

• 12 January 2005
  

  "Water utilities have installed computer-based remote controls 'with little attention paid to security,' leaving valves, pumps and chemical mixers for water supplies vulnerable to cyber-attack, according to an Environmental Protection Agency report. In a report Monday, the EPA's inspector general cited costs, lack of ability to check employees' backgrounds and poor communication between technical engineers and management for the shortcomings." Learn more about this security lapse that could allow an attack on the nation's water supply, at CNN.com.

• 11 January 2005
  

  "Count on at least one devastating attack on the Internet in the next 10 years, an overwhelming majority of technology experts and analysts polled by a major research group said Monday. According to the Pew Internet & American Life Project's survey on the future of the Internet, which polled over 1,200 tech experts and social analysts, 66 percent of the experts agreed with the prediction that a large-scale, damaging attack on the Net, or an assault on the nation's power grid will occur by 2014. 'Given the current terrorist context we live in and the interest in hackers to show off their skills this is inevitable, as is the unfortunate human quality to only fix the problem once it has occurred,' wrote one of the experts." Learn why many experts believe the internet will soon face a crippling attack, in Information Week.

• 10 January 2005
  

  "In an unusual last-ditch move to find clues to the three-year-old killing of a freelance fashion writer, police investigators are trying to get DNA samples from every man in this Cape Cod hamlet, all 790 or so, or as many as will agree. Raising concerns among civil libertarians and prompting both resistance and support from men in Truro, the state and local police began collecting the genetic samples last week, visiting delicatessens, the post office and even the town dump to politely ask men to cooperate. Legal experts said the sweeping approach had been used only in limited instances before in the United States - although it is more widely used in Europe - and in at least one of those cases it prompted a lawsuit." In an unprecedented move, police in a small New England town are trying to collect DNA samples from all local residents. Learn more in the New York Times.

• 7 January 2005
  

  "Tragedy notwithstanding, the tsunami strike has witnessed nations flexing their presence to provide relief to the victims, but behind it all a power game is also being played over who calls the shots and retains influence in the Indian Ocean region, and by default the rest of Asia. In the cauldron are the two Asian giants of China and India, the latter having refused international aid as it is a donor nation as well as a victim, a move seen by many Western commentators as churlish. India wants the United States to retain its pre-eminence in the region to preempt China, while China is apprehensive of Japan rearming itself should the US withdraw its troops from the region. Both India and China face neighbors that they consider problematic. India has Pakistan, while China has Japan to deal with." Learn more in the Asia Times.

• 6 January 2005
  

  "The computer circuits that control hand-held music players, cellphones and organizers may soon be in a new location: inside electronically controlled guns. Researchers at the New Jersey Institute of Technology in Newark are building a handgun designed to fire only when its circuitry and software recognize the grip of an authorized shooter. Sensors in the handle measure the pressure the hand exerts as it squeezes the trigger. Then algorithms check the shooter's grip with stored, authorized patterns to give the go-ahead. 'We can build a brain inside the gun,' said Timothy N. Chang, a professor of electrical engineering at the New Jersey Institute of Technology who devised the hardware for the grip-recognition system." Learn more in the New York Times.

• 5 January 2005
  

  "One of the "dual-use" activities often exploited by nations who are seeking to acquire nuclear weapons is the enrichment of uranium. Enriched uranium can be used for nuclear fuel or - at high levels of enrichment - for nuclear bombs. The other method is the production of plutonium, a material that can be used in medical research or - again - for nuclear weapons. Earlier last month, US Secretary of State Colin Powell reiterated Washington's concerns over how Tehran intends to use this technology." Charles Recknagel of the Asia Times explains how Iran might go about developing nuclear weapons, the second article in a 4-part series.

• 4 January 2005
  

  "Deep inside a sprawling complex tucked in the hills of this Appalachian town, a room full of supercomputers attempts to sift America's guilty from its innocent. This is where the FBI keeps its vast database of fingerprints, allowing examiners to conduct criminal checks from computer screens in less than 30 minutes--something that previously took them weeks as they rummaged through 2,100 file cabinets stuffed with inked print cards. But the same digital technology that has allowed the FBI to speed such checks so dramatically over the last few years has created the risk of accusing people who are innocent, the Tribune has found." A story in the Chicago Tribune illustrates the problems with relying too much on digital fingerprinting. Read the story in Yahoo News.

• 3 January 2005
  

  "The Internet has withstood major assaults to bring the system crashing down, but each new cyberattack raises the specter of a doomsday scenario. What if terrorists launched a physical attack in combination with a major cybersalvo aimed at bringing the Internet to its knees? Because of the increasing overlap between the various energy, electrical and communications grids, the potential risk is no longer theoretical. It's a chief concern for VeriSign CEO Stratton Sclavos, whose company is the leading provider of domain name registrations. Sclavos recently sat down with a group of reporters and editors from CNET News.com to discuss the state of cybersecurity, the future of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), and directions for his company in 2005.
  
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