T-AIMD-00-181 Critical Infrastructure Protection ‘ILOVEYOU …

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“ILOVEYOU” computer virus. Accompanying me today is Keith Rhodes, ….. only at risk from computer virus attacks, but are also at serious risk of …

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Content
For Release on Delivery
Expected at
10 a.m.
Thursday,
May 18, 2000
GAO/T-AIMD-00-181
CRITICAL
INFRASTRUCTURE
PROTECTION
“ILOVEYOU” Computer
Virus Highlights Need for
Improved Alert and
Coordination Capabilities
Statement of Jack L. Brock, Jr.
Director, Governmentwide and Defense Information
Systems
Accounting and Information Management Division
Testimony
Before the Subcommittee on Financial Institutions,
Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs,
U.S. Senate
United States General Accounting Office
GAOPage 1 GAO/T-AIMD-00-181
Mr. Chairman and Members of the Subcommittee:
Thank you for inviting me to participate in today’s hearing on the
“ILOVEYOU” computer virus. Accompanying me today is Keith Rhodes,
Director of GAO’s Office of Computer and Technology Assessment. As you
know, ILOVEYOU is the latest in a series of Internet-based episodes that
have caused serious disruptions to computer-based operations at both
private businesses and government agencies. While the federal
government is working to implement mechanisms that would help
agencies to ward off such an attack, it was not effective at detecting this
virus early on and warning agencies about the imminent threat.
Consequently, most agencies were affected. Some incurred damage to
systems and files and many others spent countless staff hours fending off
the attack and reestablishing e-mail service. Overall, however, once they
learned of the virus, agencies responded promptly and appropriately.
In addition to discussing the virus, I would like to address its impact on
federal agencies as well as measures that can be taken to mitigate the
effects of future attacks, which promise to be increasingly sophisticated
and damaging and harder to detect.
ILOVEYOU is both a “…