huridocs-tech Cyber Scapegoats, Y2K, and Computer Viruses

This was posted on a "millennium bug" listserv I am subscribed to. Thought
it had some interesting information on viruses that are (or are not)
supposed to show up around 1 January.

--------
From: "Leon A. Kappelman" <Kapp@unt.edu>
To: "y2ksasig List Member"
Date: Wed, 29 Dec 1999 10:02:04 -0600
X-Distribution: Moderate
Subject: [y2ksasig] Cyber Scapegoats, Y2K, and Computer Viruses
Reply-To: kapp@unt.edu
X-MDMailing-List: y2ksasig@lists.netactive.net

Although there is no doubt an increased threat of cyber
mischief over the roll over period, and surely we must be
vigilant about this, one must wonder to what extent "cyber
scapegoats" are being created so that folks do not have to
fess up to the facts when the real y2k has in fact bugged
them.

Some of these statements about tens of thousands, even
hundreds of thousands, of computer virus being unleashed
over the next week or so are no less than absurd.  I've
seen internal memos from CIOs of major corporations
discussing the 30K and 40K new computer viruses due to
welcome the new year, and today the Financial Times reports
about the "threatened wave of up to 200,000 computer
viruses."

The facts --

In the entire 50 year or so history of computing we have
documented perhaps 1/4th that number!  Although it was the
late 1980s until computer viruses began to appear at all
<http://www.symantec.com/avcenter/reference/corpst.html>,
"more than 47,500 viruses exist today"
<http://vil.nai.com/villib/alpha.asp>.

For more information about the possible hype surrounding
y2k viruses, see "OVERBLOWN: 'Y2K viruses'"
http://kumite.com/myths/myths/myth035.htm).

For more information about computer viruses in general,
visit http://www.cert.org/other_sources/viruses.html#III.

For more information about the noise and mis-information
that is likely to be associated with y2k reporting in
general, see http://www.year2000.unt.edu/kappelma/time.html.

Best wishes in the new year,

  Leon A. Kappelman, Ph.D.
  Associate Professor, Business Computer Information Systems
  Associate Director, Center for Quality & Productivity
    College of Business Administration, Univ. of North Texas
  Co-chair, Society for Info. Management Y2K Working Group
  Steering Committee, YES Volunteer Corps (www.iy2kcc.org)
  Voice: 940-565-4698  Fax: 940-369-7623  Email: kapp@unt.edu
  Website: http://www.unt.edu/bcis/faculty/kappelma/
============================================================

To:             	"UK-BCP" <UK-BCP@egroups.com>
Date sent:      	Wed, 29 Dec 1999 14:28:19 -0000
Subject:        	[uk-bcp] FT Article on Y2K and Viruses

 > Dear Members
 >
 > Here is s report from this mornings Financial Times which
 > reports on actions being taken by large organisations to
 > prevent possible Y2K virus entry via email systems.
 >
 > regards
 >
 > <snip>
 >
 > http://www.ft.com/nbearchive/email-neteq312522.htm
 >
 > World News / UK
 >
 >
 > Big groups act on e-mail threat
 > By Jean Eaglesham, Legal Correspondent, and Thomas Catán in
 > New York
 >
 > Some of the UK's largest companies are blocking electronic
 > mail over the New Year in a bid to thwart the arrival of a
 > threatened wave of up to 200,000 computer viruses. The move
 > mirrors growing fears in the United States that
 > "cyber-terrorists" and anarchists will try to mark the
 > millennium by sabotaging computer systems.
 >
 > Earlier this week a number of US air force bases said they
 > would block access to their web sites over the new year to
 > try to ward off viruses.
 >
 > Glaxo Wellcome, the pharmaceuticals giant, and the car
 > manufacturers Vauxhall and Volkswagen are among the big
 > companies planning to block e-mails.
 >
 > Ford yesterday refused to disclose whether it was following
 > suit but said it was "ensuring the system was safe from
 > outside infection".
 >
 > The companies fear their e-mail systems could offer an entry
 > point for new viruses, many of which may exploit concerns
 > over the millennium bug - the inability of some systems and
 > programs to cope with the date change to January 1, 2000. A
 > new virus could display a message saying, for example, that
 > programs are "not year-2000 compliant".
 >
 > "This could create a considerable amount of confusion,
 > especially in the more paranoid organisations," said Graham
 > Cluley, senior technology consultant at Sophos, an
 > anti-virus company.
 >
 > Computer experts warn that hackers could also introduce
 > genuine year 2000 problems. "To block all e-mails could be
 > seen as an over-reaction to viruses alone, but then there's
 > the year 2000 question. Simply because a system is compliant
 > now doesn't mean it will remain so," said Lars Davies, a
 > research fellow at the University of London.
 >
 > Companies that are blocking access are having to resort to
 > old-fashioned forms of communication. Glaxo Wellcome said it
 > had back-up fax arrangements in place across the world for
 > the 24 to 48 hours its e-mail would be down. It added that
 > "very, very few" employees would be working over the
 > affected period.
 >
 > Other companies are stepping up their warnings to employees.
 > British Telecommunications said it was aware of the increase
 > in viruses that would be triggered by the date change and
 > had alerted all its employees with remote access to its
 > intranet.
 >
 > British Aerospace said it was running e-mail as normal but
 > watching out for specific viruses - "we have a very good
 > idea where a lot of these are coming from or could come
 > from".
 >

-------------------------------------
Frank Elbers, Information and Communications Officer
Human Rights Education Associates - USA office
PO Box 382396
Cambridge, MA 02238
(tel) +1 617 249-0305 (fax) +1 617 249-0309
(e-mail) felbers@hrea.org  (Web) http://www.hrea.org



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