Response to various comments on Internet Security

[David Farber <farber () central cis upenn edu>]

Date: Thu, 29 Sep 94 11:53:25 -0500
From: "Winn Schwartau" <p00506 () psilink com>
Subject: Response to various comments on Internet Security (RISKS-16.42)


   [MODERATOR'S NOTE: I have omitted several of the flames that attacked
   Winn for the perceived high hype of his press-conference note in
   RISKS-16.42.  I ran his message because I know enough about the underlying
   technology to have some significant hope that the system will do something
   useful.  But excessive hype always tends to be offputting.  PGN]


We understand a handful of RISKS readers wanted to know the sources of some
fascinating data we recently published in a Press Conference announcement.
Here goes.


The 85-97% figure came from Jim Settle, former Head of the Computer Crime
Squad, FBI.  These are the figures he cited on "Under Scrutiny," an FX channel
(Fox network) TV show where he appeared with Robert Steele of Open Source
Solutions and Chris Goggans, 'national resource hacker.' One government study
he mentioned cites the higher figure of 97% of all computer intrusions go
undetected.  Settle also said that the experience of the FBI Computer Crime
Squad is in excess of 85% computer intrusions go undetected.


The million plus computer breakins figure came from USA Research as reported
by Information Week.  The industrial espionage figure is from Parvus and
Assoc. - an international Private Investigation company who specialize in high
tech commercial espionage - and ASIS, American Society for Industrial Security
representing the findings of a study into this area: (The figures are for 1985
through 1991.)


     * Foreign sponsored information theft is up 400%
     * US sponsored industrial espionage is up 260%


According to the Washington Post, as of April 1993, the industrial espionage
case load of the FBI was up a whopping 500%!


The billions of dollars that espionage costs the US econotechnical
infrastructure is well documented in Schwartau's book, "Information Warfare:
Chaos on the Electronic Superhighway," available anywhere. Take a read.


We hope this settles any misunderstandings on the part of RISKS readers.


Kevin Sorensen, Secure Computing, Inc.
Winn Schwartau, Interpact, Inc. P00506 () Psilink Com


   [Winn's message actually said "Information Warefare", which is sort
   of a nice pun, but he meant to write "Information Warfare".  PGN]