IP: Crackers do for gov't what critical infrastructure report couldn't

[Dave Farber <farber () cis upenn edu>]

Date: Thu, 03 Jun 1999 19:05:50 -0700 

From: John Gilmore <gnu () toad com> 

Subject: Crackers do for gov't what critical infrastructure report couldn't
"There's a government-wide effort to make sure that our computer systems 
remain secure," White House Press Secretary Joe Lockhart said in a briefing.

http://www.zdnet.com/zdnn/stories/news/0,4586,2268574,00.html

As usual, the computer underground is doing a service to the country by 
making it clear just how shallow the government's understanding of computer 
security is. They are quite curiously refraining from damaging anything in 
their intrusions but the egos of the bureaucracies involved. As usual, the 
first response of the Feds is to threaten dire punishment for the 
messengers. But they are being prodded into actually attempting to keep 
serious attackers out, a novel idea somewhat overdue for consideration.
Perhaps this is heresy, but has the computer underground considered 
demonstrating that it can break into electrical power distribution 
computers, and the phone network, so those will get secured too?
John