Why is Cyber Security a Problem?

You've heard the news stories about credit card numbers being
stolen and email viruses spreading. Maybe you've even been a victim
yourself. One of the best defenses is understanding the risks, what
some of the basic terms mean, and what you can do to protect yourself against them.

What is cyber security?

It seems that everything relies on computers and the
Internet now --communication (email, cellphones), entertainment
(digital cable,mp3s), transportation (car engine systems, airplane navigation), shopping (online stores, credit cards), medicine (equipment, medical records), and the list goes on. How much of your daily life relies on computers? How much of your personal information is stored either on your own computer or on someone else's system?

Cyber security involves protecting that information by
preventing, detecting, and responding to attacks.

What are the risks?

There are many risks, some more serious than others.
Among these dangers are viruses erasing your entire system, someone
breaking into your system and altering files, someone using your computer to attack others, or someone stealing your credit card information and making unauthorized purchases. Unfortunately, there's no 100% guarantee that even with the best precautions some of these things won't happen to you, but there are steps you can take to minimize the chances.

What can you do?

The first step in protecting yourself is to recognize the
risks and become familiar with some of the terminology associated with them. Hacker, attacker, or intruder - These terms are applied to the people who seek to exploit weaknesses in software and
computer systems for their own gain. Although their intentions are
sometimes fairly benign and motivated solely by curiosity, their actions are typically in violation of the intended use of the systems they are exploiting. The results can range from mere mischief (creating a virus with no intentionally negative impact) to malicious activity (stealing or altering information).

Malicious code - This category includes code such as
viruses,worms, and Trojan horses. Although some people use
these terms interchangeably, they have unique characteristics.

* Viruses - This type of malicious code requires you to
actually dosomething before it infects your computer. This action
could be opening an email attachment or going to a particular web
page.

* Worms - Worms propagate without user intervention. They
typically start by exploiting a software vulnerability (a flaw
that allows the software's intended security policy to be violated),
then once the victim computer has been infected the worm will
attempt to find and infect other computers. Similar to viruses,
worms can propagate via email, web sites, or network-based
software. The automated self-propagation of worms distinguishes
them from viruses.

* Trojan horses - A Trojan horse program is software that
claims to be one thing while in fact doing something different
behind the scenes. For example, a program that claims it will
speed up your computer may actually be sending confidential
information to a remote intruder.

This series of information security tips will give
you more information about how to recognize and protect yourself from attacks.

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Authors: Mindi McDowell, Allen Householder

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Produced 2007 by US-CERT, a government organization.

DENISE MCNAMARA REPRESENTS TEXAS ON THEREPUBLICAN NATIONAL COMMITTEE. HER REMARKS ARE USED HERE WITH HER PERMISSION.

Secure Fence Act of 2006



Was Congress Just Throwing Us a Bone?



By Denise McNamara, Republican National Committee



The way that our elected officials are talking, the much-touted Secure Fence Act of 2006 which Congress passed just in time for the November elections may have been just what its title implies: nothing but an act. Despite the President¢s signing of both the Secure Fence Act and the Homeland Security Appropriations Act which allegedly provides funding for the fence, no one that I've talked to believes that it will ever be built.

Scoffers maintain that the fence is an ineffective solution and that illegals will simply dig under or climb over. That begs the question, what is their alternative plan? Why did they pass the legislation? Are we planning on asking our border patrol agents to line up along the border and link arms? Red Rover, Red Rover, send terrorists right over.

The Secure Fence Act may not be perfect, but inaction is no alternative. Americans want our borders secured, and a barrier would go along way toward accomplishing that goal. High-tech accessories such as electronic sensors and security cameras would presumeably be used to increase its effectiveness.

The fact that we have not had another attack on our homeland since 9/11 is a huge accomplishment for the President. With the Democrats in charge, we might as well kiss any further progress on border security goodbye. Meanwhile, the borders continue to be breached. Persons of unknown background continue to flood our country. Americans worry about their safety. Let¢s just pray that the terrorists are otherwise occupied in Iraq and are too busy to plan another attack on our homeland. But with millions of unknown illegal aliens already roaming our streets, we may never know until it is too late.
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By Gerry J. Gilmore
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Jan. 10, 2007 - A joint U.S. military organization
headquartered in Virginia regularly coordinates with state and
local emergency preparedness agencies to prepare for potential new
terrorist attacks on the homeland and other catastrophic events,
the organization's commander said here yesterday.

Joint Task Force Civil Support helps coordinate federal efforts
to help civil authorities prepare for and manage the effects of
possible terrorist attacks on the homeland involving chemical,
biological, radiological, nuclear or other high-explosive
weapons, Army Maj. Gen. Bruce E. Davis, the task force's third
commander, said at the second-annual Chemical, Biological, Radiological
and Nuclear conference in Vienna, Va.

