DOD seeks security ally

[InfoSec News <isn () c4i org>]

Forwarded by: William Knowles <wk () c4i org>

http://www.fcw.com/fcw/articles/2001/0827/news-dod-08-27-01.asp

By George I. Seffers 
Aug. 27, 2001 

The Defense Intelligence Agency is seeking assistance in tracking
computer network attacks on Defense Department systems that originate
from an unspecified foreign country.

DIA, a combat support agency that produces and manages foreign
military intelligence, announced Aug. 23 that it intends to award a
sole source contract to Veridian. Veridian will help the agency
analyze incidents of network intrusions or cyberattacks on DOD
networks from "computers located in a particular foreign country and
other computers that show evidence of being under the control of
people in that country," according to the announcement.

The contractor will be required to collect intrusion data from DOD,
service-specific Computer Emergency Response Teams and information
warfare centers, analyze the data and provide a list of foreign IP
addresses requiring further investigation. The contractor also will
need to learn who the initiating host is and determine the level of
threat.

Neither Veridian nor DIA could be reached for comment by press time,
but an outside security expert said the particular country could be
one of any on a long list, with China and Russia being prime
candidates because of their capabilities and stated intent. Fred
Cohen, founder of Fred Cohen & Associates, a strategic intelligence
and security firm, also said it makes sense to focus on only one
country.

"It is common to focus on one particular threat in any given analysis.
If you do not, you get generic answers that mix and match these and
tend to exaggerate threats," Cohen said. "In order to get a real
understanding, you need to look at one group at a time and try to
assess their capabilities and intent."



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without communications is irrelevant." Gen Alfred. M. Gray, USMC
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