Re: Bankrupt WorldCom called a security risk

[InfoSec News <isn () c4i org>]

Forwarded from: rferrell () texas net

> Secretary of Defense Donald H. Rumsfeld yesterday dismissed concerns
> that WorldCom's troubles could pose a risk to the military, noting
> that the Pentagon's sensitive communications have never been
> disrupted. WorldCom carries about a third of defense communications
> around the world.
>      
> "Certainly, no one likes to see a private-sector entity fail,"  Mr.
> Rumsfeld said at a press briefing. "Will it adversely affect the
> Department of Defense? My best experience and knowledge tells me it
> will not."

Yeah? And your "best experience and knowledge" in the field of data
telecommunications would be...what?  Having an AOL account?  Serving
as CEO of GI doesn't mean jack from a technical viewpoint.  One
wonders whether or not the distinguished Secretary of Defense truly
grasps what proportion of his department's day-to-day operations pass
through UUNET routers or other Worldcom-controlled infrastructure.  
To state that a failure of Worldcom (which despite their assurances to
the contrary could well affect UUNET's operations) would have no
adverse effect on the DoD is patently silly.  Of course it would.  
It's hard to say how significant that effect would be, but I'd guess
from my own past experience as a DoD data telcommunications contractor
that at least 50 percent of all network traffic in the DoD is NIPRNet,
not SIPRNet, and NIPRNet <=> UUNET.

While I have no doubt that the DoD could quickly adjust to a UUNet
reduction in service, there would almost certainly be an initial
adverse effect on DoD (and everyone else's) network communications.

Oh, and as for that statement about the Pentagon's sensitive
communications never having been disrupted, I'd be very cautious, were
I you, when it comes to boasting about this sort of thing.  As we have
seen time and time again, the Fates have a way of humbling mortals who
get too full of themselves...

RGF

Robert G. Ferrell
rferrell () texas net



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