
Computer underground Digest    Sun  Aug 11, 1996   Volume 8 : Issue 58
                           ISSN  1004-042X

       Editor: Jim Thomas (cudigest@sun.soci.niu.edu)
       News Editor: Gordon Meyer (gmeyer@sun.soci.niu.edu)
       Archivist: Brendan Kehoe
       Shadow Master: Stanton McCandlish
       Field Agent Extraordinaire:   David Smith
       Shadow-Archivists: Dan Carosone / Paul Southworth
                          Ralph Sims / Jyrki Kuoppala
                          Ian Dickinson
       Cu Digest Homepage: http://www.soci.niu.edu/~cudigest

CONTENTS, #8.58 (Sun, Aug 11, 1996)

File 1--Some Great Web-oriented Books from O'Reilly
File 2--InfoWarCon in Washington, DC  (Conference)
File 3--News from Noah - Time/Warner Merger; "Orchid Club/Porno"; Intel/MS
File 4--Microsoft sues IRS; AOL goes AWOL (news from Noah)
File 5--Cu Digest Header Info (unchanged since 7 Apr, 1996)

CuD ADMINISTRATIVE, EDITORIAL, AND SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION ApPEARS IN
THE CONCLUDING FILE AT THE END OF EACH ISSUE.

---------------------------------------------------------------------

Date: Thu, 1 Aug 1996 13:26:30 -0700
From: Sara Winge <sara@ora.com>
Subject: File 1--Some Great Web-oriented Books from O'Reilly

((MODERATORS' NOTE: In our view, O'Reilly publishes some of the
most useful books on Unix and Net/Web-related material. Here are
a few recent titles))

CGI Programming on the World Wide Web
By Shishir Gundavaram
1st Edition March 1996
450 pages, ISBN: 1-56592-168-2, $29.95

This book offers a comprehensive explanation of CGI and related techniques
for people who hold on to the dream of providing their own information
servers on the Web.  It starts at the beginning, explaining the value of
CGI and how it works, then moves swiftly into the subtle details of
programming.

----------------------------------------------------------------
Getting Connected: The Internet at 56K and Up
By Kein Dowd
1st Edition June 1996
424 pages, ISBN: 1-56592-154-2, $29.95

A complete guide for businesses, schools, and other organizations
who want to connect their computers to the Internet.  This book
covers everything you need to know to make informed decisions, from
helping you figure out which services you really need to providing
down-to-earth explanations of telecommunication options, such as frame
relay, ISDN, and leased lines.  Once you're online, it shows you
how to set up basic Internet services, such as a World Wide Web server.
Tackles issues for PC, Macintosh, and UNIX platforms.

----------------------------------------------------------------
World Wide Web Journal: Volume 1, Issue 1
Fourth International WWW Conference Proceedings
A publication of O'Reilly & Associates and the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C)
Winter 1995/96
748 pages, ISBN: 1-56592-169-0; ISSN 1085-2301, $39.95

The World Wide Web Journal is a quarterly publication that provides
timely, in-depth coverage of research developments on the World Wide Web.
This issue contains the Conference Proceeding papers that were chosen
for the 4th International World Wide Web Conference.

----------------------------------------------------------------
World Wide Web Journal: Volume 1, Issue 2
Key Specifications of the World Wide Web
A publication of O'Reilly & Associates and the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C)
Spring 1996
356 pages, ISBN: 1-56592-190-9, $24.95

This issue of the World Wide Web Journal collects in a single
volume the key specifications that describe the architecture of the
World Wide Web and how it works.  It includes the specifications
for HTML, HTTP, and URLs, plus the emerging standards for PNG, PICS,
PEP, and CSS.  A valuable reference for Webmasters, application
programmers, and technical managers.

----------------------------------------------------------------
World Wide Web Journal: Volume 1, Issue 3
The Web After Five Years
A publication of O'Reilly & Associates and the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C)
Summer 1996
226 pages, ISBN: 1-56592-210-7, $24.95

This issue reflects The Web After Five Years through an interview with
Tim Berners-Lee, selections from the MIT/W3C Workshop on Web Demographics
and Internet Survey Methodology, and papers from the Fifth International
World Wide Web Conference.  Also includes technical proposals from the W3C,
lively debates on the size of the Web, the impact of advertising on caching,
and ethical guidelines for using such data.


