Information Security News: Firewall installed to prevent hacking

[InfoSec News <isn () c4i org>]

Forwarded from: William Knowles <wk () c4i org>

http://www.kinston.com/Details.cfm?StoryID=7749

[Ohhh, yeah, someone needs to point out to the folks in Greene County,
North Carolina Marcus Ranum's idea of a 100% secure firewall
http://www.ranum.com/pubs/a1fwall/ :)  - WK]


By Sandy Wall
Sandy_Wall () link freedom com
Staff Writer
12/19/2002 

SNOW HILL - Greene County officials hope a newly installed "firewall" 
will prevent hackers from again disabling the county's computer 
system.

An unidentified hacker tapped into the county's e-mail server last 
week and wreaked havoc on the system, causing e-mail to arrive in 
French and German, and eventually crashing the system.

"Nothing was ruined, and we didn't lose anything," said County Manager 
E. Lee Worsley Jr., who said several county employees use the e-mail 
system to do their jobs.

Greene officials, with the assistance of a computer service 
contractor, were able to remedy the problem on their own. 

Led by county systems manager Lisa Artis, the group installed a 
"firewall," which is a software device that makes it difficult for 
unauthorized users to tap into a computer system.

The repairs were completed last week. By this week, the e-mail system 
was working again. Cost of the repairs was estimated at $700.

"I didn't let the e-mail go back up until the firewall was installed," 
Worsley said. He said the system was working well, but also 
acknowledged that it's difficult to prevent all conceivable hacker 
attacks.


 
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