A Palestinian police colonel announced Friday that he intends to run to replace Yasser Arafat as president of the Palestinian people in January elections. Col. Faris Hasouna, a 48-year-old refugee from Al Bureij refugee camp in the Gaza Strip issued a statement saying that he seek election as president of the Palestinian people. Arafat has…

A missile, apparently fired from the Ukraine, exploded within sight of an El Al jetliner, officials said Friday. The pilot of the flight, a Boeing 757 carrying 179 passengers and crew from Tel Aviv to Moscow, reported the blast Thursday night, but could not estimate how far from his plane the explosion took place. The…

Palestinian President Yasser Arafat formally sacked his security chief in the West Bank on Thursday, aides said, in the first signs of a high-level shakeup carried out under intense U.S. pressure for reform. But political upheaval within the Palestinian ranks was quickly overshadowed by violence at home and abroad. Full Story

An explosion shattered a white Mercedes in this Palestinian city Thursday night, scattering body parts and wreckage. A Palestinian police official said at least two people were killed. One of the dead was Wael Namera, a 27-year-old lieutenant in the Palestinian Authority`s preventive security forces, police and hospital officials said. The other victim was not…

Talks on whether arms inspectors can return to Iraq have been positive, UN Secretary General Kofi Annan said on Thursday – but there is no sign of a major breakthrough. Asked if anything concrete would come of the meeting with Iraqi officials, Mr Annan smiled and said: “Inshallah”, the Arabic word for “God willing”. Full…

After 27 years of fruitless searches, Greek authorities are making “significant” progress in the hunt for members of November 17, one of Europe`s most elusive terrorist groups, Greek`s premier said Thursday. A Wednesday night raid of a ground-floor apartment in Athens` residential Kato Patisia neighborhood uncovered weapons similar to those used by November 17 in…

Just weeks before its scheduled conclusion, the US mission in the Southern Philippines – the Bush administration`s largest military deployment outside Afghanistan – has accomplished almost all of its objectives. The Abu Sayyaf group, which was holding two Americans hostage at the start of the mission, has been driven from a posture of open defiance…

The lawyer for the key defendant in the kidnap-slaying of Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl argued Thursday that evidence was fabricated, testimony was contradictory and confessions were coerced. Full Story

In a shootout at a remote checkpoint, security forces killed four heavily armed al Qaeda fighters today as the men drove out of a lawless border area near Afghanistan, Pakistani officials said. Three Pakistani security men also were reported killed. Full Story

The State Department has contacted the Burmese military government to express its outrage and urge an investigation into a new report that officers have systematically raped hundreds of ethnic minority women and girls. Full Story

Indonesia`s government on Thursday branded the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) a terrorist group for the first time, and hinted it may impose a civil emergency in the province of Aceh as violence there was getting out of hand. Full Story

A senior Afghan military source said that Afghan warlord Gulbuddin Hekmatyar has met repeatedly within the past two months with Osama bin Laden, the Al Qaeda leader, and Mullah Omar, the fugitive former Taliban leader. The military official said bin Laden and Omar are now thought to be hiding in the Tirah region of Kurram,…

The American military continued to defend the deadly air attack, saying it had information senior Taliban leaders were sheltering in the village and that its planes had received anti-aircraft fire from several locations close to the houses. Full Story

Fighting between government and rebel forces in Liberia could destabilise the whole region, United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan has warned. Mr Annan said that 25,000 people had fled to neighbouring Sierra Leone since fighting intensified last month. Full Story

The United Nations has warned of renewed fighting in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. A spokesman said there were “worrying” signs of a build-up of Rwandan troops ahead of a possible offensive against a local rebel commander who has split from his former allies. Full Story

Big corporate layoffs are creating a nightmare of security risks as IT workers scramble to close down network connections and plug up dangerous holes as employees are walked out the door. For companies like bankrupt energy trader Enron Corp. and now financially embarrassed WorldCom Inc., laying off thousands of employees means there simply may be…

More than half of the Web servers in use today could be vulnerable to worm attacks, according to UK vulnerability testing site Netcraft. In the Microsoft Internet Information Services (IIS) world, Netcraft tests showed that more than half of the servers currently in use do not appear to have disabled HTR features following Microsoft`s warnings…

Hacker program link-supplier quits legal battle. The publisher of a hacker website will not appeal against a ruling that stops him posting links to software that unlocks digital copyright protections on DVDs. Eric Corley and his 2600 Magazine website had been found in breach of the 1998 Digital Millennium Copyright Act, which was enacted to…

In global trouble spots, cells of “hacktivists” are waging e-war on rival states You may have missed it, but Pakistan was quietly captured by India this week. The attack, which silenced Islamabad in a matter of minutes, involved that powerful new weapon of war: the unsolicited e-mail. Sent by Indian hackers known only as “sNAkeeYes”…

Warrants have been issued for the arrest of two hackers who allegedly extorted money from a company and threatened to damage the firm`s computer system about two years ago. It is the first time a criminal case has been brought against computer hackers in Thailand, which has no specific law on the use of electronic…