--
Sara Winge    sara@ora.com
O'Reilly & Associates
103A Morris St., Sebastopol, CA 95472
707/829-0515, Fax 707/829-0104, http://www.ora.com/

------------------------------

Date: Tue, 9 Jul 1996 14:48:19 -0400 (EDT)
From: Noah <noah@enabled.com>
Subject: File 2--InfoWarCon in Washington, DC  (Conference)

From -Noah

noah@enabled.com

* * * * * * * P L E A S E   D I S T R I B U T E  W I D E L Y * * * * * * *

                           InfoWarCon 5, 1996
            Electronic Civil Defense for the 21st. Century
 The Convergence of the Commercial and the Military Sectors:
              Vulnerabilities, Capabilities and Solutions
                          September 5-6, 1996
                            Washington, DC

 Sponsored by:

      Winn Schwartau, Interpact, Inc./Infowar.Com
      National Computer Security Association/NCSA.Com
      Robert Steele, OPEN SOURCE SOLUTIONS, Inc./OSS.Net

 Sponsoring Organizations:
	Command Software Systems
	Digital Equipment Corporation
 	Norman Data Defense
 	IBM
	Phillips Publications
	Jane's Information Group

 Historically, civil defense has meant to protect citizenry against hostile
military actions. Today, with the specter of Information Warfare representing
new challenges to late-industrial and information age nation-states, the rules
have radically changed. Societies are rapidly migrating to increased dependance
upon four critical interrelated infrastructures and adequate methods of
protection must be developed:

 	- The Power grid is the basis of most of modern society. With it gone,
not much else happens.  If you think this is just a matter of building more
generators, think again--what happens if the factories that *make* the
generators are taken down, too?

 	- The Communications infrastructure: land, sea, air and satellite. 95%
of
military communications go over the public networks, and 100% of all financial
and industrial communications. Is it worth protecting?

 	- The Global Financial structure depends upon the first two
infrastructures, and is perhaps the most vulnerable to theft and denial of
service attack.  99+% of all "wealth" is digital--what happens if it vaporizes?

 	- Transportation systems rely upon the other three. The air traffic
systems require both power and communications to manage the thousands of
airplanes in the sky.  What happens to the thousands of airplanes in the air
if air traffic control across an entire country goes down?

 Without all of these infrastructures properly and reliably functioning, the
private sector and the national security community cannot function. No heat, no
air conditioning, no food distribution, no light, no radio or TV, no Internet.
Are we prepared?  Do we have a a crisis response for the day money as we  know
it vanishes?

 Electronic Civil Defense will soon become a critical component of any nation's
well being while the needs of both the private sector and government converge.
The convergence of military and civilian interests that Mr. Schwartau predicted
two years ago is happening before our eyes. Defensive and commercial postures
have so intertwined as to make them indistinguishable.

 This Fifth International Conference on Information Warfare is an unclassified,
open source forum, and will examine the myriad questions of Electronic Civil
Defense from the US, International and multi-cultural perspectives.

 Our seasoned experts will work with InfoWarCon5 delegates to outline a
framework for the vulnerabilities, threats, risks and solutions for Electronic
Civil Defense.  From this conference participants will be able to draw critical
insights which will improve their own legislative, regulatory, financial, and
operational readiness and security.  Last year's Washington InfoWarCon brought
together over 600 people and was covered by CNN among other major media
organizations. This year key world players in information warfare from the
economic, military, and law enforcement communities of over 30 countries are
expected to participate.    Be prepared for highly interactive sessions with
plenty of audience participation.  Please bring  your opinions and be ready to
discuss them with us all!

 PRELIMINARY SCHEDULE

 September 4, 1996

 16:00 - 20:00	Registration Begins

 18:00 - 20:00	Sponsored Reception for attendees, speakers, sponsors and the
press.  Light food fare and  liquid refreshments. Meet Mr.Schwartau, Mr. Steele,
Dr. Kabay and many of our other world-class speakers.

