October 20, 2001	Saturday	Shaba'an 2, 1422

WASHINGTON, Oct 19: Adding to the horror of the suicide plane attacks and the ongoing anthrax scare, analysts say the United States could be beset by cyberattacks that wreak havoc by crippling vital computer networks.

“The likelihood of cyberattacks against US and allied information infrastructures is high,” Michael Vatis, the former director of the FBI’s cybercrime unit, testified in a recent congressional hearing.

Vatis, who heads the Institute for Security Technology Studies at New Hampshire’s Dartmouth University, said political clashes — such as the India-Pakistan and Israeli-Palestinian conflicts — are being played out in cyberspace.

Vatis said attacks on US networks “could come from terrorists or their nation-state sponsors but are more likely to come from sympathizers of terrorists or of nation-states targeted by US-led military operations and from hackers with anti-US sentiments.”

Until now, attacks by hackers and viruses unleashed over the Internet have caused economic damage at worst.

But some analysts and lawmakers fear a more insidious attempt by hackers to damage key communications or infrastructure networks, possibly in conjunction with a physical terrorist attack.

Harris Miller of the Information Technology Association of America said the rising number of cyberattacks underlines US vulnerabilities.

“Terrorists may soon be using our critical information infrastructure against us, blocking computer networks, disrupting real-time operations, damaging businesses and consumers,” he said. “We need to act on cyberterrorism — and act fast.”

Utah Senator Robert Bennett said cyberattacks may be used in tandem with higher-profile attacks “to produce maximum terror and maximum fear.”

“When a major physical attack occurs, it would increase the damage if there were an attack on the computers that control the response,” Bennett told a Washington forum.

In such cases, “not only is something blown up but we can’t do anything

About it because our computers are shut down.”

In response, President George W. Bush has appointed a special cybersecurity panel to contribute to an information-sharing network to detect any further attacks on the United States.

Duane Andrews, formerly of the US Defense Department, said officials worry about state-sponsored cyberattacks on “critical” networks, such as air traffic control or electric power grids, that could cause chaos and confusion, especially if coordinated with other attacks.

“We do know there are terrorists who will do anything to further their cause,” Andrews said. “We know several governments are preparing for information warfare.”

Andrews said US readiness for a major cyberattack is “deplorable,” corroborating conclusions reached by congressional investigations of government agency networks.

William Wulf, president of the National Academy of Engineering, said most cybersecurity efforts are firewalls based on what he calls the flawed “Maginot Line model,” a reference to French defenses that failed in World War II.

“Effective cybersecurity must include some kind of active response, some threat, some cost higher than the attacker is willing to pay, to complement passive defense,” Wulf told Congress.

“Unlike the situation in the 1940s when the country was attacked, we have no pool of scientists and engineers today to fill the breach. We must do everything we can to create that pool as quickly as possible — and, unfortunately, it may not be quickly enough.”

TWO IN COURT: Two men appeared in court in Britain on Friday over hoax anthrax alerts after allegedly sending out letters containing white powder.

In Cardiff, a 50-year-old man was charged with sending a threatening letter containing the powder — later discovered to be flour — to Rhodri Morgan, the head of the Welsh assembly, and three other people.

Nicholas Roberts, of Cardiff, is charged with sending four letters on October 17 with intent to cause distress or anxiety. He also faces four more serious charges of causing a nuisance to the public with the intention of causing fear or serious harm.

Roberts was remanded in custody until Thursday.

Meanwhile in Bath, southwest England, a 36-year-old man appeared in court after allegedly sending an envelope containing white powder to a fast food outlet.

Celil Surmelek, a Turk who has lived in Britain for the past six years, was originally charged with assault causing actual bodily harm because of the fear his letter would have provoked in the recipient, police said.

However the charge was later dropped when he appeared in court. —AFP