Computers and Security, Vol. II, No. 5

Most US banks arc international so they may offer this covcragc to their foreign branches.” Computer Weekly, April 9, 1992, p. 3.

Viral Mind Games. Word has spread of a new Macintosh virus, Code 252, which can destroy the System 7.0 operating system and other system files. Thcrc have been limited sightings of the virus in the US, giving rise to system crashes and boot failures. One source commcntcd that the current version of Gatckccpcr can detect Code 252. Com- puterworld, April 27, 1992, p. 114.

Viruses-Here to Stay. According to a rcccnt survey by Dataquest Inc., thcrc were more than 2500 virus occurrcnccs in 1991 as against 756 in 1990. In 1990, 26% of respondents had cxpcricnccd a virus, this had incrcascd to 6 1% in 199 1, with the principal entry point for the virus being via floppy disk (67%). When examining virus rclatcd problems the survey pcrmittcd multiple rcsponscs, the most significant problems being: loss of productivity (62%); screen mcssagc intcrfcrcncc/lockup (4 1 o/o); corrupted files (38%); and, lost data (30%). By far the most common virus in 1991 and early 1992 was the Stoned virus, being cncountcrcd by sonic 38% of rcspondcnts having suffcrcd from a virus attack. The rcspondcnt base for the survey was 300 sites each with over 300 installed PCs. Computerworld, Marc/l 23, 1992, p. 126.

Hackers And Virus Writers-Are They Out- laws or Heroes? In a survey carried out by the UK IT publication, Computer Weekly, more than 600 IT professionals consider virus writers arc criminals, as against 72 who simply consider them clcvcr. Of the 1000 respondents to the survey, 467 considcrcd that virus writers should bc fined, 295 supported imprisonment, and thcrc wcrc cvcn a few who suggcstcd that their hands should bc amputated! The industry is strongly in favour of spcciflc legislation outlawing the writing of viruses. Nine out of ten respondents indicated that they would tell their cmploycr if they found a virus on their system. Computer Weekly, April 2, 1992, p. 10.

German Pirates Avoid Blacklist, Neil Fawcett. Dcspitc having the largest market in Europe for pirated software, Germany has managed to avoid the US prioriry watch list for countries with a high level of software piracy. Thcrc has been a change in the attitude of the Business Sofhvarc Alliance (BSA) towards Germany, which has arisen as a result of the country having drawn up draft legislation which has tightcncd up its previous poor software copyright protection. Howcvcr, Italy remains on the US govcrnmcnt list, dcspitc having improved its copyright laws, bccausc of its 82% piracy rate. Ironically, Spain and Portugal arc not on the list despite a 92% piracy rate as the BSA considers that the countries have sufficiently strong copyright laws. Computer Weekly, May 7, 1992,~. 4.

FBI Endangering Privacy For All, Marc Roten- berg. Contending that new tclccommunications technology will make wirctappin more difficult, the FBI is proposing an claboratc iccnsing schcmc P to cnsurc that all communications equipment sold in the US can be wiretapped. The schcmc would bc administcrcd by the FCC and companies failing to comply with the FBI’s regulations would fact stiff pcnaltics. However, the 1968 law that permits the US govcrnmcnt to intercept electronic communi- cations sets out elaborate proccdurcs to restrict the scope of survcillancc. To treat such an invcstigativc technique of last resort as a design goal of first con- sideration is to stand wiretap law on its head. Such regulations would also post a major risk to network reliability; FBI employees were recently arrcstcd for selling confidential information con- taincd in the bureau’s National Crime Information Ccntcr. Computerworld, May 11, 1992, p. 5 7.

Sprint, Telematic Fight Phone Fraud, Elisabeth Horwitt. A look at two offerings dcsigncd to rcducc unauthorized USC of long-distance telcphonc services. Sprintguard Plus is a global security scrvicc for larger Sprint customers, which includes: a shared liability contract for costs LIP to $1 million; a dctailcd report of fraudulent calls; notification of abnormal traffic patterns; provision of dcdicatcd security cxpcrts; and regular updates