Could someone please provide a couple of links on the gov's new tactic of claiming that computer failures will be terrorist attacks? Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks.

Zev

-- Zev Barak (zev@no.com), October 17, 1999

Answers

Sorry I don't have the links, but I'm wondering about why any terrorists would target the year changeover. If officials are saying there will not be any major problems, then exactly what are these terrorists supposed to be taking advantage of?

If these terrorists are scheduled to spring into action with the turn of the year, in an environment where there are no official problems... then why wait? Why not just spring into action now?

On the other hand, are officials expecting widespread problems, without making this public, and then expecting terrorists to take advantage of such problems? If so, why not first warn the public about anticipated problems?

If there are major problems, how will terrorists be so efficient as to exploit these problems, when no one else is able to identify or remedy these problems today? Are these terrorists supermen, and smarter than all the other computer people in the world today? I mean, we all will have y2k problems, with confused infrastructure and communications, but the terrorists will nevertheless be able to carry on their computer based mischief?

Have their been any such identified terrorists, or terrorist plots to date, or are we just guessing as to their existence?

Finally, how will the offiicals distinguish real problems from terrorist-induced problems?

Or are these alleged terrorists just the latest boogeymen?

-- Stan Belchanik (Stash@regulus.com), October 17, 1999.

New tactics ???? This should be obvious from only the media coverage of this over the past couple of months. It started well over a year ago with a 'special' televised program (don't remember what channel), however, after watching it, I told a lot of folks that CT would be TPTB scapegoat. Really, you shouldn't need any links on this one !!!

-- BH (silentvoice@pobox.com), October 17, 1999.

Go into archives, lots of documentation on this. Been building up a long time.

-- Ashton & Leska in Cascadia (allaha@earthlink.net), October 17, 1999.

It goes back quite some time to some high-level government official's cyber-terrorism speech, which described the effects of "a potential cyber-attack on our critical infrastructure and financial systems". The contents of the speech read almost word for word like a description of the effects of serious Y2K problems on America's critical infrastructure and financial systems.

At that point a lot of people saw the similarity and made a quick connection that while the Y2K community was saying that computer problems at the end of the century would cause X problems, the government was pointing its finger of blame for those same problems at some "James Bond super-villian" band of computer terrorists.

Most observers realize it's easier for the government to blame someone like Osama Bin Laden for any problems than it would be for the government to admit that it failed to act soon enough and strongly enough to get the Y2K issue under control. After all, the public will rally around the government when an outside threat is menacing the homeland. But they will rally against the govenment when they learn the government's folly is the cause of their troubles.

WW

-- Wildweasel (vtmldm@epix.net), October 17, 1999.

Zev, If you go into Gary North's archives, about a year ago, maybe longer, he posted something saying how TPTB will use this as the "excuse." Look under the "Government" catagory.

-- mar (derigueur2@aol.com), October 17, 1999.

I have some links that I am trying to copy and paste but it won't do it! Is this because I'm an AOHell user?

This is a summary of the DOD's Report on Cyber-Terrorism.

http://www.fcw.com/pubs/fcw/1999/0927/fcw-newsy2k-09-27-99.html

-- Can't Say (NoWay@Chicken.com), October 17, 1999.

I'm still trying to figure out what kind of weirdo terrorist would glory in sabotaging, say, the sewer system for Hicksville USA.

-- Ocotillo (peeling@out.===), October 17, 1999.

Zev,

The local emergency management agency stated their number one worry is cyber-terrorists. He stated they were worried some hackers would break into the water systems and bringd them down. I guess the national infrastructure is not his worry. Sound like they are setting up a fall guy for sure.

-- y2k dave (xsdaa111@hotmail.com), October 17, 1999.

You can fool all of the people some of the time, And some of the people all of the time...

I think they're stepping on their ***** with this "big lie."

See my post above on the "commodification of dissent." It seems Hollywood is cooperating witht the "anarchists destroying data centers" image.

Liberty

-- Liberty (liberty@theready.now), October 17, 1999.

Here's some info I researched some time ago. I'll give as much info as possible to lead you to links... -story from Techweek (6/28/98) references a congressional testimony on June 24 by CIA Director George Tenet (makes comments about China and other countries have doctrine of information warfare on US infrastructure to level the playing field during armed crisis against US); -homepage of CIAO may direct you to a White Paper called "The Clinton Administration's Policy on Critical Infrastructure Protection: Presidential Decision Directive 63" dated May 1998; -home page of FBI (try Congressional Affairs) may direct you to a paper called "Critical Infrastructure Protection and Information Warfare Issues Statement for the Record of Michael A. Vatis Director, National Infrastructure Protection Center Federal Bureau of Investigation" before the Senate Armed Service Committee, Subcommittee on Emerging Threats and Capabilities" dated March 16, 1999; -www.csis.org has a Y2K Risk Assessment Task Force home page and a good article about computer viruses; and, -I can't find where I got this paper, but a fellow named Peter G. Neumann has given quite a few testimonies to the government and they are great reading. I would start with the President's Commission on Critical Infrastructure Protection (PCCIP) or government hearings. Hope this helps. M

-- Meandi (Cyber@problem.com), October 17, 1999.

From my readings I gather that there is concern that one will not be able to immediately determine if a failure is a result of Y2K or a concerted attack by a terrorist. Bin Laden has threatened to bring down our critical infrastructure. maudio/x)pk

-- meadi (Granny@home.com), October 18, 1999.