From...

September 10, 1999
Web posted at: 3:18 p.m. EDT (1918 GMT)

by Patrick Thibodeau

ALSO:

Poll: Y2K fears ease in U.S. Philippines says critical sectors nearly Y2K ready India confident aviation sector ready for Year 2000 Belgium to suspend train service on Dec 31 U.S., Russia to cooperate on Y2K missile warning

Washington (IDG) -- The head of the U.S. Senate Special Committee on the Year 2000 Technology Problem warned today that hackers, people engaged in industrial espionage and even other countries may seize the year 2000 problem as their best shot to attack corporate and government information systems.

"Those who wish us ill will for one reason or another," said U.S. Sen. Robert Bennett, will use Y2K "as an opportunity to attack."

Bennett and committee Vice Chairman Sen. Christopher Dodd also said that while the U.S. is in overall good shape to handle Y2K, they expect some failures domestically and more problems overseas.

But they warned that if people hoard prescription drugs and food or begin pulling money out of banks, the Y2K problem could lead to larger problems.

MORE COMPUTING INTELLIGENCE
	IDG.net home page
Computerworld's home page
Computerworld Year 2000 resource center
Computerworld's online subscription center
Reviews & in-depth info at IDG.net
IDG.net's personal news page
Year 2000 World
Y2K may mask hacker attacks
Questions about computers? Let IDG.net's editors help you
Subscribe to IDG.net's free daily newsletter for IT leaders
Search IDG.net in 12 languages
News Radio
	Computerworld Minute
	Fusion audio primers

"The greatest fear that I have is that you are going to get panic setting in ... from those who predict dire consequences," Dodd said.

Bennett and Dodd said the U.S. is in better shape than the rest of the world but will likely see some system failures.

"We have accomplished far more than I would have predicted," said Bennett. But he cautioned that his assessment is largely based on self-reporting by corporations and may be too rosey. "It's impossible to get a second opinion," he said.

Problems could occur in key U.S. cities. Only two of the 21 major U.S. cities, Boston and Dallas, were Y2K ready in a recent assessment by the U.S. General Accounting Office.

The two cities the Senate committee is most worried about are San Francisco and Baltimore, said Bennett.

Internationally, Y2K progress in Russia, Japan and Italy are of key concern, said Dodd, although he said Latin America's Y2K effort has improved dramatically in the past several months.

But Dodd said negotiations with Russia over establishing a joint cooperation center to guard against accidental nuclear missile launches "are back on track" after being sidelined by the Kosovo crisis. Dodd said there could be a signed agreement in the next week or two.