Replies

US-CERT.GOV
http://www.us-cert.gov
===
===

http://news.com.com/Soaring+malware+levels+hint+at+criminal+activity/2100-7349_3-5774841.html?tag=nefd.top

"Soaring malware levels hint at criminal activity"
Published: July 5, 2005, 7:57 AM PDT
By Alice Lander and Graeme Wearden
Special to CNET News.com

ARTICLE SNIPPET: "Security company Sophos has seen a dramatic rise in the number of viruses, worms and Trojan horses this year as more organized criminals turn to cybercrime.

The company reported last week that it had detected 7,944 new pieces of such malware in the first six months of this year--almost 60 percent more than the same time last year.

The biggest growth was in Trojan horses, programs that can damage a user's files, steal information, or even create a backdoor that can be used to compromise a PC."

Note: The following text is an exact quote:
===

http://www.defenselink.mil/news/Jul2005/20050705_1967.html

Insurgents Target Iraqi Progress

By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, July 5, 2005 – Insurgents in Iraq attack any sign of progress because "progress is their enemy," DoD officials said today.

Pentagon spokesman Larry Di Rita said today the insurgents in Iraq have something " much bleaker and much darker' than the country's democratic future in mind. Photo by Helene C. Stikkel (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available.
Officials spoke about terrorist Abu Musab al-Zarqawi's claim to have kidnapped Ihab al-Sherif, the chief of Egypt's mission in Iraq. "If it is true that al Qaeda has snatched this diplomat, I think it suggests ... that al Qaeda has targeted those countries that are trying to cooperate in the success of Iraq's emerging democracy," Pentagon spokesman Larry Di Rita said during a press conference today.

A group calling itself the Foundation for Holy War in Mesopotamia took credit for the kidnapping via an Internet posting. U.S. officials could not authenticate the claim. The terrorists claim to be affiliated with Zarqawi's al Qaeda in Iraq group.

Officials in Baghdad said that insurgents attack any sign of progress the Iraqi government makes. "It's an insurgency that does not have Iraq's democratic future in mind," Di Rita said. "It has something much bleaker and much darker (in mind)."

In addition to the kidnapping, insurgents reportedly attacked diplomats from Bahrain and Pakistan in Baghdad today. The insurgents see the presence of Middle Eastern diplomats as progress for the Iraqi government, said an official in Baghdad.

That official said it is an unfortunately familiar process. If the Iraqis make progress on electricity, the insurgents dynamite power pylons or electrical sub-stations. If the Iraqis make progress on forming local governments, the insurgents target those supporting the effort.

If Iraqis choose to enlist in the military or join the Iraqi police services in hopes of establishing a safe and stable environment, the insurgents target them.

Related Site:
Transcript of DoD News Briefing

ON THE NET...

http://www.tkb.org/documents/Downloads/NCTC_Report.pdf

===
===

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,161645,00.html

"NCTC Revises, Raises Terror Incident List For 2004"
Wednesday, July 06, 2005

ARTICLE SNIPPET: "WASHINGTON — The National Counter-Terrorism Center (search) counted 3,192 terrorism incidents in 2004, according to acting director John Brennan, who released the data on Tuesday.

That's about five times as many incidents as the 651 counted using a different measure for the year. The information, updated to include data tracked until Tuesday, reveal that nearly 29,000 people were affected by terror — they were either killed, injured or kidnapped. Nineteen percent of the attacks were committed by Islamic extremists.

Of the total, incidents in Iraq accounted for 27 percent of the terror in the world, including five of the 10 largest terrorist attacks in 2004. In several cases, those involved attacks on police recruits.

The new database is "the most comprehensive U.S. effort to date to track terrorist incidents worldwide," Brennan said."