Re: State Department's warns visa-checking system crippled by computer virus

[InfoSec News <isn () c4i org>]

Forwarded from: John Blaylock <john_blaylock () tnb com>

Y'know, unless every person that accesses this CLASS system does so
with their own networked mainframe under their desk, chances are they
use a PC to get their green screen, and possibly a PC gateway server.  
(You have to be able to play minesweep when not checking records!  
Can't do that on a dumb terminal!)  These are susceptible to the
myriad baddies running around in the ether.  Mainframes are not able
to function in a network vacuum.  A mainframe that can't be
communicated with is just as good as down....

John

> WASHINGTON - The State Department's electronic system for checking
> every visa applicant for terrorist or criminal history failed
> worldwide late Tuesday because of a computer virus, leaving the U.S.
> government unable to issue visas.
>
> The virus crippled the department's Consular Lookout and Support
> System, known as CLASS, which contains more than 12.8 million
> records from the FBI, State Department and U.S. immigration,
> drug-enforcement and intelligence agencies. Among the names are
> those of at least 78,000 suspected terrorists.

CLASS runs on a mainframe. Excuse me but what virus released recently
infects a mainframe? And they've got at least 2 of them. One here in
DC and the other in the mountains of WVa. infected the end-user
terminals I would definately conceed since those are windoze PC's
running various home-grown application to access said database. And
desktop security was quite pathetic.




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