  September 5, 1996

 6:30 - 7:50	Registration

 7:50 - 8:00 	Welcoming Comments and Administration:
 			Dr. Peter Tippett, NCSA
 			Winn Schwartau, Interpact, Inc.

 8:00 - 8:30 	Keynote Presentation:  "National Security in
			the Information Age" Senator William Cohen (R-Maine) *
 			
 8:30 - 9:00	"A Commander in Chief's View of Rear-Area, Home-Front
 			Vulnerabilities and Support Options."

 			General John J. Sheehan, U.S. Supreme Allied Commander,
			Atlantic, Commander-in-Chief Atlantic Command
 		
 9:00 - 9:30 	"Global Finance: Protection in the Age of Electronic Conflict"
		Colin Cook, V.P. Information Security, Citibank *
 		 	
 9:30 - 10:00	"We Can't Do It Without the Private Sector"
 			Ken Minihan, Director, NSA *

 10:00-10:30 	Break

 10:30-11:45 	National Policy Reviews of Electronic Civil Defense Programs
			Ms. Sally Katzen, Administrator for Information and
Regulatory
			Affairs, Office of Management and Budget, USA
 			Dr. Anders Eriksson and Peter Wallstroem,
			   National Defence Research Establishment,
				   Dept. of Defence Analysis: Sweden
 			Dr. Leroy Pearce, Canada,

 		What is the current thinking in Electronic Civil Defense?
 		How do plan on protecting our citizens against invisible
 		unnamed assailants? What are the top policy makers
 		planning for? International experts will present their
 		views as well.

 11:45 - 13:15	Sponsored Lunch

 12:30 - 13:00	Luncheon Address

 13:15 - 14: 30 	Breakout Sessions A1 - A4

 	A1	A Military Briefing: The Electronic Projection of Power in a C4I
World
 			Moderated by General Jim McCarthy, USAF (Ret)
 				Barry Horton, Principle Deputy Assistant
				Secretary of Defense for C3I *
 				Captain Patrick Tyrrell, Assistant Director,
				 Information Warfare Policy, Ministry of
				Defence, United Kingdom

 	A2	Protecting the Global Financial and Communications
 		 Infrastructures: Weaknesses at the Transport Layer
 			Ron Eward, Martech, Inc.

 	One scary session. Forget about HERF Guns and hackers. Mr. Eward
 	will tell us how to wreak disaster with a few well placed pick-
 	axes, from New York to Palermo to Taipei. An incredible research
 	effort with global on the generally forgotten physical
 	underpinnings of Cyberspace. Do not miss his tremendously
 	important findings. Messrs. Eward and Schwartau upcoming book on
 	this overlooked topic will shake the financial global community.

 	A3	Media Manipulation, Perception Management and PsyOps
 			Moderated by Dr. Mich Kabay, NCSA
 				Mark Bender, ABC News *
 				Jim Roberts, SOLIC
				Neil Munro, Washington Technology

 	How can a nation-state use the media to bend the will of an
 	adversary, or leverage its own position prior to, in or after a
 	conflict? Who is really using who?

 	A4 	National Defense University Session
 		Moderator - Dr. Dan Kuehl, Professor, NDU

 	Top students from the School of Information Warfare and
	Strategy, the Nation's top-level school for potential flag
	officers in the IW arena, will discuss their findings and
	concerns.

 14:30 - 15:00	Break

  15:00 - 16:15	Breakout Sessions B1-B4

 	B1 - Emergency/Disaster Planning for the Effects of Information Warfare:
 		Moderator: Mark Aldrich, Chief Infosec Engineer, GRC
 					International, Inc.
 			Michael Logan, Federal Planning Associate,
 					American Red Cross
 			William W. Donovan, CISSP, FEMA
 			Ken Barksdale, Association of Contingency
 						Planners

 	Assume the worst happens, and an infowar assault takes down major
 	life sustaining portions of the infrastructure. What do we do
 	about it? How do we minimize the damage and protect the victims
 	and citizens? These esteemed experts will tell you what they think
 	and then invite your comments.

