FC: U.S. spooks fret about Iraq hax0ring .gov and .mil computers

[Declan McCullagh <declan () well com>]

These are the same intelligence folks who worried about this:

"Pentagon warns Fidel Castro could launch cyberattack against U.S."
http://www.politechbot.com/p-01713.html

North Korea next, anyone?

Also, a true government-sponsored attack from Iraq computers against U.S. 
military computers would be an act of war. Now that the Bush administration 
is apparently seeking justification for war, it's reasonable to pay close 
attention to developments here.

-Declan

---

http://www.nytimes.com/2003/01/17/technology/17HACK.html

Warning on Iraqi Hackers and U.S. Safety
By ERIC LICHTBLAU

WASHINGTON, Jan. 16 — Intelligence officials are concerned that a recent 
rise in electronic attacks against government and military computer 
networks in the United States may be the work of pro-Iraqi hackers and 
could signal a "potential crisis" in national security, according to a 
classified F.B.I. assessment.

The assessment, prepared last week by the National Infrastructure 
Protection Center at the Federal Bureau of Investigation, warned 
intelligence officials that the attacks, which have been relatively 
limited, are likely to grow more widespread and "more dangerous" as tension 
over a possible war against Iraq grows.

American intelligence analysts say they have long been concerned by the 
notion that Al Qaeda could use computers to wage terror — disrupting water 
treatment plants or nuclear facilities, for instance. Experts say the link 
between Iraq and computer hacking may have been underestimated and poses a 
growing threat to United States security.

"Iraq is certainly among the places in the world that we think a 
cyberattack might well be launched from," Representative Robert E. Andrews 
of New Jersey, a Democrat on the House Armed Service Committee who has been 
active on cyberwarfare issues, said in an interview.

[...]




-------------------------------------------------------------------------
POLITECH -- Declan McCullagh's politics and technology mailing list
You may redistribute this message freely if you include this notice.
To subscribe to Politech: http://www.politechbot.com/info/subscribe.html
This message is archived at http://www.politechbot.com/
Declan McCullagh's photographs are at http://www.mccullagh.org/
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Like Politech? Make a donation here: http://www.politechbot.com/donate/
Recent CNET News.com articles: http://news.search.com/search?qÞclan
-------------------------------------------------------------------------