22 November 2002
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US Department of State
International Information Programs
Washington File
_________________________________
21 November 2002
(Analysis explores how to brace information technologies for future attacks) (1050) The Internet sustained minimal damage when terrorists attacked New York City's World Trade Center in September 2001 even though the attack occurred at one of the world's greatest hubs for information traffic. A study issued by the National Research Council (NRC) November 20 offers that conclusion at the same time that it reveals Internet vulnerabilities in crisis situations and suggests ways to ameliorate those in case of future attacks. "The terrorist attacks provoked a national emergency during which we could see how the nation and the world use the Internet in a crisis," said Craig Partridge, chair of the NRC committee that wrote the report, and chief scientist at BBN Technologies in Cambridge, Massachusetts. "Overall, the Internet displayed not only its resilience on September 11, but also its role as a resource," said Partridge in a press release issued by the NRC. In the immediate aftermath of the attacks, quick fixes of equipment and networks were mounted to correct the Internet disruption that occurred in New York and surrounding areas, the study found. Those problems do suggest that Internet service providers and users need to develop better contingency plans for possible outages in the future. Following is the text of the NRC press release: (begin text) National Academy of Sciences National Research Council Office of News and Public Information Nov. 20, 2002 Internet Damage From Sept. 11 Terrorist Attacks in New York City Was Limited, But Better Contingency Plans Are Needed WASHINGTON -- The overall effect of the damage to the Internet on Sept. 11, 2001, when the collapse of the World Trade Center buildings destroyed communications equipment and networks, was minimal, says a new report from the National Academies' National Research Council. Internet service providers and users need to address some operational issues, however, to better prepare for and respond to future emergencies in light of the useful role the Internet played after the attacks. New York City, one of the nation's most important communication hubs, is home to many Internet users, private data networks, and Internet service providers. Multiple fiber-optic grids run beneath its streets, and many trans-Atlantic cables come ashore nearby. Telecommunications facilities not only serve the many thousands of Internet customers in the city but also interconnect service providers throughout the region and in other countries. "The terrorist attacks provoked a national emergency during which we could see how the nation and the world use the Internet in a crisis," said Craig Partridge, chair of the committee that wrote the report, and chief scientist, BBN Technologies, Cambridge, Mass. "New York City is a 'super hub' of Internet links and services, and the collapse of the World Trade Center buildings damaged some of those links and services, often in subtle and surprising ways. Overall, the Internet displayed not only its resilience on Sept. 11, but also its role as a resource." Serious effects on the Internet were isolated to New York City and a few other locations. Most of the damage was quickly remedied through improvisation, the rapid deployment of new equipment, and the rerouting of Internet traffic to bypass failed parts. Although the events of Sept. 11 do not necessarily indicate how the Internet might behave in response to a direct attack on the network, they do shed light on possible vulnerabilities, the report says. Key businesses and services that use the Internet need to review their dependency on it and plan accordingly. For example, a New York City hospital learned that its doctors had come to rely on wireless handheld computers fed through an external Internet connection. When this link was briefly broken by the collapse of the towers, doctors had trouble accessing medical information. Contingency plans, more coordination with local authorities, and a means of restoring service remotely also are needed to better deal with electrical power failures. As a whole, the attacks affected Internet services very little compared with other telecommunications systems. Telephone service was disrupted in parts of lower Manhattan, and cell-phone service suffered more widespread congestion problems. Nearly one-third of Americans had trouble placing a phone call on the day of the attacks. The Internet, however, experienced only a small loss of overall connectivity and data loss, the report says. With phone service impaired, some individuals used instant messages on their wireless handheld devices and cellular phones to communicate instead. Web sites were created to distribute lists of missing persons and other information to help people try to locate loved ones. The attacks also caused a surge in demand for news reports. Television was the primary source of news for many, but the Internet provided another means. The Web server capacities of several major news services were briefly overwhelmed that day. For example, CNN's online network experienced nearly 10 times more traffic than the day before. To meet the demand, Web pages were simplified and capacity was added so that more Internet users could access the sites. This study was sponsored by the Association for Computing Machinery's Special Interest Group on Data Communications, IBM Corp., and the Vadasz Family Foundation. The National Research Council is the principal operating arm of the National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Engineering. It is a private, nonprofit institution that provides science and technology advice under a congressional charter. A committee roster follows. The report The Internet Under Crisis: Learning From September 11 is available on the Internet at http://www.nap.edu. Copies will be available for purchase this winter from the National Academies Press; tel. (202) 334-3313 or 1-800-624-6242. NATIONAL RESEARCH COUNCIL Division on Engineering and Physical Sciences Computer Science and Telecommunications Board Committee on the Internet Under Crisis Conditions: Learning From the Impact of September 11 Craig Partridge (chair) Chief Scientist BBN Technologies Cambridge, Mass. Paul Barford Assistant Professor Department of Computer Sciences University of Wisconsin Madison David D. Clark Senior Research Scientist Advanced Network Architecture Group Laboratory for Computer Science Massachusetts Institute of Technology Cambridge Sean Donelan Director Internet Security SBC Communications Mountain View, Calif. Vern Paxson Senior Scientist ICSI Center for Internet Research, and Staff Computer Scientist Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory Berkeley, Calif. Jennifer Rexford Technical Staff Member AT&T Labs Research Internet and Networking Systems Research Center Florham Park, N.J. Mary K. Vernon Professor and Vilas Associate Department of Computer Sciences and Department of Industrial Engineering University of Wisconsin Madison (end text) (Distributed by the Office of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)