 	B2	Legal Liabilities and Responsibilities in Information Warfare
 			Danielle Cailloux, Judge, Committee on
 				Intelligence, Belgium
 			Charles Dunlap, Judge Advocate, USAF
 			Kenneth Bass III, Cyber-Attorney, Washington

 	If a company is attacked and it loses significant assets, what
 	are the recourses of the stakeholders? How do we measure and
 	evaluate the losses and responsibility? On the military side, what
 	constitutes an Act of War and what steps are necessary to formulate
 	a response?

 	B3 The Forensics of Information Wafare for Law Enforcement
 		Moderated by Michael Anderson, New Technologies
 				Investigation Division
 		Howard Schmidt, Director, AF Office of Special
 				Investigations
 		Ken Rosenblat, Santa Clara County Prosecutor, Author
 				"High-Technology Crime: Investigating
 				Cases Involving Computers"

 	How can you tell you are under attack? Once you determine you are,
 	how do you make a case which will stand up in court? How do you
 	collect evidence? How do you involve law enforcement without
 	compromising your efforts? Experts share years of experience with you.

 	B4	Naval Postgraduate School Session
 			Moderator: Dr. Fred Levien, NPS

 	Top field grade students from the Naval Postgraduate School in
	Monterey, California will present InfoWar papers and concepts.

 16:15 - 16:45	Break

 16:45 - 18:00	The Hacker/Underground and Social Engineering

 		Moderated by: Nic Chantler, Australian Intelligence (Ret)
 			Andy Mueller-Maguhn, CHAOS Computer Club, Germany
 			Chris Goggans, co-founder, Legion of Doom, USA
 			John Gilmore, Electronic Frontier Foundation

 		If you've ever wanted to know how hackers think; what
 		makes them tick and how they became the first Information
 		Warriors, here are the people who can answer your
 		questions.  These sessions are among the most popular at
 		every InfoWarCon. Gilmore will present his unique concepts
		for Defensive Information Warfare.

 18::00 - 20:30	Sponsored Reception/"Live Hackers" Off-Line

 September 6, 1996

 6:30 - 7:50	Continental Breakfast

 7:50 - 8:00	Opening Remarks and Administration

 8:00 - 8:30	"Domestic Law Enforcement and Electronic Civil Defense"
			Louis Freeh, Director, FBI *

8:30 - 9:00	"The Convergence of Military and Civilian Defense"
 			General Jim McCarthy, USAF (Ret)

 9:00 - 9:30	"What is National Security?"
	 		Michael R. Nelson, Ph.D.
			Special Assistant for Information Technology
			White House Office of Science and Technology Policy

 9:30 - 10:00 	"Building a Society from the Net Up"
 			Pedrag Pale, Chairman of the InfoTech Coordinating
 				Committee, Ministry of Science,
 				Technology and Informatics, Croatia

 10:00-10:30 Break

 10:30-11:45	The Russians are Coming
 			Moderated by: Greg Treverton, Director of National
 				Security Program, Rand Corporation

 		From academia to the military to their business community,
 		the Russians have been thinking long and had about
 		Information Warfare. Here's what they have to say. Get
 		front row seats and be ready to ask your questions.

	Dr. Victor I. Solntsev, Assoc. Prof. Moscow State Tech. Univ.
	"Information Warfare and Human-Operator Security"
	Dr. Dmitry Chereshkin Russian Academy of Sciences;
	Editorial Board, "Information Infrastructure and Policy."
	Dr. Georgy Smolian Russian Academy of Sciences and Scientific Council
	"Democratization of Russia and Information Security."

 11:45 - 13:15	Sponsored Lunch

 12:30 - 13:00	Luncheon Address

  13:00 - 14: 15 	Breakout Sessions C1-C4

 	C1	Corporate Civil Defense:
 			Moderated by Don Sortor, Director Security Prgms,
 				Corp. InfoSec., Motorola, Inc.

