Info

December 1997 Information Security publishes first issue. January 1998 Yahoo! notifies Internet users that anyone visiting its site in recent weeks might have downloaded a logic bomb and worm planted by hackers protesting the jailing of Kevin Mitnick. February 1998 The Internet Software Consortium proposes the use of DNSSEC--domain-name system security extensions--to secure DNS servers. March 1998 Timothy Lloyd is indicted for planting a logic bomb on the network of Omega Engineering. The logic bomb causes millions in damage. April 1998 Researchers David Wagner and Ian Goldberg break the encryption mechanism that's supposed to prevent the cloning of digital cellphones. June 1998 Information Security publishes its first annual Industry Survey, finding that nearly three-quarters of organizations suffered a security incident in the previous year. July 1998 Using a single, customized PC, the Electronic Frontier Foundation and "Cypherpunk" John Gilmore break a 40-bit DES key in 56 hours. August 1998 Secure Electronic Transaction (SET), the heir-apparent to SSL, suffers a major setback when three major online payment systems choose to continue using SSL. September 1998 NIST narrows the list of Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) candidates to 15 finalists. October 1998 Security and software vendors begin developing the Common Content Inspection (CCI) API, allowing border protection products to communicate with inspection products. November 1998 Wang Global releases a laptop that doesn't emit electromagnetic signals, preventing spy equipment from intercepting and reading sensitive on-screen content. December 1998 Information Security publishes its first annual Buyers' Guide, which lists more than 250 security vendors and 600 products. January 1999 U.S. Rep. Steve Horn (R-Calif.) gives the federal government a failing grade for its effort to correct the Y2K problem. February 1999 A U.K.-based crime investigation center begins building the world's largest database of ear impressions to catch criminals through ear prints. The ear would compete with other biometrics identifiers. March 1999 The Melissa worm is released and quickly becomes the most costly malware outbreak to date. April 1999 The U.S. Justice Department declines to prosecute former CIA Director John Deutch for keeping 31 secret files on his home computer after he left office in 1996. May 1999 Linux FreeS/WAN is released, allowing PCs running the Linux OS to encrypt data as it's transferred across the Internet. The project was three years in the making. June 1999 Raising the ante in biometrics, LCI Technology releases SMARTpen, which measures individual signature characteristics, encrypts data and transmits it via radio frequency. July 1999 Information Security publishes its second annual Industry Survey, which finds a 92 percent increase in unauthorized access breaches over 1998. August 1999 Micro viruses dominate (63 percent) the annual ICSA Labs "Virus Prevalence Survey." The most common vector of infection: e-mail attachments (56 percent). September 1999 Mastiff Electronic Systems brings new meaning to "odor control" when it announces that it's working on an access control system that identifies users by their unique body odor. October 1999 American Express introduces the "Blue" smart card, the industry's first chip-based credit card. November 1999 Information Security publishes its second annual "Crystal Ball" issue, with columns by 21 industry leaders. December 1999 Information Security publishes its 2nd annual Buyers' Guide, listing more than 250 security vendors and 650 security products and services. December 1999 David L. Smith pleads guilty to creating and releasing the Melissa virus. It's one of the first times a person is prosecuted for writing a virus. January 2000 A hacker attempts to extort $100,000 from online music retailer CD Universe, threatening to expose thousands of customers' credit card numbers. February 2000 Canadian hacker MafiaBoy launches the first successful distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attack, taking down several high-profile Web sites, including Amazon, CNN and Yahoo!. March 2000 President Clinton says he doesn't use e-mail to communicate with his daughter, Chelsea, at college because he doesn't think the medium is secure. April 2000 The Department of Justice unveils a portal that notes the government's position on Internet security and privacy issues, tracks prosecution of cybercriminals and provides guidelines for cybercrime investigations. May 2000 The LoveLetter virus sweeps across the globe in hours, wreaking havoc on networks and causing millions in damage and lost productivity. June 2000 President Clinton signs the "Electronic Signatures in Global and National Commerce" (E-Sign) into law, making digital signatures legally binding.