U.S. warns firms of cyberterrorism threat

WASHINGTON -- U.S. defense officials have warned leading corporations and organizations that they could become targets of cyberterrorism.

State Department and National Security Agency officials have briefed hundreds of representatives from multinational corporations and nonprofit organizations of the growing risks of terrorists who seek to wreak havoc with electronic records.

"More damage can be done with a keyboard than with a car bomb," said Nickolas Proctor, executive director of the Overseas Security Advisory Council, a State Department office meant to coordinate security issues with internatinoal business.

Assistant Secretary of State for Diplomatic Security David Carpenter told a Washington conference last week (Nov. 3) that cyberterrorists are devising new ways "to cripple business, government, and infrastructure," and inventing new methods of "creative destruction."

Executives were urged to reexamine their Web sites for how terrorists can exploit the information to sabotage the company. Michael Peters, NSA technical director for operations, readiness and assessments, said in tests to determine the vulnerability of Pentagon computers, he was able to infiltrate and sabotage the system.

"The bad guys won," Peters said. "We were able to cause serious problems for DOD [Defense Department]."

NSA assistant deputy director John Nagengast urged companies to make internet security a priority. He said security has long been considered only a minor factor in a company's overall cost of doing business.