The topic of cyberterrorism was brought up and I just wanted to elaborate on it a bit. Some people already have said that Microsoft has been hacked and left it at that. I want to leave you with a bit more evidance that we are currently being targeted for more mayhem in the coming days/months/years.

The Senate page hacked:

http://www.2600.com/hackedphiles/current/senate2/hacked/

The FBI page hacked and a report leaked:

http://www.2600.com/hackedphiles/current/ioc/hacked/

A Different group, probably kids, but with a definitive message

http://www.2600.com/hackedphiles/current/bnl/hacked/

The FBI says:

"recent hacker activity may involve individuals both in the United States and overseas which highlights the lack of political and geographic boundaries in cyber space."

This is not doom and gloom, this is not a troll posting. I just wanted to point out that hackers could very well make trouble for Corporate America and that the recent viri we have seen might very well be precursors to more extreme acts of sabotage. Any comments or thoughts?

(Sorry for any html goofs, this is my first attempt)

-- (oldyeller@sanfran.com), June 11, 1999

Answers

Thanks oldyeller, you've made an extremely valid addition to the arguement made by many, that we most very likely may not be able to fix problems as they arise. If they are unable to *complete* remediations, *test* them and then *correct* any errors in the time remaining, I sincerely doubt "the remaining work" can be dealt with quickly OR efficiently. By the time a few "outside" problems like this one you have noted, as well as many other brief examples: civil unrest, loss of government services, partial or complete loss of utilities, phone systems, transportation/trains, planes, trucking, maritime, fossil fuel availability, dwindeling inventories, manufacturing disruptions, etc., AND the current status of the rest of the world in their remediation attempts.........this upcoming year might just be a bit more than our fault tolerance could ever possibly hope to handle. Of course, everyone's welcome to their own opinion on that. This is merely my own, and your "consideration for the day" is an excellent example.

-- Will continue (farming@home.com), June 12, 1999.

AND the e-bay auction site was down toady. Hacked, too? There's a lot of it going around.

-- Mad Monk (madmonk@hawaiian.net), June 12, 1999.

Links:

The Senate page hacked

The FBI page hacked and a report leaked

A Different group, probably kids, but with a definitive message

-- (theowl@lurking.com), June 12, 1999.

Thanks oldyeller for the info, and owl for the links. I fully intend to learn HTML next year, that is, if the electricity is up and running.

Frankly this worries me as much as genuine y2k problems. I think there are probably cyber terrorists, waiting in the wings, gleefully anticipating bringing everything to a halt that isn't already halted.

-- gilda (jess@listbot.com), June 12, 1999.

I have to say I agree with the message of The Posse. If Y2K doesn't bring us down, corporations will, and with the full support of the government behind them. After all corporate America has bought and paid for the best politicians in Washington. Meanwhile we live in a toxic stew of chemicals and waste that ruins our health and planet.

The public is infuriated if a welfare mother gets too much support. But the entire U.S. budget, for all welfare recipients, is not equal to one tax break or subsidy to corporations. Their allowances for overseas advertising would support every indigent person in the U. S. What ever happened to the anit-trust laws? And consider the following mergers: Citicorp and Travelers Group, Chrysler and Daimler Benz, Ford and Volvo, the proposed Exxon and Mobile merger, and this is just a few, we haven't even mentioned IT companies.

-- gilda (jess@listbot.com), June 12, 1999.

Thanks owl, one of these days I'll learn hot to hotlink

-- (oldyeller@sanfran.com), June 12, 1999.