A couple of computer security issues

The latest Crypto-gram is out, and it’s got the usual good stuff in it. Two things that stand out are the Witty Worm, and a letter on computer security (the last one).

The Witty worm is particularly scary because it was so well written (700 bytes!) and so destructive (infected 100% of targeted systems in 45 minutes). The only reason it wasn’t a major story is that the worm targeted only systems running a particular company’s security software, and there were only a limited number of installations.

“The Future Is Becoming Frightening”

I find it difficult to understand how anyone can read things like this and not understand that Iraq is a fundamental front in the war on Islamic fundamentalism.

Titled “The text of al-Zarqawi’s message to Osama bin Laden about holy war in Iraq,” the statement appeared on Web sites that have recently carried claims of responsibility for attacks in Saudi Arabia and Iraq.

“The space of movement is starting to get smaller,” it said. “The grip is starting to be tightened on the holy warriors’ necks and, with the spread of soldiers and police, the future is becoming frightening.”

The statement says the militant movement in Iraq is racing against time to form battalions that can take control of the country “four months before the formation of the promised Iraqi government, hoping to spoil their plan.” It appears to refer to the government that would take office after the elections scheduled for January 2005.

It also says insurgents are planning to intensify attacks on Iraqi soldiers and police, seen as collaborators with the U.S.-led coalition. Calling Iraqi forces “the occupier’s eye, ear and hand,” the statement says: “We are planning on targeting them heavily in the coming stage before they are fully in control.”

[Tuesday update]

Citizen Smash says that this is old news.

The point remains, however.

“The Future Is Becoming Frightening”

I find it difficult to understand how anyone can read things like this and not understand that Iraq is a fundamental front in the war on Islamic fundamentalism.

Titled “The text of al-Zarqawi’s message to Osama bin Laden about holy war in Iraq,” the statement appeared on Web sites that have recently carried claims of responsibility for attacks in Saudi Arabia and Iraq.

“The space of movement is starting to get smaller,” it said. “The grip is starting to be tightened on the holy warriors’ necks and, with the spread of soldiers and police, the future is becoming frightening.”

The statement says the militant movement in Iraq is racing against time to form battalions that can take control of the country “four months before the formation of the promised Iraqi government, hoping to spoil their plan.” It appears to refer to the government that would take office after the elections scheduled for January 2005.

It also says insurgents are planning to intensify attacks on Iraqi soldiers and police, seen as collaborators with the U.S.-led coalition. Calling Iraqi forces “the occupier’s eye, ear and hand,” the statement says: “We are planning on targeting them heavily in the coming stage before they are fully in control.”

[Tuesday update]

Citizen Smash says that this is old news.

The point remains, however.

“The Future Is Becoming Frightening”

I find it difficult to understand how anyone can read things like this and not understand that Iraq is a fundamental front in the war on Islamic fundamentalism.

Titled “The text of al-Zarqawi’s message to Osama bin Laden about holy war in Iraq,” the statement appeared on Web sites that have recently carried claims of responsibility for attacks in Saudi Arabia and Iraq.

“The space of movement is starting to get smaller,” it said. “The grip is starting to be tightened on the holy warriors’ necks and, with the spread of soldiers and police, the future is becoming frightening.”

The statement says the militant movement in Iraq is racing against time to form battalions that can take control of the country “four months before the formation of the promised Iraqi government, hoping to spoil their plan.” It appears to refer to the government that would take office after the elections scheduled for January 2005.

It also says insurgents are planning to intensify attacks on Iraqi soldiers and police, seen as collaborators with the U.S.-led coalition. Calling Iraqi forces “the occupier’s eye, ear and hand,” the statement says: “We are planning on targeting them heavily in the coming stage before they are fully in control.”

[Tuesday update]

Citizen Smash says that this is old news.

The point remains, however.

Oh, No!

OK, I keep hearing these reports about Al Qaeda types claiming that they will treat western prisoners like their “Iraqi brothers” in Abu Ghraib.

So, what are they going to do? Make them j3rk off while wearing womens’ underthings on their heads? Somehow, it doesn’t seem like them…

Fixing The Tax System?

If true, here’s a non-war reason to hope for a Bush reelection. Reagan could never do this, but he never had a Republican congress.

I should add that people are paying far too much attention to polls, including the approval ratings and “right-track/wrong-track” polls. It’s way too early for them to have any significance whatsoever. The campaign hasn’t even started yet, and it won’t really kick in until after the Republican convention, and not really until after Labor Day.

At this point in 1988, Dukakis was several points ahead of the president’s father, and stayed there through August. He barely got over a hundred electoral votes.

I don’t think this race is going to be close–certainly not as close as 2000 (if for no other reason than regression to the mean). It’s very unlikely that we’d have two elections so close consecutively.

I in fact think that it will be a landslide, one way or the other (and my money’s on Bush, or would be if I participated in the Iowa electronic futures market, which currently agrees with me).

Caught In The Act

The Israelis appear to finally have a video confirming what they’ve long accused the Red Cross of–sheltering terrorists in ambulances. Confronted with the evidence, they apparently admitted that there were terrorists in the ambulance, but claimed that it had been hijacked. But as Fox pointed out, the driver never complained. Not, that is, until the video was released.

How much longer are we going to grant moral authority to the increasingly-obviously-corrupt UN, and the ICRC?

Biting Commentary about Infinity…and Beyond!