"Computer Security Standards Ready"

Government agencies such as the Pentagon and the National Institute of Standards and Technology have joined forces with private-sector firms such as Intel, Visa, and Pacific Gas & Electric to establish a set of anti-hacking guidelines, which are expected to be announced today. The announcement comes amid worries from pundits such as national cyber-security adviser Richard Clarke of a "digital Pearl Harbor" in which America's enemies assault the nation's critical networks through the Internet.

"It's support for the homeland security strategy," declares Clint Kreitner, CEO of the Center for Internet Security (CIS), the nonprofit consortium administrating the initiative.

All organizations that use the Microsoft Windows 2000 operating system are recommended to follow the technical standards, while a freely available CIS-created software "scoring" program checks for compliance. In addition to this effort, leading technology executives such as Oracle's Larry Ellison and Microsoft's Bill Gates have announced plans to beef up the security of their products. Shannon Kellogg of the Information Technology Association of America says the success of the accord hinges on increased communication and a reliance on performance-based standards rather than specific technologies.
( http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A15910-2002Jul16.html)