CARLSBAD, Calif., Jan 14, 2000 -- Computer Economics has determined that the economic impact of virus attacks on information systems around the world amounted to $12.1 billion in 1999.

"Despite all of the high-profile damage caused by viruses, organizations are still just beginning to implement adequate security plans," said Computer Economics Vice President of research, Michael Erbschloe. "Additionally, many firms are reluctant to report damages because they feel they may be identified as an easy target."

In the past three years there has been a major programming shift as viruses have become far more malicious and specifically designed for destruction and damage. In the past viruses were designed to create a minor annoyance. Now they are very complex and come in a multitude of forms and many today are polymorphic. Computer Economics recommends that organizations carefully evaluate the current level of annual spending on protecting network systems from these increasingly dangerous external attacks.

"The Melissa and Explorer.zip viruses acted as a catalyst in 1999," said Erbschloe. "Organizations started to realize the severity and the malicious intent of most new computer viruses, and began to take the cries for increased security spending more seriously."

US DEPT OF JUSTICE: New software available for local crime surveys

NOV 24, 1999, M2 Communications - WASHINGTON, D.C. -- The Justice Department today announced the availability of a free software package that enables law enforcement agencies to conduct surveys that measure local crime levels and citizen attitudes toward public safety. The Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) and the Office for Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) jointly prepared the software to meet the demands of law enforcement for assistance with community surveys.

The materials are now available for police and local officials, planning agencies, and researchers to collect criminal justice data about their community. A user's manual and a guide for conducting the surveys are available as part of the package. The software uses the questions asked of tens of thousands of households by BJS' National Crime Victimization Survey, which provides national and regional--but not state or local--data about crime, victims, and offenders. The software also contains questions that measure citizens' attitudes toward crime, their neighborhood, and local policing services. Localities can modify or augment these questions to suit local needs. The new materials will permit city and county law enforcement agencies to derive accurate estimates of local conditions that the national survey does not reveal.

Many police officers engaged in community policing want to know how well they are doing from the citizens' perspective. Community surveys collect information about the most effective approaches to dealing with crime and provide an excellent measure of police performance.

Using this software package, localities can more easily collect survey information on:

-- How much crime is there in the community?
-- What proportion of crime is being reported to the police?
-- How fearful are residents of crime?
-- What is the extent and nature of police contact with residents?
-- How satisfied are citizens with police performance?
-- What self-protective steps have residents taken?
-- To what extent is the public familiar with community policing?