Government planning cyberalert system

[William Knowles <wk () c4i org>]

http://news.com.com/2100-7348_3-5148708.html

By Robert Lemos 
Staff Writer, CNET News.com
January 27, 2004

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security plans to announce details of
a cyberalert system on Wednesday, two days after a virus called MyDoom
spread rapidly across the Internet.

The system, which will be detailed by the department's National Cyber
Security Division, could mimic the color-coded scheme the government
uses to warn citizens and alert law enforcement authorities of
terrorism threats, a source familiar with some details of the plan
said.

The latest e-mail virus, MyDoom, underscores the need for a system to
alert and inform Internet users. The mass-mailing computer virus took
off on Monday, spreading faster than any previous virus, security
experts said this week. The alert system could include a common way
for home and business users to report security issues and Internet
threats.

Details of the early warning system will be outlined by Amit Yoran,
the division's director, according to a press release issued by the
department Tuesday.

The announcement comes about two months after officials met with
technology industry experts to form plans in five areas: awareness for
home users and small businesses, cybersecurity early warning,
corporate governance and security, technical standards and building
better security into software.

Those meetings built upon the National Strategy to Secure Cyberspace,
a policy blueprint the Bush Administration released almost a year ago.  
While the strategy has been criticized as being soft on an industry
keen to avoid regulation, several administration officials talked
tough at the National Cyber Security Summit in December.

The National Cyber Alert System will be announced at a press
conference in Washington, D.C., early Wednesday.



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