New Worm Disables Security Software; AIDS in 5 Nations Called Security Threat; Replacement of Airport Screeners Spurs Protest in San Jose

New Worm Disables Security Software

A worm codenamed Bugbear, which disables security software and can steal passwords and credit card details, is spreading rapidly through Windows-based PCs, according to antivirus companies. British technology news service Vnunet.com describes the infection today. The worm copies itself into the Windows system directory and start-up folder as a .exe file with a random three letter name. Once installed it disables antivirus and firewall software and installs a Trojan keystroke logger as a DLL. Whatever the PC user types via the keyboard, such as passwords or sensitive information, is sent to the originator of the virus. AIDS in 5 Nations Called Security ThreatNew York Times, the National Intelligence Council stated yesterday that rates of infection from the AIDS virus in five of the worlds most populous countries (China, Ethiopia, India, Nigeria and Russia) are rising so fast that they pose potential security threats to their regions and to the United States. The report from the Council, a group of individuals from the government and academic and private sectors that advises the CIA, says that H.I.V., the AIDS virus, could harm the economic, social, political and military structure in each of the five countries.

According to a story in todays

Replacement of Airport Screeners Spurs Protest in San JoseMercury News. The job cuts triggered a rally at the airport protesting the federal hiring criteria that require English proficiency and citizenship. About a third of San Joses private screeners are non-citizens. The Transportation Security Administration will hold a news conference today to introduce the rollout of federal screeners and may also announce the airports federal security director, who also will oversee Monterey Peninsula and Modesto airports.

Scores of passenger screeners at Californias Mineta San Jose International Airport received pink slips yesterday as the federal government prepared to replace them today with Transportation Security Administration employees, according to todays