Security Briefs - Oct. 17 - Oct. 24
The Latest Headlines:
- Truck Bomb Threat Remains, NY Times Says
- Sniper Dragnets Snarl Washington Area Traffic
- Attack by Unknown Assailant Cripples Internet Servers
- Sniper Dragnets Snarl Washington Area Traffic
Truck Bomb Threat Remains, NY Times Says
After a year of focusing on preventing the use of trucks as terrorist weapons, concerns still remain about securing trucks on the country’s highways, the New York Times reported Sunday.The paper said use of trucks, laden with fuel and other explosives, in terrorist attacks overseas has underscored the need for greater security around the industry – particularly now that the aviation industry has tightened its security, making it harder to penetrate for terrorists.
Even with the elevated threat of terrorism, some experts say that the government and the trucking industry have not taken many steps to secure the nation’s surface transportation networks, the Times reported.
Sniper Dragnets Snarl Washington Area Traffic
With the so-called "Beltway Sniper" still at large, police in the Washington area are routinely employing a policy of blockades and roadblocks in the attempt to prevent the shooter’s escape. As yet unsuccessful, the practice is having the side effect of snarling traffic in the nation’s fourth largest metropolitan area, USA Today reported.The Beltway -- Interstate 495, I-95 and several other key truck routes along the East Coast have been shuttered by the police. I-95 runs north-south along the coast from Maine to South Florida.
In the last two weeks, the paper said, police have set up traffic-snarling vehicle checks five times at various points in the area.
Roadblocks are a classic police tactic for apprehending criminals, the paper says, dating back to Prohibition when law enforcement officials used them to stop shipments of alcohol. Transport Topics
Attack by Unknown Assailant Cripples Internet Servers
Nine of the 13 powerful computer servers that manage global Internet traffic were crippled for an hour Monday, but few Internet users knew it, the Associated Press reported Wednesday.The trucking industry has come to be an extensive user of the Internet in its operations.
The White House, which is investigating the powerful attack, said the incident was the most sophisticated and large-scale assault in the history of the Internet, but went largely unnoticed because of its short duration.
The attack which started about 4:45 p.m. EDT (20:45 GMT), transmitted data to each targeted root server 30 to 40 times normal amounts.
Seven of the 13 servers failed to respond to legitimate network traffic and two others failed intermittently during the attack, AP said. Transport Topics
