FRAMINGHAM (02/25/2000) - Encryption Program Ruled OK to PostThe U.S. Department of Commerce said its new encryption export policy permits University of Illinois professor Daniel Bernstein to post source code for his Snuffle encryption program. Instead of requiring Bernstein to get an export license for each person who views his Web site from outside the U.S., he must now send a copy to the government and pledge not to charge royalties for use of the code.
A U.S. Court of Appeals ruled last May that the former policy was a violation of Bernstein's freedom of speech.
CIA Training Cyberwarriors
The CIA warned that it's detecting more cyberwarfare programs being developed by nations such as Russia and China. Information warfare, which targets both civilian and military systems, is being included in war college curricula and military planning, testified John Serabian, the CIA's information operations issues manager, before the Joint Economic Committee of Congress last week.
U.S. Charged With Industrial Espionage
European parliamentarians belonging to the Green Party last week demanded the creation of a committee to probe allegations that the U.S. is using the Echelon electronic surveillance system to conduct industrial espionage in Europe. The system is allegedly capable of intercepting phone, fax and e-mail data around the world. It was originally set up for Cold War military surveillance.
Security Coalition
In the wake of the recent distributed denial-of-service attacks, 20 Internet and telecommunications companies have organized a coalition to raise security standards for Web sites and network operators. The Alliance for Internet Security has released guidelines that recommend the reconfiguration of routers and the addition of firewalls.