One day after President Bush announced a new cabinet-level position to handle homeland security, federal officials today said they are waiting to see what role the new agency will play in the fight against terrorists. Cleaning up after the Nimda worm could prove to be a much harder and more time-consuming task than getting rid of other pieces of malicious software. Security and hacking experts say a digital heist of terrorist Osama bin Laden's personal fortune is possible, but finding the money and preventing him from getting it back could take years. Enterprises and mobile workers can't rely on makeshift networks in times of crisis, users and analysts say. When disaster strikes, other options for workers should already be in place.
Analysts say the change is related to last week's terrorist attacks.
Shopping via the Web can't be done with confidence, since many online retailers fail to deliver quality service, according to a study by Consumers International. The numerous ways in which the Nimda worm propagates makes it harder to defend against than other recent worms and viruses, security analysts said. Several major airlines have suspended their discounted e-fares while trying to adjust to the new way that air travel will operate after last week's terrorist attacks. A new worm that can infect all 32-bit Windows computers and propagates using multiple methods spread across the world Tuesday morning. CTOs are questioning the potential of Web services, and as the 2001 InfoWorld Web Services Survey indicates, their XML implementations have been slow to get off the ground.