US prepares for terror attack in food. Since the terrorist attacks, bioterrorism has become the federal government's number one priority. The subject includes food security -- protecting the nation's food supply from a bioterrorism attack. To respond to this potential threat, the Food and Drug Administration is expected to use $98 million of its $1.727 billion proposed budget for Fiscal Year 2003 specifically for food security. Since January 10, the FDA has hired 250 food safety inspectors whose jobs it will be to monitor the food distribution process, including checking every single step in food's progress from the farm to someone's dinner plate. These inspectors will be responsible for going through food safety checklists, for both imported and domestic products, to ensure food never gets into the wrong hands or deviates from its scheduled distribution. (UPI, 12 May) Government watchdogs say security on biological agents, nuclear materials lax since 11 September. Investigators reviewing federal safeguards against terrorism found lax oversight at hundreds of Agriculture Department laboratories where dangerous viruses are stored and the Energy Department failed to closely track nuclear material sent abroad decades ago. Department officials acknowledged some problems and said they have acted on recommendations by the agencies' inspectors general. Inspectors, in visits to 124 department labs, found security at nearly half needed improvement. Labs often had no alarm systems, security fences or surveillance cameras, and though lab directors knew they needed upgrades, improvements were slow due to budget constraints. In its formal response to the findings, the Agriculture Department said it was working to improve security and inventory its biological agents. (Associated Press, 12 May) High-tech US security center to open. A new facility to monitor terrorist threats and coordinate responses will become operational in the next few weeks, connecting for the first time nearly all federal agencies with state and city authorities using state-of-the-art technology. The Homeland Security Coordination Center will be home to more than 100 workers, who will be on call 24 hours a day, seven days a week. "By the time we get done - this is still a work in progress - we'll be able to connect with just about every conceivable public institution in the country," said Homeland Security Director Tom Ridge, who led reporters on a tour of the new facility. The Threat Monitoring Center will be manned by representatives of more than a dozen federal agencies, among them the Central Intelligence Agency, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the departments of Energy, Transportation and State and the National Security Agency. (Washington Times, 9 May) Using web sites to plan terrorist attack. The White House National Infrastructure Protection Board told attendees of the CyberCrime2002 conference that the Internet was not developed with security in mind, but with the focus on information sharing and collaboration. While the FBI's National Infrastructure Protection Center warned that content and information posted to Web sites should be examined to determine if terrorists could use the info against company or country. A demonstration at the conference showed how Philadelphia's critical infrastructure could be affected by using information gathered from the city's Web site. (Newsday, 9 May) Bug watch: The boy who cried worm. Hoaxes can be just as damaging to resources and reputations as real viruses. Hoaxes may not carry the payloads of the real thing, but they can cause the same amount of inconvenience in terms of compromised reputation and clogged mail servers. Hoaxes can also emulate real viruses in the way they spread. Although incapable of self-propagation, they spread because innocent users mistakenly believe they are doing their friends a favor by passing on the warning. Many hoaxes have spread further and longer than actual viruses. The inconvenience becomes worse still as recipients start to panic. Normal working patterns are disrupted and helpdesks become swamped with unnecessary cries for help. In the case of the virus hoax - where a detection routine cannot be written - common sense and a suspicious attitude are the most important and effective weapons against falling for the ruse. (Vnunet.com, 9 May)
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