Germany skeptical on US plans for Internet firewall

[InfoSec News <isn () C4I ORG>]

http://www.handelsblatt.com/hbiwwwangebot/fn/relhbi/sfn/buildhbee/cn/bp_artikel_e/strucid/PAGE_201098/pageid/PAGE_201098/docid/391343/SH/0/depot/0/index.html

06.03.01

HB/sms HAMBURG. German industry and the German government responded
with skepticism to the news of US plans to build a national defense
shield, or firewall, against attacks on data networks.

The spokesman for the German Interior Ministry, Rainer Lingenthal,
said the process of providing security within the Internet was an
ongoing one. As the technology develops, the search for new security
gaps or potential danger spots must be carried out anew every day, he
added. The setting-up of a defense shield would not suffice. The task
of securing networks was an ongoing one requiring constant work from
the State and industry.

At the weekend, James Adams, an advisor for US security services NSA,
told Handelsblatt the project for a national defense shield against
attacks on data networks to be ready by 2003 was analogous with the
planned National Missile Defense system.

Adams said if a state was in a position to cut the US water supply via
a cyber-attack, the US must be in a position to retaliate by laming
its power supply or its banking system.

People in Washington defense circles quoted by Handelsblatt estimated
the costs involved in implementing the virtual firewall at more than
$50 billion.

A spokesman for Germany's high-tech industry association, Bitkom, said
in looking to build something analogous to NMD, the US was going way
beyond what was required.

Last year, Germany's Interior Minister Otto Schily set up an expert
task force known as "Secure Internet" to analyze dangers to Internet
security and to devise counter-measures. The task force was drawn from
the Interior Ministry, Justice Ministry and Economics Ministry as well
as the Federal Criminal Office and the Federal Office for Security in
Information Technology (BSI).

With the help of top tech firms such as Siemens and Debis, the experts
have worked out uniform security criteria for the evaluation of IT
products and systems, and a corresponding system of certification. It
also offers concrete advice to firms and authorities.

BSI commissioned a study on Internet firewalls from Siemens in 1997.
Debis in 1998 drew up a study on Intrusion Detection Systems. But
technical developments since then mean that a variety of data can be
transmitted that can cause alterations to the recipient's system.

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