 	A team of cross-industry experts from the primary infrastructures,
 	will examine how industry and government can and should interact
 	in the event of an Electronic Pearl Harbor. What is the role of
 	the company and its management? What policies should be put into
 	place to prepare for the malicious Acts of Man? How should the
 	government work with the private sector to mitigate damages?
 	These experts will set you on the right track.


 	C2	Denial of Service in the Private Sector:
			The Nuclear Weapons of the Information Age:
			Magnetic Weapons from the Military to
			Electronic Pipe Bombs
   				Carlo Copp, Defense Analyst, Australia
 				Kelly Goen, Penetration and Security Engineer

 	Get Seats Early! Magnetic weapons; directed energy weapons; HPM;
 	HERF Guns; electromagnetic pulse cannons and EMP.
 	Learn about the latest in high energy weapons systems and how they
 	can be used to attack and destroy critical electronically based
 	infrastructures. Then find out what the terrorist can do with
 	home-brew electronic pipe bombs.

 	C3 	The Net Under Attack
 			Dr. Dorothy Denning, Chair, Computer Science
 				Dept., Georgetown Univ.
 			Jim Christy, Permanent Subcommittee Investigations
				U.S. Senate (And USAF OSI)

 	What makes an attack on the Internet and what do we do about it?
 	Ms. Denning is an internationally recognized expert who will guide
 	us and her panel of experts through the maze of possibilities.
 	Incredibly valuable for security professionals.

 	C4	USAF School of Advanced Airpower Studies
 			Moderated by Col. Richard Szafranski, USAF, Air War
 				College National Military Strategy

 	Col. Szafranski and his top students will discuss their views,
 opinions on Information Warfare.  The USAF SAAS has produced some of the
most revolutionary papers in IW, including the now globally recognized papers
on taking down telecommunications and national power systems.

 14:30 - 15:00	Break

 15:00 - 16:15	Breakout Sessions D1-D4

 	D1	Anonymous Global Banking: Pitfalls and Solutions
 			Moderated by Bruce Schneier
 				Kelly Goen, Security Engineer
 				Eric Hughes, Cypherpunks
 				Phil Zimmermann *

 	How does anonymous international banking work? Is it merely a
 	front for Criminal Central? Or is there a true value? How do
 	conventional banking institutions view it? What about
 	cryptographic solutions? Are your funds "naked on the
	Net today?  Come see for yourself!

 	D2	The Ethics of Information Warfare
 			Moderated by Winn Schwartau
 				Col. Phil Johnson, Judge Avocate, USAF
 				Dr. Dan Kuehl, NDU

 	While CNN is looking over your shoulder, as a
 	military commander, here is your choice: either use a precision
 	smart bomb which will immediately kill 20 civilians for the world
 	to see. Or, use a non-lethal IW weapon, no immediate TV deaths,
 	but a predicted 200 civilian collateral fatalities within 30 days.
 	What do you do? The Ethical conundra of Information Warfare will
 	be examined from all perspectives.  Or: you have been attacked
	anonymously--you suspect one party, without proof--another
	attack is coming.  What now?  Should we develop new intelligence
	capabilities to permit precision detection and response in
	cyberwar?

 	D3	National Information Assurance: Cooperation is the Key
 		to Safeguarding Communications, Power and Transportation

 			Moderated by: Major Brad Bigelow, Office of the Manager,
					National Communications System
				Jeff Sheldon, General Counsel,
					Utilities Telecommunications Council
				Steve Fabes, Director of Electronic Delivery
Services,
					BankAmerica
				Carl Ripa, VP National Security/Emergency
					Preparedness, Bellcore

 	Experts from the major civilian infrastructures will discuss how
 	past cooperation between industry and government has echoed
 	economic realities. The bulk of the nations information
 	infrastructure is not under the economic or regulatory control of the
 	Federal government. So, how do we maintain a healthy balance
 	between private initiative and legislative and regulatory
 	actions? Today there is no "due diligence" standard which
	requires that communications and computing services be guaranteed
	in terms of security and data integrity.  Our panel will provoke
	an active discussion of remedial cooperative measures.

