[IWAR] Spy Touts Crypto

From: Mark Hedges (hedgesat_private)
Date: Sun Feb 15 1998 - 23:47:19 PST

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>Date: Sun, 15 Feb 1998 19:12:26 -0500
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>From: John Young <jyaat_private>
>Subject: Spy Touts Crypto
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>Date: Sun, 15 Feb 1998 16:40:04 -0500
>
>Frankfurt, Germany (AP) -- Germany's spy chief has denied U.S.
>allegations that his agents spy on American companies, but he
>warned German firms that such economic espionage is soaring
>internationally.
>
>Bernd Schmidbauer said in comments published Saturday that, in
>contrast to most countries' spy agencies, Germany's is not
>involved in any economic espionage.
>
>The Frankfurter Allgemeine daily reported that the FBI last
>month accused Germany of running a post near Frankfurt that
>eavesdrops on U.S. phones and tries to break into American
>computer systems.
>
>"We're astounded about those reports from the FBI," the
>newspaper quoted Schmidbauer as saying. He said the post is
>involved only in trying to prevent the spread of weapons of
>mass destruction.
>
>The FBI does not normally identify governments it suspects of
>economic spying. But an article last month, written by an FBI
>agent for the industry magazine Public Administration Review,
>lists Germany along with France, Israel, China and South Korea
>as major offenders.
>
>The article said more than 700 investigations involving
>economic espionage by foreign governments are pending before
>the bureau. The FBI confirmed that figure last month.
>
>The American Society for Industrial Security estimated that
>American businesses lost $300 billion in intellectual property
>to foreign and domestic spies last year.
>
>Schmidbauer said German companies also are increasingly
>targeted, and warned that any conversations, faxes or computer
>information carried over phone lines or mobile phones could be
>eavesdropped.
>
>"A lot of money is being lost through this form of espionage,"
>Schmidbauer said, without giving a figure. "And it's not only
>east European spies that are snapping up know-how from German
>companies."
>
>"Our companies are relatively naive," he said. "Concrete steps
>must be taken ... including encoding techniques."
>
>[End]
>
>Thanks to DN.
>

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