The Internet is simply too vast, stretching across too many borders and encompassing too many cultures, for the current scattershot approach to be effective. In the few years since the Internet has become an important venue for commerce, communications and entertainment, so-called cybercops have tried to impose a variety of rules, regulations and guidelines to…

London information architect Matt Jones proposed and named the concept last month. Wireless wanderers who stumbled across open networks, Jones suggested, should mark their location with a recognizable symbol on nearby walls. That way, others following in their footsteps would find them even with laptops closed. Full Story

Security watchers are warning that a security flaw affecting Domain Name System servers running Unix could prove difficult to fix. A buffer overflow vulnerability in DNS Resolver Library represents a serious risk to many Unix system using the BIND or BSD resolver libraries, CERT warned last week. Full Story

Founded in 1983 as the armed wing of the Chilean Communist Party and named for the hero of Chile`s war of independence against Spain. Splintered into two factions in the late 1980s, and one faction became a political party in 1991. The dissident wing FPMR/D is Chile`s only remaining active terrorist group. FPMR/D attacks civilians…

The New Jackals chronicles the activities of terrorists Ramzi Yousef and Osama bin Laden and the U.S. efforts to apprehend them. The book also details current terrorist activities and future trends. The book reads well and provides useful insights for those interested in the future of terrorism. Full Story and More Reviews

07/03/1962Algeria – France Transfers Sovereignty 07/03/1988Iran, United States – The USS Vincennes mistakenly shot down an Iranian airbus airliner over the Persian Gulf. 07/04/1976Israel, Uganda – Raid On Entebbe AirportThe Israeli raid on Entebbe Airport in Uganda freed one hundred and three hostages from a hijacked Israeli airliner. 07/05/1962Algeria – Independence from France formally declared.…

The Department of State warns U.S. citizens against travel to Congo-Kinshasa. Despite some improvement in the security environment in Kinshasa, the capital, and recent advances in the peace process, Congo-Kinshasa remains unstable. Travel in the eastern provinces of the country, especially in rural areas, is considered to be highly insecure due to the number of…

The U.S. Government continues to receive credible indications that extremist individuals are planning additional terrorist actions against U.S. interests. Such actions may be imminent and include suicide operations. We have no further information on specific targets, timing or method of attack. We remind American citizens to remain vigilant with regard to their personal security and…

August 12-13, 2002 — Boston, MAParticipants will examine: * Terrorist Attack Profiles * Terrorist Training * Terrorist Tactics * Terrorist Targeting * Emerging Technologies * Threat of Cyberterrorism * Newest Aviation Security Threat Information This class led by nationally recognized terrorism experts. Participants will learn first hand about the current threats from both domestic and…

ONE OF THESE THINGS IS NOT LIKE THE OTHERS: THE STATE OF ANOMALY DETECTION Anomaly detection can be described as an alarm for strange system behavior. The concept stems from a paper fundamental to the field of security – An Intrusion Detection Model, by Dorothy Denning. In it, she describes building an “activity profile” of…

Additional security measures will include an increased police and FBI presence around the country as well as special monitoring of more than 2,000 events across the nation by a coordination center run by the White House Homeland Security Office. Full Story

Zacarias Moussaoui, whose arrest in Minnesota last August touched off an internal FBI squabble that erupted into a national debate over whether the Sept. 11 hijackings could have been prevented, wants to testify before Congress and a federal grand jury about his knowledge of the attacks, according to motions unsealed yesterday in federal court in…

A new network of security cameras will monitor the Mall tomorrow during Independence Day festivities, the U.S. Park Police announced yesterday — moving up by months the introduction of video surveillance. Full Story

A scientist on the front lines of the anthrax investigation is being tapped to head the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, administration officials said Tuesday. Julie Gerberding will become the first female director of the CDC, the nation`s top public health agency. Full Story

U.S. tracing devices hidden inside a backpack and a boat used by Muslim extremists helped local troops to hunt down the rebels in two bloody operations last month, Philippine military officials said Wednesday. The disclosures point to a deeper than previously admitted U.S. involvement in the fight against terror in the southern Philippines – but…

A suspected Yemeni member of al-Qaida, arrested while trying to enter the country illegally, has escaped from prison, security officials said Wednesday. The man, identified only by his first name, Walid, was arrested earlier this year in a desert area near the Oman-Yemen border and handed over to Yemeni authorities, the officials said on condition…

After the Sept. 11 terror attacks and the consequent U.S. military action in Afghanistan, even less dangerous militant groups have advocated using violence against the media. For despite government controls and efforts to minimize the media`s impact on the society, both newspapers and the electronic media now have a massive influence on the Muslim societies…

At least five separatist rebels were killed in battles with Indonesian troops in Ache province, military officials said Wednesday. Aceh`s military spokesman Maj. Zaenal Mutaqin said a gunfight broke out Tuesday afternoon during a military raid against a suspects rebels` hideout in East Aceh. Five separatist rebels belonging to the Free Aceh Movement, known with…

Emerging details about the activities of Islamic charities in Bosnia illustrate the challenges the United States faces in shutting down Al Qaeda`s global fund-raising and money-laundering network. Full Story

