U.S. computers vulnerable, and more

Attacks on U.S. government computer networks increased 40 percent in 2008, a federal panel reported.

U.S. computers vulnerable
Attacks on U.S. government computer networks increased 40 percent in 2008, a federal panel reported. The U.S. Computer Emergency Readiness team logged 5,488 unauthorized intrusions into government networks, up from 3,928 in 2007. Many attacks, the report said, were from infiltrators attempting to plant malicious software that would allow them to control the computers remotely or steal data.

Gregg changes his mind
New Hampshire Sen. Judd Gregg abruptly withdrew his name from consideration as commerce secretary, saying, “I’m just going to be a little too conservative” for the Obama administration. President Obama nominated the Republican to the post as part of his effort to forge a bipartisan Cabinet. But Gregg said that as he delved into Obama’s stimulus plan, he concluded that he could not be an effective advocate for administration policies.