Note squib on City of Glendale going to wireless LAN. I'm not sure that 3DES encryption is all that secure--though it may be for Glendale... -----Original Message----- From: NIPC Watch To: Daily Distribution Sent: 2/21/02 6:13 AM Subject: NIPC Watch Daily Report 21 February 2002 NIPC Daily Report 21 February 2002 The NIPC Watch and Warning Unit compiles this report to inform recipients of issues impacting the integrity and capability of the nation's critical infrastructures. US government orders airlines to close VIP lines. The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) ordered commercial airlines to close their VIP lines that allow customers, mainly business travelers, to avoid long waits for security checks. TSA officials said the order was a move to make the overhaul of airport security equitable now that it is a federal function. One industry official said the order has prompted confusion. He said there was uncertainty in the industry about the extent of federal authority beyond the actual function of screening passengers and bags. Business travel experts said the faster lines were valuable to some, though they did raise fairness questions. As a substitute, they promoted a plan, being studied by the government, that would allow passengers to receive "trusted traveler cards" that would use identification technologies to screen travelers and move them through security quickly. (Reuters, 20 Feb) California city plans wireless LAN for critical communications. Glendale, CA has decided to use wireless LAN technology to provide high-speed data service to its police, fire, and public works departments after determining that cellular mobile data services cost too much and deliver too little. The city's assistant director of information services said cellular bandwidth available to Glendale did not support applications required to run emergency services. (Computerworld.com, 18 Feb) NIPC Watch and Warning Unit comment: Wireless security protocols have either been an add-on or of secondary importance previous to this. The use of 3DES encryption in this case has brought real security to the wireless networking and is a good first step towards acceptance of broad use wireless networking within the government and the critical infrastructure agencies. MSN Messenger worm marks troubling trend. A new computer worm spreading via the MSN Messenger instant messaging (IM) service may not be particularly dangerous, but it could pave the way for more destructive worms that are expected to spread and attack through IM systems. McAfee security says the MSN Messenger worm is "proof-of-concept" that this messaging vector for viruses is real. (NewsFactor, 15 Feb) Unwitting cell calls swamp 911 systems. More than two-thirds of all 911calls from wireless phones involve people accidently pushing emergency buttons on their cell phone keypads. Local and national authorities say it's impossible to know whether delays caused by the problem have led to serious injuries or deaths. What is certain is that emergency phone lines are becoming clogged. (L.A. Times, 19 Feb) Distributed projects raise security issues. Unfounded concerns about distributed computing project software's security have put many projects in jeopardy. Companies large and small have begun stripping the software from machines out of fear they create an open channel to the Internet that could be exploited by hackers. (Washingtonpost.com, 20 Feb) _______________________________________________ Nta-net mailing list Nta-net@private http://lists.whiteknighthackers.com/mailman/listinfo/nta-net
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