CRIME [Fwd: [Information_technology] Daily News 01/03/03]

lylel@private

-------- Original Message --------
Subject: [Information_technology] Daily News 01/03/03
Date: Fri, 3 Jan 2003 10:28:32 -0600
From: "NIPC Watch" <nipc.watch@private>
To: "Information Technology" <information_technology@private>

January 1, Bloomberg
Poll says computer-related spending will grow 4.6% this year. Top executives
plan to increase spending on computer hardware and software by 4.6 percent
this year, with security programs a top priority, according to a CIO
Magazine poll. About 53 percent of the 335 executives surveyed last month
said they plan to spend more on programs to block computer viruses and other
security software. The poll on computer spending plans is conducted monthly
by CIO Magazine, Deutsche Bank Securities Inc. and Prudential Securities
Inc. Security software has been one of the few bright spots in the computer
industry, which is trying to pull out of a two-year slump, as companies seek
to protect data from viruses such as ``Nimda'' and ``Code Red'' and guard
against hackers. Source.
http://quote.bloomberg.com/fgcgi.cgi?ptitle=Technology%20News&s1=blk&tp=ad_t
opright_tech&T=markets_box.ht&s2=ad_right1_technology&bt=ad_position1_techno
logy&box=ad_box_all&tag=technology&middle=ad_frame2_technology&s=APhJ5hRT1Q2
9tcHV0

December 30, New York Times
Checking databases for terrorists' names. Since the Sept. 11 attacks, the
Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Asset Control (OFAC) has issued new
regulations compelling companies in industries like banking and tourism to
check the office's list of potential terrorists, or face hefty fines. There
are a few ways computers can tackle the name-search problem. A simple
database search will look for a string of characters, called a key-based
search, and try to find a match. But if the string is not exact, the process
is futile. A more sophisticated search, using what is called fuzzy logic,
can look for similar strings and return the closest matches. But that can
return many inaccurate results. Government agencies rely heavily on the
Interagency Border Inspection System (IBIS), a vast database of information
on suspect individuals, businesses, vehicles, aircraft and vessels, to help
identify potential terrorists. In addition, all airlines flying into the
United States must now check passenger information against IBIS for all
passengers and crew members. However, a single name - particularly a
transcribed, transliterated or mistyped name - can easily disappear in such
a system. The future of name-searching, according to the technology
companies developing software for the public and private sectors, is not in
watch lists, but in sifting through huge quantities of digital documents,
like those that might be found on terrorists' computers or intercepted
online. Source. http://www.nytimes.com/2002/12/30/technology/30LIST.html

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