 	D4	"Understanding and Defending Against Industrial Espionage and 	
			Information Terrorism."
			Tom Fedorek, Managing Director, Kroll Associates New
York*
			Matt DeVost TITLE COMING
			Charlies Swett, Acting Deputy Director for
Low-Intenstity
			Conflict Policy, Office of the Assistant Secretary of
Defense
			for Special Operations and Low-Intensity Conflict

 	A look at how modern espionage and information is conducted, why it's
done and
 	who's doing it.  How much can it cost your company and how can you
 	tell if you're targeted? Do not miss this fascinating session
	which is expected to feature the Kroll Managing Directors
	from Paris, London, and New York.

 16:15 - 16:30	Break

 16:30 - 17:00		Wrap Up: "What is War?"
 			Moderated by Dr. Mich Kabay, NCSA
 				General Jim McCarthy, USAF (Ret)
 				John Petersen, President, The Arlington
Institute
				You - The Audience

An exciting  'don't miss' interactive audience session. What a closing!

(* Speakers with an * have been invited but have not confirmed as of June 28,
1996.)

 HOTEL INFORMATION:

 	Crystal Gateway Marriott
 	1700 Jefferson Davis Highway
 	Arlington, VA  22202		

	The Crystal Gateway Marriott is offereing a special conference rate of
	$129 single/$139 double occupancy. This rate is good until August 14,
1996.

 	703-920-3230 (Voice)
 	703-271-5212 (Fax)


CANCELLATION POLICY

After  August 9th, any cancellation will incur a $100.00 processing fee.  If the
reservation is not cancelled and no one attends, the full registration price
will be charged.  Substitute attendees are welcome.


 InfoWarCon '96 Registration Form:


      Name:    ___________________________________________________________

      Title:   ___________________________________________________________

      Org:     ___________________________________________________________

      Address: ___________________________________________________________

      Address: ___________________________________________________________

      City:    ___________________________________________________________

      State:   _______________________________  Zip: _____________________

      Country: __________________________  Email: ________________________

      Phone:   __________________________  Fax:  _________________________


 FEES:

         Payment made BEFORE August 9, 1996:

                 (   )   595.00     NCSA Members/OSS '96 Attendees
                 (   )   645.00     All others

         Payment made AFTER August 9, 1996:

                 (   )   645.00     NCSA Members/OSS '96 Attendees
                 (   )   695.00     All others


   Make checks payable to NCSA, or

      Charge to:  (  ) VISA      (  )   MasterCard       AMEX (  )

        Number:     ___________________________________________

        Exp date:   ___________________________

        Signature:  ___________________________________________


 MAIL OR FAX OR EMAIL REGISTRATION TO:

 	National Computer Security Association
 	10 South Courthouse Avenue
 	Carlisle, PA 17013
 	Phone 717-258-1816 or FAX 717-243-8642
 	EMAIL:		conference@ncsa.com


 For more information about NCSA:

 	WWW:		http://www.ncsa.com
 	CompuServe:	GO NCSA
 	EMail:		info@ncsa.com

  Version: 1.10



Peace
Winn

		        Winn Schwartau - Interpact, Inc.
		        Information Warfare and InfoSec
		       V: 813.393.6600 / F: 813.393.6361
			    Winn@InfoWar.Com

------------------------------

Date: Mon, 29 Jul 1996 21:34:54 -0400 (EDT)
From: Noah <noah@enabled.com>
Subject: File 3--Time/Warner Merger; "Orchid Club/Porno"; Intel/MS (Noah/news)

FTC OKAYS TIME WARNER MERGER WITH TURNER
The Federal Trade Commission has indicated it will approve Time
Warner's $7.5 billion purchase of the Turner Broadcasting System,
which will create the world's largest media and entertainment
conglomerate.  The final settlement apparently will limit the
financial interest that John Malone's Tele-Communications Inc.
(TCI) can take in Time Warner, severely reduce various
concessions that would have been made to TCI, and would forbid
Time Warner from discriminating against competitors in the cable
industry.  (Washington Post 18 Jul 96)

