Clampdown on the Web?

The Washington Times

http://www.washingtontimes.com

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Tenet calls for Internet security

By Shaun Waterman

UNITED PRESS INTERNATIONAL

Published December 2, 2004

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Former CIA Director George J. Tenet yesterday called for new security measures to guard against attacks on the United States that use the Internet, which he called "a potential Achilles' heel."

"I know that these actions will be controversial in this age when we still think the Internet is a free and open society with no control or accountability," he told an information-technology security conference in Washington, "but ultimately the Wild West must give way to governance and control."

The former CIA director said telecommunications -- and specifically the Internet -- are a back door through which terrorists and other enemies of the United States could attack the country, even though great strides have been made in securing the physical infrastructure.

The Internet "represents a potential Achilles' heel for our financial stability and physical security if the networks we are creating are not protected," Mr. Tenet said.

He said known adversaries, including "intelligence services, military organizations and non-state actors," are researching information attacks against the United States.

Within the federal government, the Department of Homeland Security has the lead role in protecting the Internet from terrorism. But the department's head of cyber-security recently quit amid reports that he had clashed with his superiors.

Mr. Tenet, who retired in July as director of the CIA after seven years, warned that al Qaeda remains a sophisticated group, even though its first-tier leadership largely has been destroyed.

It is "undoubtedly mapping vulnerabilities and weaknesses in our telecommunications networks," he said.

Mr. Tenet pointed out that the modernization of key industries in the United States is making them more vulnerable by connecting them with an Internet that is open to attack.

The way the Internet was built might be part of the problem, he said. Its open architecture allows Web surfing, but that openness makes the system vulnerable, Mr. Tenet said.

Access to networks like the World Wide Web might need to be limited to those who can show they take security seriously, he said.

Mr. Tenet called for industry to lead the way by "establishing and enforcing" security standards. Products need to be delivered to government and private-sector customers "with a new level of security and risk management already built in."

The national press, including United Press International (UPI), were excluded from yesterday's event, at Mr. Tenet's request, organizers said.

Nothing in that article amounts to a clampdown on the web. It's a warning for government and private sectors to beef up their respective security measures, not the entire public internet. That first quote of his is shady, but what follows is perfectly fine.

"Access to networks like the World Wide Web might need to be limited to those who can show they take security seriously, he said."

not gonna happen. if it does, well....there are payphones and proxy servers..and with the advent of wireless internet...you can see where i'm going?

it's no big deal, these gov. people are just pissed and trying to take every avenue of 'homeland security' at once. the inevitable is indeed inevitable. we're going to be attacked alot more in the coming years. think gaza strip and israel. car bombs. people strapped with explosives.

things like shutting down power to major cities, clogging up the net with crap or shutting it down for a day or two are nothing compared to what's coming for us.

Originally posted by casekonly@Dec 3 2004, 09:27 PM

not gonna happen. if it does, well....there are payphones and proxy servers..and with the advent of wireless internet...you can see where i'm going?

 

it's no big deal, these gov. people are just pissed and trying to take every avenue of 'homeland security' at once. the inevitable is indeed inevitable. we're going to be attacked alot more in the coming years. think gaza strip and israel. car bombs. people strapped with explosives.

 

things like shutting down power to major cities, clogging up the net with crap or shutting it down for a day or two are nothing compared to what's coming for us.

Quoted post

wow thats extremely optimistic. based on what you wrote, you are predicting the fall of western civlization. do you think that is going to happen, a total reordering of the world power structure?

indeed i do metallix. i'm convinced of it. (see also: roman empire, fall of the)

it's the cycle. every great empire must fall. even if our nation doesn't fall in our lifetime, we will see it coming. it's not scare tactics posted by the news or whatnot, it's more observation of the world and what's going on in the places we're attacking (iraq and afghanistan). next, and i can almost guarantee, is iran. possibly syria, but i'm betting on iran.

edit: it's no big deal, really. i wouldn't worry over it or take what i say to heart. i am no ms. cleo. i'm just looking at what's going on outside and can easily see it coming to us in the near future.

nah i dont think anyone will touch iran for now.

maybe not right now....soon.

so, ya think the code red virus was a test? wasn't there a second one?