Web industry forms anti-hacker group
Wednesday, 23 February 2000 1:34 (ET)
Web industry forms anti-hacker group
RESTON, Va., Feb. 23 (UPI) -- The recent spate of hacker attacks on
Internet sites led several industry leaders to form a group that would help
identify problems and offer solutions.
The Alliance for Internet Security drew several Internet service
providers and industry professionals to study the so-called Distributed
Denial-of-Service attacks that severely limited access to some of the most
popular sites on the World Wide Web.
Alliance chairman Peter Tippett, in a statement released Tuesday, said: "The
members of the Alliance are coming forward to be part of the solutions and
demonstrate their commitment to do the right thing on behalf of all the
Internet; DDoS attacks are a 'public-health' problem. The first steps are
for each of us to clean up our own back yards -- ensuring that our systems
cannot be used as attack agents."
Among the steps the group wants other Internet service providers to
take is diligence in Internet security issues and to assure that fireworks
and routers contain filtering, where appropriate.
The Alliance also wants Internet-based organizations and companies
to pledge to internally battle the hacker attacks. Companies that make such
a promise and join the Alliance for Internet Security will be allowed to
display a special gold-ribbon logo on their Web sites.
The companies that comprise the Alliance for Internet Security are:
Cable One; Cable & Wireless; Digex; GlobalCenter; Global Crossing; GTE
Internetworking; ICSA.net; Level(3); Road Runner and Sprint.
Further information on the program can be found on the Internet at
www.icsa.net .
