Risky business: Tackling computer security
NASA created the Space Physics Analysis Network a decade ago to enable scientists conducting NASA-related research to share data and ideas. But scientists were not the only users of this computer network. From 1981 into 1989, unauthorized users successfully penetrated network security dozens of times, roaming freely throughout the system. Although NASA officials say these intruders apparently didn't destroy or alter any data, future intrusions might prove considerably less benign.
The list of security breaches affecting computer systems worldwide grows week by week: virus attacks, lottery fraud, information theft, computer …