Davis said his organization, created in October 1999, also
assists federal, state and local authorities in reviewing emergency
plans and gauging various resources necessary to respond to
possible major events like terror attacks, disease outbreaks and
other contingencies.

Federal, state and municipal authorities nationwide have lists
of potential major contingencies and have established plans,
identified personnel and earmarked other resources that would be
committed to each type of event, Davis said.

"This is a dynamic list, and each and every year they are
updating (the list)," he said.

In the event of a catastrophic event, special teams of on-call
military and civilian technicians would be sent to respond to and
assess what is needed to respond to the emergency, save lives
and mitigate the aftermath, Davis said. For example,
decontamination missions would likely be ordered in the event of certain
kinds of WMD attacks, he said.

"Anything we can do to accelerate that response time, we try to
do," Davis said.

The Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on America underlined the
importance of the joint task force's mission, Davis said. The
Fort Monroe, Va.-headquartered organization was made a subordinate
of U.S. Northern Command after NORTHCOM was stood up Oct. 1,
2002.

Headquartered at Peterson Air Force Base, Colo., U.S. NORTHCOM
plans, organizes and executes homeland defense and civil support
missions. When directed by the president or the defense
secretary, NORTHCOM supplies military assistance to local authorities,
including consequence management operations.

If there is another attack on America, a NORTHCOM-supplied team
of experts would evaluate the situation, based on city and state
emergency plans and capabilities, Davis said. That assessment
can identify shortfalls between what's needed and what's available
via local authorities and may become the basis of requests for
DoD assistance, he said.

In addition, at least 42 weapons of mass destruction civil
support teams have been stood up across the country. Each team
consists of 22 highly skilled National Guard members trained to
rapidly respond to assist civil authorities during domestic WMD
incidents. Congress has authorized a total of 55 such teams, enough to
field one team in every state, territory and the District of
Columbia.

Although it is widely believed that large U.S. military
formations would be deployed to a disaster site within hours of an
event, that's not necessarily so, Davis said. Civil authorities would
be first to respond to a major emergency, he pointed out, noting
that major DoD involvement likely wouldn't start arriving for a
couple of days.

Also, in the past year JTF Civil Support has teamed with the
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and other federal
agencies in coordinating plans to respond to a potential flu
outbreak, Davis said. The Federal Emergency Management Agency, and
other federal, as well as state and local agencies, also are
involved in this effort, he said.

The National Guard and local law enforcement agencies are
considered to be ideal responders to assist in potential quarantine
and other missions in the event of a major disease emergency in
the United States, Davis said. "That is a perfect mission for the
National Guard and (civilian) law enforcement," he said.

By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Jan. 5, 2007 - President Bush today named retired
Navy Vice Adm. J. Michael McConnell as the director of national
intelligence to succeed John Negroponte.

Bush also nominated Negroponte, who has held the post for almost
two years, to become deputy secretary of the State Department.

McConnell will bring solid "experience, intellect and character"
to the DNI position, Bush said. He cited McConnell's service as
director of the National Security Agency from 1992 to 1996 and
as the chief intelligence advisor to Gen. Colin Powell,
then-chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, during Operation Desert
Storm.

"Admiral McConnell has decades of experience ensuring that our
military forces had the intelligence they need to fight and win
wars," the president said. He also noted McConnell's proven
ability to work with Congress and the White House.

Bush said this experience will be critical for the important
position he has called on McConnell to fill. As DNI, he will be
responsible for determining the national intelligence budget,
overseeing the collection and analysis of intelligence information,
ensuring that intelligence agencies share information with each
other and creating common standards for intelligence community
personnel.

Negroponte, a career federal service officer returning to the
State Department, praised the state of U.S. intelligence and said
he's confident McConnell will continue building on improvements
already under way. The U.S. intelligence community "has embraced
the challenge of functioning as a single, unified enterprise,
and reaffirmed the fact that it is the best intelligence community
in the world -- second to none," Negroponte said.

McConnell said he's honored for the opportunity to lead the
intelligence community and recognizes the importance of providing
"the right information to the right decision maker in the right
time and format."

"Unlike just a decade ago, the threats of today and the future
are moving at increasing speeds and across organizational and
geographic boundaries," he said. "This will require increased
coordinated responsiveness by our community of intelligence
professionals."

McConnell said he hopes to continue improving processes "to
provide the needed information for tactical, operational and
strategic decision making."

The president praised Negroponte for his service as the nation's
first DNI and the first U.S. ambassador to a free Iraq and
called him "a superb choice" for the No. 2 State Department post.

"I'm confident the United States Senate will also see the value
of these two serving in crucial positions, and I would hope that
they would be confirmed as quickly as possible," Bush said.

I want to express my sincere condolences to the friends, and family of Former U.S. President Gerald R. Ford. The former president passed away on Tuesday.

Often regarded as the "accidental president" Very few hve been so uniguely matched to the time during which they served. His service as president, and before that in Congress, and the U.S. Navy will continue to be appreciated.