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Individual Problems
This admittedly is a different approach from terrorist warnings, notes one military official. In the case of “threat conditions,” specific response actions are left up to local commanders on the belief that they know best how to deal with their installations. But the Love Bug showed that individual actions can cause cascading problems around the system.
     Now, in the event of another major information warfare attack, an “info-con” will be posted and commanders ordered to take a variety of actions to defend the integrity of their networks. Actions could range from rejecting e-mails from unknown addresses all the way to shutting down networks.
     The need to come up with “information condition” warnings after the Love Bug was further underscored because that virus was the first to penetrate classified computer systems. Officials now believe the four “infections” of classified computers were possibly the result of classified addresses being listed in unclassified address books and firewalls being breached.
     Officials at Space Command hope to have the final details defining “information condition” warning levels established in the next few weeks.
     A recent General Accounting Office report reviewing the impact of the Love Bug on the entire federal government noted the severe impact on the Defense Department. The department expended what GAO called “enormous efforts” at containing and then recovering from Love Bug. Military personnel from across the department were pulled in from their primary responsibilities. If the attack had gone on further, the department would have had to call in reservists to help, according to the report. Some DoD computers required a complete reloading of their software packages.

Levels of THREAT-CONs* Classification Definition THREAT-CON NORMAL No threat of terrorist activity is present.   THREAT-CON ALPHA There is a general threat of possible terrorist activity against installations, building locations, and/or personnel, the nature and extent of which are unpredictable.   THREAT-CON BRAVO There is an increased and more predictable threat of terrorist activity even though no particular target has been identified.   THREAT-CON CHARLIE   An incident has occurred or intelligence has been received indicating that some sort of terrorist action is imminent.   THREAT-CON DELTA   A terrorist attack has occurred or intelligence has been received that action against a specific target is likely.

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