RE: WWW.huh?: You Are the First Line of Defense

[InfoSec News <isn () c4i org>]

Forwarded by: "Gresick, Allen [C] " <GresickA () nima mil>

I don't think this guy knows how US Government systems work!

I, too, work for a US Government agency as a contractor and the
situations described by the anonymous DoD person are representative of
monitoring of USG networks for waste, fraud, and abuse.  Both of these
occurrences could be discovered through the use of a firewall.  All of
our internal networks that touch the internet are protected by
firewalls, which also monitor traffic coming in and out to ensure that
it is for official USG use.  They can even monitor down to the
keystroke level, if they want to.  I'm aware of this monitoring
because my system tells me so when I log in:  "This is a US Government
system and is subject to monitoring.  Use of system constitutes
consent to be monitored. Unauthorized use may subject you to
administrative, criminal, or other action."

I understand why I'm monitored at work because it is not my personal
workstation or network (even though my taxes paid for it).  However,
at home, I can assume some level of privacy because I can't believe
that the US Government has enough resources to monitor ALL email
EVERYWHERE!  We have a hard time monitoring our users on an enterprise
network, let alone millions of users sending billions of emails!

I just think this Navy guy is all wet!!!

Allen Gresick

-----Original Message-----
From: InfoSec News [mailto:isn () c4i org]
Sent: Thursday, June 28, 2001 2:47 AM
To: isn () securityfocus com
Subject: Re: [ISN] WWW.huh?: You Are the First Line of Defense 


Forwarded by: An anonymous DoD person...

Hi,

The fact that Government computers can track everything you do is
*absolutely* no joke. I work for the United States Navy, and a friend
of mine was sending email to an old flame using excite web-based
email. Well, about twenty minutes later, his fiance comes in and
throws the same email he wrote in his face.

It was a big reminder to me that Uncle Sam watches and monitors
*everything* - remotely too - even web based email services, etc.
Another case that was similar - a supervisor was repremanded for
sending encrypted email out of Navy computers. Guess he pissed off the
IT's (whom they affectionatly call themselves the 'Gate Keepers').

Anyway, just some food for thought.

- Anonymous



----- Original Message -----
From: William Knowles <wk () c4i org>
To: InfoSec News <isn () securityfocus com>
Sent: Tuesday, June 26, 2001 2:01 AM
Subject: [ISN] WWW.huh?: You Are the First Line of Defense


> http://www.defenselink.mil/news/Jun2001/n06252001_200106252.html
>
> By Steve Hara
> American Forces Press Service
>
> WASHINGTON, June 25, 2001 -- Defense Department computer security
> systems and specialists foiled nearly 22,500 would-be intruders in
> 1999 and 24,500 in 2000. There's no let-up in sight.
>
> Special agent Jim Christy said he and others on his law enforcement
> staff are in a "growth business" chasing hackers and spies and running
> other criminal activities to ground. As representatives of the Office
> of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Command, Control,
> Communications and Intelligence, they also counsel DoD employees on
> being an effective first line of defense instead of the weakest link.
>
> When he discusses computer security, Christy said, he drives home that
> average folks aren't expected to mount an ironclad defense. Rather, he
> stressed, they can do simple things that make life harder for bad guys
> -- and stop doing simple things that make life easy for them.




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