Bush to Name Rice Secretary of State; Two More Top CIA Officials Resign; Student Records Left on Street in NY; Cisco Fixes ‘Decoy Attack’ in Security Software

Bush to Name Rice Secretary of State

National Security Adviser Condoleeza Rice will be named secretary of state, possibly today, say administration officials. According to a report in the Washington Post, Rice will replace Colin L. Powell, who announced his resignation Monday. Rice will be replaced by her deputy, Stephen J. Hadley. President Bush issued a statement Monday calling Powell “one of the great public servants of our time” and praising “the calm judgment and steady resolve he has brought to our foreign policy.” Rice is seen by many as being closer to Bush on many foreign policy issues.

For more details, read the full article in the Wasington Post.

Two More Top CIA Officials Resign

Two senior CIA officials resigned Monday, apparently after a spat with one of new Director Porter J. Goss’s aides. According to a story in the Los Angeles Times, Stephen R. Kappes, the deputy director for operations in the CIA’s clandestine service, and his deputy, Michael J. Sulick, quit just two weeks into Goss’s tenure. Both had served the agency for 23 years. The departures come just days after the agency’s deputy director, John E. McLaughlin, announced his plans to retire. The CIA’s former executive director, A.B. “Buzzy” Krongard was forced out shortly after Goss took the post. Another senior official, Michael Scheuer, erstwhile chief of the agency’s Osama bin Laden unit, has left also, but his departure was apparently unrelated to Goss’s appointment. Sen. John D. “Jay” Rockefeller IV of West Virginia released a statement on the recent departures, “Goss must take immediate steps to stabilize the situation at the CIA. There is no doubt that changes need to take place at the CIA… However, the departure of highly respected and competent individuals at such a crucial time is a grave concern.”

For more details, read the full article in the Los Angeles Times.

Student Records Left on Street in NY

Thousands of confidential student records were left on the street, discarded with trash, on a streeet in the Bronx last week. According to a report in The New York Times, the records included medical and psychological reports pertaining to more than 1,000 students who were too ill or handicapped to attend school and received home instruction instead. New York schools Chancellor Joel I. Klein said that an investigation is underway. “When it comes to student records, those are private,” said Klein at a news conference at Intermediate School 174 in the Bronx. “This should have never happened.” The Daily News first reported the missing records on a tip from a parent.

For more details, read the full article in The New York Times.

Cisco Fixes ‘Decoy Attack’ in Security Software

Cisco’s host-based intrusion detection product, Cisco Security Agent, has a flaw that could be exploited by hackers. According to a report in The Register, Cisco discovered the flaw and has released a patch. The vulnerability has been discussed in underground hacker forums, according to Cisco.

For more details, read the full article in The Register.