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DAILY NEWS AND INFORMATION FOR THE GLOBAL GRID COMMUNITY /
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Breaking News -
Security:
House Votes To Tighten Computer
Security
The U.S. House of Representatives voted on Wednesday to require the
government
to set up its computers so they are not exposed to security risks associated
with "peer-to-peer" networks.
Government agencies that used the decentralized networks to exchange data
would have to ensure they do not accidentally expose classified material or
allow hackers into their systems under the bill, which passed by voice
vote.
Peer-to-peer networks such as KaZaA and Grokster allow users to copy music
and
other material directly from each others' hard drives, drawing millions of
enthusiastic users and the legal wrath of the recording industry.
Federal agencies have begun to use peer-to-peer technology, as well. The
www.fedstats.gov page, for
example, uses peer-to- peer
techniques to
pull statistics and information from computers in more than 100 different
government agencies.
But if configured improperly, peer-to-peer networks can expose tax returns,
medical records and other sensitive documents users do not want to share.
Worms and viruses can spread through the networks and some also contain hidden
"spyware" to track users' activities, according to testimony at a committee
hearing earlier this year.
Bill sponsor Rep. Henry Waxman, a California Democrat, said some
peer-to-peer
systems were in use in the Los Alamos nuclear laboratory.
The bill, also sponsored by Virginia Republican Rep. Tom Davis, would
require
government agencies to come up with a plan to minimize such security risks
through technical measures and employee training. The House and the Senate
already have such measures in place for their own offices.
The bill "closes a loophole in the federal government's efforts to protect
the
security and privacy of its computers," Davis said.
A Waxman aide said the Senate plans to take up the same version of the
bill.
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