American citizen arrested for plotting to build and detonate radioactive dirty bomb. An American citizen, with alleged ties to the al Qaeda terror network, has been arrested on suspicion of plotting to build and detonate a radioactive "dirty" bomb in the United States. Abdullah al Muhajir, 31, was transferred late Sunday to a naval brig in South Carolina after President Bush designated him an "enemy combatant." (Washington Post, 10 June) Old code in Windows is a security threat. Microsoft is attempting to quickly retire old code in its Windows operating system and other software as a result of the company's four-month-old "trustworthy computing" initiative. The revelation follows last week's warning that a serious vulnerability in Microsoft's Internet Explorer occurred in the software supporting a decade-old protocol that has rarely been used since the World Wide Web became popular. The company is rushing to eliminate old code as a result of criticism that Microsoft's security initiative has been slow to show results. The Company has reported more than 30 vulnerabilities since the initiative began. (CNET News, 9 June) Government asks Industry to aid in security gateway solution. A government team leading the development of a security gateway asked industry last week for possible solutions to make the initiative a reality. The new system will authenticate users accessing e-government services, by validating a credential such as a password or digital certificate previously issued. The gateway prototype is expected to be operational in September, working with two to four of the other e-government initiatives overseen by the Office of Management and Budget as part of President Bush's E-Government Strategy. (Federal Computer Week 10 June) Hacker gurus recruit unsuspecting youth. Sophisticated online "mentors" are helping unsuspecting young people cause serious damage to personal computers. Hacking gurus are taking advantage of curious young people, swaying them to try their hand at hacking and virus writing. Mentors are distributing virus-writing and hacking software on more than 30,000 Web sites. The most dangerous aspect is the potential for a mentor to use inexperienced Internet users to accomplish political or terrorist-minded goals; however, there is little evidence that shows young hackers are being utilized by terrorists or organized crime. Online software or tool-kits allow people to write malicious code almost as easily as creating a Microsoft Word document. Novice hackers are using the software to write new variants of viruses, such as Klez or Code Red, or hack into a computer network without realizing how much damage their actions may cause. Hacking and virus writing has been made popular in books and films such as The Matrix, Hackers and Swordfish. Many teens, looking to mimic what they see in popular culture, join underground hacking groups and quickly realize a mentor's toolkits are the easiest way to break into the world of hacking. Unsophisticated or novice hackers often lack a sense of responsibility, are unaware of the capabilities of the hacker tools they use, do not appreciate the implications of hacking, or are unconcerned about the consequences of their actions. (Ottawa Citizen, 6 June) Fire threatens Denver metropolitan area; up to 40,000 people could be evacuated. On 10 June, a wind-driven wildfire hit Denver. Up to 40,000 people might be forced to leave their homes along the southwestern edge of the metropolitan area. The fire has burned across more than 75,000 acres and is within five miles of residential neighborhoods, spreading toward Denver at about a mile an hour. The fire started by an illegal campfire on Saturday, 9 June, in the Pike National Forest 55 miles southwest of Denver. Nearly 300 firefighters were on the lines and more crews were ordered into place. Four bombers and four helicopters dropped fire retardant and water. "There's nothing that can be done to stop this fire under current weather and fuel conditions," said Gov. Bill Owens. (Associated Press, 10 June) RM
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