DHS Launches Cybersecurity Monitoring Project; Links Between Virus Writers and Terrorists Sought; Congress Members Check Out Northwest Security; FBI Slammed over Handling of Hacker Case

DHS Launches Cybersecurity Monitoring Project

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s cybersecurity division is spearheading an aggressive new project to create a real-time cybersituation-awareness system, according to a ComputerWorld story on PCWorld.com. A senior DHS official said this week that the goal of the system is to enable instant analysis of security incident data nationwide for signs of coordinated attacks or major virus and worm outbreaks. In addition to the reporting system, the DHS plans to announce a security awareness effort targeted at 50 million home users and small businesses, and will draft a national cybersecurity road map that includes specific milestones and metrics for measuring progress Links Between Virus Writers and Terrorists SoughtReuters. Of the dozens of viruses and worms that emerge on the Internet each week, none has so far been traced back to organized crime or subversives aiming to disrupt a country’s infrastructure. But, Reuters reports, as increasingly sophisticated programs surface, law enforcement officials are preparing themselves for this type of cyber warfare. A digital attack in isolation would inflict relatively little damage, experts say. But should the incident be timed to coincide with a physical act of sabotage—a so-called blended threat—the toll could be high.

Britain’s task force against high-tech crime is investigating links between virus writers and extremist groups as it prepares defenses for a possible attack, a top law enforcement officer told

Congress Members Check Out Northwest SecurityNews Tribune, congressional members also viewed some sites of concern, from Safeco Field and Seahawks Stadium to ferries and container ships. Seattle is the third-largest container port in the United States, with refineries, naval bases and ferry traffic. On Sept. 29, U.S. Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.), announced that the Department of Homeland Security would release $4.1 million in security grants for the ports of Seattle and Tacoma. The money is slated for new equipment and to upgrade emergency communications and patrol vehicles.

A delegation with the U.S. House Committee on Homeland Security visited the Puget Sound region over the weekend, talking with everyone from Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates about cybersecurity to the police officers and firefighters who are the first responders to emergencies. According to an AP story in the Tacoma Washington

FBI Slammed over Handling of Hacker CaseUSA Today, the Justice Department said yesterday that the FBI didn’t follow proper procedure when it notified reporters their notes might be subpoenaed in the case against Adrian Lamo, 22, who is charged with breaking into The New York Times‘ computer system. Investigators are supposed to exhaust all other avenues before they seek approval for any subpoena or any formal requests for records, said a Justice Department official. The FBI agent did not notify the U.S. attorney in Manhattan and did not go through proper channels at the Justice Department.

According to an AP story in