-----Original Message----- From: NIPC Watch [mailto:nipc.watch@private] Sent: Thursday, December 13, 2001 5:29 AM To: Daily/Warning Distribution Subject: NIPC Daily Report, 13 December 2001 NIPC Daily Report 13 December 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. This report offers interested readers situational awareness of issues impacting the integrity and capability of the nation's critical infrastructures. The NIPC Watch and Warning Unit will provide current and relevant information about actual or potential threats to the critical infrastructures, as necessary. Government - President Bush yesterday announced the forming of the President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology, a 20-plus member group of industry luminaries who will help shape policy on issues ranging from research?and?development funding to new broadband incentives. The President intends the panel to play a leading role in setting the government's hi?tech agenda in years to come. AOL Time Warner Chairman Steve Case was among the first appointees. (Mercury News, 12 December) Private Sector - Microsoft will patch its Web browser to correct a flaw that enables attackers to silently download and execute malicious programs against unsuspecting users. By design, Internet Explorer (IE) cautions users to scrutinize their download sources, and to be wary of executable file received from unrecognized senders. Apparently, however, this standard IE warning is vulnerable to manipulation, potentially directing users to malicious Web sites, or striking them with backdoors and viruses. In assessing the flaw, Chris Wysopal, director of research and development for AtStake, a security consulting firm, said that in order to fully exploit the vulnerability, "attackers would probably need control of a Web server so that they could control the information sent in the HTTP header." As a result, attacks could be traced to the malicious site. (Newsbytes, 12 December)
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