Security Breaches Surge Over Past Two Years, FBI Says

Welcome Guest. | Log In| Register | Membership Benefits

April 08, 1998 (7:30 AM EDT)

Security Breaches Surge Over Past Two Years, FBI Says

By Rutrell Yasin,

BOSTON -- The surge in computer-related crimes over the past two years is a clear sign that organizations need to take more effective measures to secure their IT infrastructures, according to a Federal Bureau of Investigation special agent speaking at a seminar here in Boston Monday.

Over the past two years, FBI cases involving computer intrusion have increased over 250 percent, said Dick Watson, assistant special agent in charge of the White Collar Crime Program, in Boston.

With the rise of the Internet, "old-time crimes such as embezzlement, credit card fraud, and child pornography" are finding a home in cyberspace, he added.

Speaking at a seminar titled "Secure Enterprise Management," Watson illustrated his point by giving examples of recent break-ins at U.S. corporations and government agencies.

Some examples included the attempted break-in of the computer systems at the Pentagon by an Israeli student; the disruption of the air-traffic-control systems in Worcester, Mass., by a 16- year-old; the penetration of the networks of several telecommunications companies in Texas; and the theft of credit card numbers from the database of an ISP.

In the latter case, a hacker was able to penetrate an ISP's network and install a sniffer that collected customer ID codes and passwords, Watson said. Luckily, a systems administrator detected the intruder and established communication with him.

The FBI eventually set up a sting operation, which lead to the hacker's arrest. To their surprise, agents found the hacker had "86,270 credit card numbers from 1,217 financial institutions," Watson said. The FBI was able to retrieve all those card numbers before consumers experienced damages, he added.

Watson also used the occasion to reemphasize the necessity of law- enforcement agencies having access to keys that can decrypt information that may be used to shield criminal activity. In the past, the FBI has favored stricter controls on the use of encryption tools domestically and overseas. However, Watson called for more cooperation between the government and the private sector to develop a solution that would be good for law enforcement and good for the IT industry.

Also at the seminar, Bull HN Information systems unveiled version 5 of its OpenMaster secure enterprise management software suite. OpenMaster 5 includes Web/Java/Common Object Request Broker Architecture technologies, quality-of-service reporting, enhanced security, and configuration management capabilities.

The software begins shipping in the third quarter. Pricing for core services such as network monitoring, network discovery, and alarm management starts at $10,000.