-----Original Message----- From: NIPC Watch [mailto:nipc.watch@private] Sent: Monday, November 05, 2001 8:44 AM To: daily Subject: NIPC Daily Report, 05 November 2001 NIPC Daily Report, 05 November 2001 NOTE: Please understand that this is for informational purposes only and does not constitute any verification of the information contained in the report nor does this constitute endorsement by the NIPC or the FBI. Significant Changes and Assessment - The National Infrastructure Protection Center (NIPC) issued Advisory 01-026 on 2 November 2001 concerning "Increased Potential for Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) Attacks." Cyber protests and hacktivist activity have increased and the potential for targeting US organizations is higher than in September. NIPC Advisory 01-026 can be viewed at www.nipc.gov/warnings/advisories/2001/01-026.htm. Private Sector - Microsoft acknowledged that its "Passport" technology for safeguarding Internet purchases has a serious design flaw that could have allowed hackers to steal credit card numbers and personal information. Microsoft said that 2 million customers use the "e-wallet" feature of Passport that was vulnerable, but there was no evidence of any theft. It temporarily shut down access by all consumers to their virtual wallets starting on 31 October for repairs to the network and testing. That move inconvenienced buyers at roughly 70 e-commerce Web sites that support Microsoft's wallet technology, called "Express Purchase." "We do not believe customer data was compromised in any way," Microsoft spokesman Adam Sohn said on 2 November. "Users of Windows XP software were never vulnerable because of additional security measures built in," Sohn said. (Source: Associated Press, 2 November) International - Amsterdam's Schiphol airport, is testing a program called "Privium," that combines smart-card technology with optical scanning and networked computers to allow travelers to cross the border after retinal-scan identification. A scanner, built by New Jersey and Geneva, Switzerland-based Iridian Technologies, identifies patterns in the human iris. Enschede and Iris worked closely with the Dutch Ministry of Justice, and the Schiphol Group (which owns the airport and the concessions). The automated border-crossing machine reads the card and the traveler's iris to identify a match. Passengers who are nationals of European Economic Cooperation nations may enroll to use the system during a trial period, which will last until the end of 2002. (Source: Newsbytes, 2 November) The Mumbai, India cybercrime cell arrested two persons in Ahmedabad for hacking into the networks of various Internet service providers (ISPs) on 31 October. Umang Dave and S.I. Ilanthirayan are accused of hacking into ISP systems and redirecting web pages to sites with names of terrorist organizations such as Al Qaida and Laskar-e-Toiba. The duo ran an Internet security agency called Gateway Telesoft Ltd in Ahmedabad. Both accused have been remanded to police custody until 9 November. Joint Commissioner B.S. Mohite did confirm the arrests on hacking charges and said one is a scientist. But he urged not to give the arrests media coverage because it involved national security. According to preliminary investigations, the duo would hack into ISPs which had stockbrokers and corporate houses as clients. Later, their company would approach the ISP and propose a security program. The ISPs would jump at the proposal and sign a deal. (Source: The Indian Express, 3 November) Military - NTR Government - NTR U.S. SECTOR INFORMATION: Water Supply - The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have taken on the role of coordinating a study that is examining water treatment technologies to determine their ability to protect drinking water from possible bioterrorist agents. The CDC is working closely with the US Environmental Protection Agency, the American Water Works Association and the Department of Defense. The study is expected to take at least six months and will emphasize public health issues. Among the technologies to be studied are chlorine sensitivity, moist heat inactivation, ozone and ultraviolet. The study is expected to examine at least three or four organisms at first, but that list may be expanded later. (Source: Water Technology Online, 2 November) Emergency Services - On 2 November, officials told a congressional panel the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has established an emergency operations center in the District of Columbia (DC) to prepare for a catastrophic attack on the nation's capital. Alarmed by the chaos following September's terrorist attacks and stung by criticism from Congress, DC and federal officials have also overhauled the city's emergency preparedness plans to copy the federal model. After the hearing, FEMA representative Michael Lowder said: "This is to support DC's efforts, not to supplant them. We are trying to anticipate the event of an attack here in DC so that we are better prepared here, and DC is helped, too." (Source: Washington Post, 3 November) Gas and Oil Storage Distribution - NTR Electrical Power - NTR Government Services - NTR Banking and Finance - NTR Transportation - NTR Telecommunications - NTR
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