It has been muffled by Israel`s latest military offensive in the West Bank and the Bush administration`s demands for the ouster of Yasir Arafat, but a debate is under way among Palestinians over suicide bombing. Full Story

Eleven men with ties to Al Qaeda are arrested in an alleged plan to target US and Israeli Embassies. For the second time in two years, Jordanian officials say they have halted an Islamist plot against the United States. The arrest of 11 suspected militants , who are said to have Al Qaeda ties ,…

Israel has installed a new baggage scanning system to check for weapons at Ben-Gurion Airport, a security upgrade that should help eliminate the lengthy interrogations and searches that many departing passengers now must undergo, officials said Tuesday. Full Story

Some leading Northern Ireland politicians are being warned by police that dissident republicans are planning a fresh wave of assassinations and bombings. Full Story

Dissident Irish republicans have joined forces with criminals in Britain to raise millions of pounds through cigarette smuggling and the sale of illegal fuel, an all party committee of MPs said yesterday. Full Story

The remains of two U.S. Air Force servicemen missing in action from the Vietnam War have been identified as Capt. Craig B. Schiele and Master Sgt. Thomas E. Heideman, the Defense Department said Monday. Full Story

Taiwanese criminal investigators believe a North Korean naval gunboat helped supply local drug smugglers with 79kg of heroin that was seized in a pre-dawn raid on Tuesday. The indications of a North Korean military link in the smuggling operation uncovered by the Taiwanese authorities will fuel suspicions that Pyongyang is tolerating and even encouraging involvement…

Interior Minister Moinuddin Haider, also said that foreign militants operating inside Pakistan probably were behind the suicide bombing in Karachi in May that killed 11 French citizens, as well as the killing of the American reporter Daniel Pearl. Full Story

Pakistan denounced Osama bin Laden and his top aides as “dangerous religious terrorists” Sunday and called for public help in hunting them down, five days after its first battlefield casualties in the fight against al-Qaida fugitives. Full Story

Rebel violence continues in Kashmir despite an easing of tension between nuclear rivals India and Pakistan, who have been locked in a border standoff since an attack on the Indian parliament in December by separatist guerrillas said to be based in Pakistan. Full Story

Sheltered by Pakistani intelligence, officially banned Islamic militants are moving freely near the Indian border. A week-long investigation uncovered evidence that Al Qaeda and an array of militant affiliate groups are prospering inside Pakistani-controlled Kashmir, with the tacit approval of Pakistani intelligence. The evidence comes after recent statements by US Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld that…

The December attack on Haiti`s National Palace was not an attempted coup as the government claimed, the Organization of American States said Tuesday. Full Story

Secretary of State Colin L. Powell said today that despite progress toward peace in the southern Sudan, the government in Khartoum had “a way to go” before Washington removes it from its list of “state sponsors of terrorism.” Full Story

Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir said his army have joined Uganda`s forces in the fight against a Ugandan rebel group based in southern Sudan. In an address on state-television late on Monday, Bashir said Khartoum was planning and supervising joint-military operations with Uganda against the Lord`s Resistance Army (LRA). Full Story

Of the 2846 Queenslanders surveyed by AC Nielsen for the Australasian Centre for Policing Research, Internet-based crime was a concern for 1356 and credit card fraud worried 1723. By comparison, 1221 respondents said they were worried about being sexually assaulted and 1642 were concerned they might be physically assaulted. Housebreaking was the crime which troubled…

The Yaha worm is creeping near the top of some virus incidence charts, but is it really hitting Australians? Reports from organisations such as MessageLabs and Central Command have found that the Yaha worm is near the top of their virus lists. UK-based managed security provider MessageLabs lists Yaha (W32/Yaha.E-mm) in its top five viruses…

The National Academy of Sciences has recommended creating a Homeland Security Institute to provide scientific and technological guidance to the government for counteracting terrorism. The academy`s National Research Council last week issued a plan detailing IT research needed to help the country defend itself. The report outlined both immediate steps, such as mapping the physical…

Sometime in July, a team of hackers will try to break into the computer networks that run key utilities around the U.S. The strikes won`t come from Islamic cyberterrorists — who in recent days have been rumored to be planning such attacks themselves — but rather from friendly teams of security analysts the Electric Power…

As head of the National Infrastructure Protection Center`s office in Pittsburgh, FBI supervisory agent Dan Larkin mans a sentinel post on the front lines of the war against cybercrime. Rather than M-16s, his soldiers tote powerful computers, which they use to unmask hackers who break into networks and steal valuable information. They also try to…

Businesses have remained tight-lipped when it comes to reporting cyberattacks or other breaches of their security for fear that the bad publicity would also bombard their bottom lines. But the FBI has begun offering them anonymity and critical information in exchange for their much-needed cooperation in battling hackers and other terrorists. Full Story

The White House is writing a massive blueprint, known as an information technology architecture, to integrate the computer systems of all of the agencies that would be moved into the new Homeland Security Department under Bush administration plans. Full Story