Published on 3/17/00

FBI expert warns BR officials of computer, terrorist threats

By MIKE DUNNE Advocate staff writer

An FBI expert on computer crime told members of the East Baton Rouge Parish Emergency Planning Commission how his agency separates nuisance hackers from real threats.

FBI Special Agent Will Hatcher of the Critical Infrastructure and Threat Assessment Squad said Thursday that Timothy McVeighs bombing of the federal building in Oklahoma city in April 1995 focused more attention on the need to combat domestic terrorism.

Part of that response was creation of the squad he works with that focuses on computer crime and protection of the national economy. "Were the nerds for the FBI," he said.

He recounted several popular movies where people tried to hack, or illegally enter, into computers, and said it is not just a Hollywood story but an everyday story.

There are as many as 10,000 "hacks" a minute on computers in the United States. "Most are nuisances -- kids trying to see if they can break in. Our job is to separate the noise (from nuisance hacks) from the real threats," he said.

Hackers range from computer hobbyists to computer scientists, he said.

Because of the countrys reliance on computers, it is "uniquely vulnerable to computer attacks," and that is why his unit exists, Hatcher said.

The federal government is concerned about computer safety in eight key arenas, from government operations to emergency response.

Louisiana plays a critical role in two of those arenas -- storage and shipment of oil and transportation.

"Louisiana is full of chemicals  Sabotage is what we are concerned about," he said.

He said surveys figure computer crime cost the economy $100 million in 1997, $137 million in 1998, and $124 million in 1999.

Businesses can be hurt by "something as simple as your customer list  or marketing plan" being snatched from a computer hard drive via the Internet or some other access, Hatcher said.

The nations infrastructure -- from roads to telephone systems that link everyone -- can be crippled by a computer attack.

A 17-year-old boy knocked out phone service for an entire region in one Northeastern state -- including an airport control tower and a 911 emergency response system -- using a computer, Hatcher said.

Even the Pentagon has a special unit aimed at having the capability of crippling an enemys computer communications, he said. "Some governments and terrorist groups are working to have some capability."

Computers and the Internet both allow extremists to network even though they may be separated by continents, Hatcher said.

He displayed some websites operated by extremist groups in Louisiana.

Emergency Management Director JoAnne Moreau asked Hatcher if some of the groups he mentioned, a few in the Baton Rouge area, are active.

"I dont know," he said, referring her to another special agent that works more in the criminal intelligence arena.

"I think if they were active, youd hear about them," he said. They may still also be organizing, he said.

Hatcher said anyone seeking more information on computer crime and how to prevent it can contact the New Orleans FBI offices public information specialist Kris Fortunato at (504) 816-3354.

The parish commission coordinates efforts and plans emergency response for a wide variety of threats, from industrial accidents to biological attacks.

-- Martin Thompson (mthom1927@aol.com), March 18, 2000

Answers

Martin - ws there a link for this?

Thanks - Jen

-- Jen Bunker (jen@bunkergroup.com), March 19, 2000.

link to above

http://www.theadvocate.com/news/story.asp?storyid=11651

-- Martin Thompson (mthom1927@aol.com), March 20, 2000.

You are too good. Thanks!

-- Jen Bunker (jen@bunkergroup.com), March 20, 2000.