Thursday, October 11, 2001

Congress Is Urged to Spend More on Research Into Ways to Counter Cyberterrorism By DAN CARNEVALE Washington Researchers warned Congress on Wednesday that terrorists could easily disable the nation's computer networks and cripple the U.S. economy. To defend against such an attack, the researchers called for more spending on studies of cyberterrorism. The attacks on New York and Washington on September 11 have prompted intelligence officials to reassess various terrorist threats, including biological and chemical attacks. But witnesses said at a hearing of the Science Committee of the House of Representatives that few agencies or institutions spend time studying computer terrorism and how to prevent it. Computer viruses and worms are already constant pests on the Internet, witnesses testified. A group of terrorists with enough creativity and skill could practically close down major business-computer systems, they said. William A. Wulf, president of the National Academy of Engineering, said research into network security hasn't advanced much in the past two decades. "Frankly, I was simply appalled by how very little progress had been made in the past 15 years," Mr. Wulf said. "Our research base in computer-network security is minuscule." Most computer firewalls are about as effective as the Maginot Line, which France had hoped would protect it from Germany in World War II, he said. Germany conquered France in 35 days. Instead of building security perimeters around computer networks -- which can be easily bypassed -- computer defenses must be able to protect against an attack even after the assailant has entered the system. "We have to think about an active defense," Mr. Wulf said. "Everything we have done so far has been passive." Eugene H. Spafford, co-chairman of the U.S. Public Policy Committee of the Association for Computing Machinery, said researchers need to think of creative ways to protect computer networks. "What we do is find new patches for the same old buggy system," Mr. Spafford said. "We cannot hope to manage our security needs without a sustained commitment to research." Rep. Sherwood Boehlert, a New York Republican who is chairman of the House Science Committee, said he was concerned by the lack of progress on combating cyberterrorism. "It's very apparent from your testimony that we don't know what we don't know," he said. "It's very frightening." He proposed having some "focal point" -- either a new agency or an office within an existing agency -- to oversee research into cyberterrorism conducted by the National Science Foundation, the Department of Defense, and other arms of the government. Representatives and witnesses discussed whether to assign the responsibility to the recently created Office of Homeland Defense. "First and foremost, we need money," Mr. Wulf said. "Academics always sit on this side of the table and ask for money. But I think this case is different." The committee plans to meet next week to discuss network security further. After that, members hope to draft legislation that would put a price tag on the new research. Easy-to-print version E-mail this article

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