The Defense Agency is set to develop computer systems to combat attempts by hackers to disrupt the country's defense operation by breaking into key computer systems, sources said Monday. The sources said the agency is studying a system that could inflict damage on defense systems in other countries through the Internet even though it could run contrary to the Constitution. The agency plans to organize a squad that will handle antihacker and antivirus schemes, by picking officers from the three forces, the sources said. On that side of the Atlantic, a place where stealing Internet access is sometimes a necessity and computer hardware is often archaic, hacking is hardly a game. The documents, released to EPIC on Oct. 2, are the first of several installments that EPIC expects to receive as a result of its FOIA lawsuit over the controversial Carnivore system, whose legality is being investigated by the Congress and questioned by privacy advocates.
Computer scientists fear impact on security research.
European Union nations, and perhaps even the United States, are about to make nearly any form of hacking even security research illegal by treaty. USE THE TERM 'computer hacker' and you've already touched off a battle of semantics that leaves many scratching their heads. That's part of the problem with The Council of Europe's Draft Cybercrime Treaty, authored by the 41-nation body in consultation with the U.S. Department of Justice. It could be signed as early as December. The Clinton administration is stepping up its effort to ensure the government protects Americans' personal privacy after a congressional report alleged federal agencies electronically track users online.