"ORCHID CLUB" INDICTMENTS FOR PORNOGRAPHY ON INTERNET
A federal grand jury in San Jose, California, has indicted 16 people
from the U.S. and abroad for their participation in a child
pornography ring called the "Orchid Club," whose members used the
Internet to share sexual pictures and conduct online chat during a
child molestation.  A U.S. attorney says there are no free speech
issues involved:  "The thing that ups the ante in this case is that
allegations of distribution of pornography are coupled with serious
allegations of child molestation.  It's an issue relating to the
protection of children, not to the First Amendment."  (New York
Times 17 Jul 96 A8)

INTEL, MICROSOFT CROSS-LICENSE AGREEMENT
Intel Corp. and Microsoft Corp. have agreed to cross-license their
Internet communications technology in an effort to pursue
Internet-based telephone and videoconferencing business
opportunities.  The alliance, which will exploit Intel's Proshare
videoconferencing technology and Microsoft's NetMeeting and ActiveX
software, will also develop technology to allow users to find other
people to talk with on the Internet via a User Location Service.
(Investor's Business Daily 18 Jul 96 A9)

------------------------------

Date: Thu, 8 Aug 1996 20:53:07 -0400 (EDT)
From: Noah <noah@enabled.com>
Subject: File 4--Microsoft sues IRS; AOL goes AWOL (news from Noah)

MICROSOFT SUES IRS FOR EXPORT TAX BENEFITS
Microsoft has filed a lawsuit against the Internal Revenue
Service, in an effort to recoup about $19 million paid as part of
the company's 1990 and 1991 tax returns.  The legal action ups
the ante in the software industry's bid for favorable treatment
under a 1984 law that allows businesses to set up foreign sales
corporations, thereby exempting 15% of their export income from
U.S. taxes.  Similar industries, including exporters of films,
tapes and records, have benefited from the 1984 provision.  The
software industry has said it would save about $200 million over
five years if it were allowed the same protections.  (Wall Street
Journal 8 Aug 96 B4)

AOL GOES AWOL
America Online went off-line yesterday, stranding more than 6
million subscribers in the real world of snail mail and
"sneakernet," as one consultant who depends on e-mail described
it.  The AOL computers were shut down at 4:00 a.m. for routine
maintenance, and then were unable to resume function at the
scheduled 7:00 a.m. power-up.  While some people took the outage
with a dose of philosophy, others predicted this event was the
harbinger of more trouble in cyberspace.  "Clearly the
longer-term goal has to be for the Internet to become more like
the phone system is today," in terms of reliability, says a
director for AT&T's WorldNet service.  "The likely scenario is
increasingly calamitous breakdowns," predicts an industry
columnist.  Meanwhile, AOL CEO Steve Case expressed his regret
over the inconvenience via conventional news release.
(Washington Post 8 Aug 96 A1)

------------------------------

Date: Thu, 21 Mar 1996 22:51:01 CST
From: CuD Moderators <cudigest@sun.soci.niu.edu>
Subject: File 5--Cu Digest Header Info (unchanged since 7 Apr, 1996)

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on RIPCO BBS (312) 528-5020 (and via Ripco on  internet);
and on Rune Stone BBS (IIRGWHQ) (860)-585-9638.
CuD is also available via Fidonet File Request from
1:11/70; unlisted nodes and points welcome.

EUROPE:  In BELGIUM: Virtual Access BBS:  +32-69-844-019 (ringdown)
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         In LUXEMBOURG: ComNet BBS:  +352-466893

  UNITED STATES: etext.archive.umich.edu (192.131.22.8) in /pub/CuD/CuD
                  ftp.eff.org (192.88.144.4) in /pub/Publications/CuD/
                  aql.gatech.edu (128.61.10.53) in /pub/eff/cud/
                  world.std.com in /src/wuarchive/doc/EFF/Publications/CuD/
                  wuarchive.wustl.edu in /doc/EFF/Publications/CuD/
  EUROPE:         nic.funet.fi in pub/doc/CuD/CuD/ (Finland)
                  ftp.warwick.ac.uk in pub/cud/ (United Kingdom)


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End of Computer Underground Digest #8.58
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