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IP: Army goes offline in reaction to Pentagon order
From: [email protected]
Subject: IP: Army goes offline in reaction to Pentagon order
Date: Wed, 30 Sep 1998 10:24:30 -0500
To: [email protected]
Source: Federal Computer Week
http://www.fcw.com/pubs/fcw/1998/0928/web-army-9-28-98.html
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SEPTEMBER 28, 1998 . . . 11:50 EDT
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Army goes offline in reaction to Pentagon order
BY BOB BREWIN ([email protected])
The Army slammed shut its door to the wired world last week, closing down
all its World Wide Web sites in reaction to a new Pentagon Web security
policy.
Only the Army had such a drastic response to a Defense Department memo
issued last week that spelled out what information DOD Web sites should and
should not post. The Air Force, the Navy and the Marine Corps still offer
the public access to popular and highly visible Web pages.
The Army's move is in reaction to Deputy Secretary of Defense John Hamre's
policy memo released Sept. 17, which directed all military organizations
that maintain Web sites to review and then remove sensitive information
that could aid potential enemies of the United States. Hamre said some Web
sites in the past have provided "too much detail on DOD capabilities,
infrastructure and operational capabilities.'' Hamre said this new policy
will help DOD to "strike a balance between openness and sound security.''
The Army, according to an internal message furnished to FCW, responded by
directing all commanders to ensure that "all of their publicly accessible
Web sites are immediately disconnected from the Internet.''
Lt. Gen. William Campbell, the Army's director of information systems for
command, control, communications and computers, sent the message at 5 p.m.
Friday. He added that the shutdown could be accomplished by physically
disconnecting Web servers from the public network, moving all Web site
files from public to nonpublic servers or instituting control mechanisms
that prohibit public access.
The internal Army message also suggested that commands deal with frustrated
users trying to access Army Web sites by posting a new "cover page'' (in
use on many Army Web pages, including the main site at www.army.mil) that
reads: "This Army Web site is not currently available. This Web site will
be available again after maintenance is completed.''
The Web shutdown caught the public affairs staff at the Department of the
Army's headquarters in the Pentagon by surprise. An Army spokesman was
unable to offer any explanation for the move or any indication of when the
sites would be operating again.
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NOTE: In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. section 107, this material is
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