States face difficulties keeping up with cyberthreats
An AP newswire article by Kathy Barks Hoffman, via The Mercury News (obnoxious, but free, registration required -- or use BugMeNot.com), reports that:
Obtaining a driver's license got a lot tougher recently when a cyberworm hit government computers in Massachusetts, forcing customers to wait until technicians got infected computers running again.
The Zotob virus and its variations also attacked businesses such as automaker DaimlerChrysler AG, idling up to 50,000 workers at 13 plants, and media companies such as CNN, ABC and The Associated Press.
The scramble in Massachusetts, Michigan, Kansas and elsewhere to fend off the virus shows the vulnerability of states to potential shutdowns in service now that they offer everything from hunting licenses to physician discipline reports on the Internet and keep millions of computerized tax, voter registration and driving records.
Most states, including Michigan, suffered little damage from the attack. But risks remain.
Compounding the problem is the relatively little that states spend to protect those systems from hackers and other threats.
posted by Fergie @ 8/25/2005 01:09:00 PM
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