Cyber Warfare

News Digest II

9th April - 22nd April 1999

Friday 9th April 1999:

London's Corporate Servers Risk Serbian Attack

mi2g issues a general warning to corporate IT directors advising them to step up their level of security. "There is a huge vulnerability here. Most companies need a window of 24 or 48 hours to implement their disaster recovery programs - and they only expect a single attack. They are not used to the concept of a systematic attack."[Silicon.com]

Saturday 10th April 1999:

Serb Hackers Pose Threat to Markets

International markets could be destabilised by a persistent attack on a number of banks due to the inter-linked nature of the markets. [The Times]

Sunday 11th April 1999:

Serb Hackers Target Military

The US Department of Defense's computer systems are being hit with up to 100 hack attacks a day. The rate has risen significantly since the air assault on Yugoslavia. John Hamre, US deputy secretary of defence, told a closed hearing of congress that hackers had found a new way into Pentagon networks. US energy secretary, Bill Richardson, shut down classified computers at three nuclear weapons laboratories due to fears over cyber-security lapses. [Sunday Business].

Monday 12th April 1999:

Why Governments Should Fight the Cyber Wars

"If you are responsible for IT at a utility company, stop worrying about the 17-year-old geek challenging authority from his Mum's basement in Seattle. Worry about cybermercenaries. Finance firms need to be on the alert too - if you were a paid hacker working in the former Eastern Bloc, you'd find the seat of the capitalist West pretty irresistable too, wouldn't you?" [Comment Leader, Silicon.com]

Wednesday 21st April 1999:

Companies Told to Prepare for Serbian Attack

Corporate network professionals are warned that they could soon face a co-ordinated computer assault by Serbian hackers retaliating against NATO attacks. [Network News]