From: The Namibian, 20 September 2001:
METEORITE SUSPECTS DUE IN COURT TODAY / WERNER MENGES. AN ALLEGED RING OF METEORITE THIEVES, ACCUSED OF LEAVING ONE OF WINDHOEK'S MOST UNIQUE MONUMENTS DEFACED, WERE ARRESTED BY THE NAMIBIAN POLICE THIS WEEK. FOUR OF THE SUSPECTED THIEVES ARE SET TO APPEAR IN THE WINDHOEK MAGISTRATE'S COURT TODAY. AN ALLEGED METEORITE BUYER, WALTER HORST (57), MADE A FIRST APPEARANCE IN THE WINDHOEK MAGISTRATE'S COURT YESTERDAY. HE WAS ARRESTED IN A POLICE OPERATION ON THURSDAY. ACCORDING TO THE NAMIBIAN POLICE PUBLIC RELATIONS OFFICE, HORST WAS CAUGHT AFTER FOUR NAMIBIAN MEN HAD SOLD A 300 KG METEORITE WHICH HAD BEEN STOLEN FROM THE POST STREET MALL METEORITE DISPLAY DURING MONDAY NIGHT TO HIM. HORST, AN AUSTRIAN-BORN NAMIBIAN CITIZEN, ALLEGEDLY HANDED OVER N$ 10,000 AS A FIRST PAYMENT FOR THE METEORITE, AFTER CLINCHING A DEAL TO BUY IT FOR N$ 30,000. WHEN HIS HOUSE WAS SEARCHED AFTER HIS ARREST, A SECOND ILLEGAL OBJECT WAS FOUND, IT IS CLAIMED - A RHINO HORN. [...] THE THEFT OF ONE OF THE OBJECTS FROM SPACE WHICH RAINED DOWN IN THE GIBEON AREA - HENCE THEIR NAME AS THE "GIBEON METEORITES" - IS THE SECOND IN JUST OVER TWO MONTHS. THE FIRST WAS STOLEN IN EARLY JULY, AND HAS STILL NOT BEEN RECOVERED.
Note: The Gibeon meteorite shower was a large shower of iron meteorites which fell in southern Namibia in prehistoric times, and parts of Gibeon meteorites have been taken to museums all over the world (including Frankfurt's Senckenberg Museum and the Smithsonian) while the country was under German and South African colonial occupation.
Werner Hillebrecht - National Library of Namibia P/Bag 13349, Windhoek, Namibia tel. +264-61-2935305, fax 2935321 whillebrecht@mec.gov.na From: IntlArtCop@aol.com Subject:
Important: Blueprint security
Message from Steve Keller 10/4/01
Earlier today I sent a joint message to all clients and to all of our architectural clients and project managers via my internal internet newsletters. In that message I referenced an article in the October 4 NY Times that alerted architects to the increased number of inquiries about the design and structure of public buildings. If you are a client and have not read that message, read it now on our private news alert service that you are subscribed to. I am transmitting this follow-up letter to the Museum Security Network so the museum world in general can be aware of this situation.
In the referenced Times article, they noted an unusual number of requests for building plans that, in light of the September 11, 2001 attacks, appear unusual due to the structures identified in the requests or the type of information solicited. They report that requests have involved airport terminals and towers, federal office buildings, parking garages and museums and that detailed requests sometimes included mechanical and electrical systems. The American Institute of Architects issued an alert to their 40,000 members today of this problem. It's the museum part of the warning that concerns me and should concern you. Some of the increased number of requests for information are legitimate. We referred MSNBC and other journalists to resources after the attack so they could write their stories. They asked about skyscraper construction methods for story background. But inquiries about museums would never be included in those requests. Who but a criminal or terrorist would ask for structural information and drawings about museums unless they had something specific in mind for museums? What might they have in mind?
For those of you reading this on the NSM and who are not clients and therefore did not get my private emailing to clients, I notified clients and the 36 architects we work for that we have been attacked by hundreds of attempts by hackers to enter our office computers, probably by someone looking for security system files. These attacks began just before the attack on America and continue today. We consulted privately with very high level experts on cyber terrorism and other authorities. But since we had nothing but our suspicions to go on, we didn't publically discuss the issue until now, privately alerting only our architects and changing our procedures. Based on instinct we took very expensive steps to assure that no breaches of our computers could occur even if someone broke through our hardware and software firewalls. We simply took all confidential files and drawings off of the only computer we ever plug into the internet. Even if they get through, they will find nothing other than a browser and word processor. The computers with confidential data never go on the internet. Ever. Data is encypted. The master server hard drive is removed to an off safe at night and on weekends.
The October 4 article in the Times confirms that others have also suspected that someone, possibly terrorists, are trying to gather information about public buildings. To learn that museums are among those buildings is deeply troubling. To our surprise, we notified a number of our architects on high profile projects weeks ago of our concerns and of our policy to no longer post files to their unsecured ftp sites, and were strongly criticized by some as being paranoid. One told us we might be fired from the project because we are making his job a bit harder for no good reason. It is nice to be ahead of the curve and to be able to say, I told you so.
(Background information: During the design of a building, most architects use a fairly new system for exchanging drawings, device schedules, specifications, cost estimates, etc. The Architect maintains an FTP site on a server. Every consultant has a directory in the server and a password. I transmit my security system CAD files to my directory. The electrical engineer, hardware specifier and others needing access to my work for coordination can use their password to get to and download my files. Paper copies of blueprints are only generated at milestones. Everything is transferred digitally between those milestones. Unfortunately, FTP sites are very vulnerable to hackers).
If we learn more, we will post it to the world. We notified some of our competitors of this tremendous hacking attack so they can take steps they feel are appropriate to protect their client files and design drawings on computer. If they don't have a good firewall, they may be attacked but won't know it. We have notified architects that we will no longer post to architect's ftp sites, a customary practice during the design of a museum to facilitate coordination.This did not make some of them happy as it makes coordination more difficult. I am sending this while in transit from the ASIS conference but will discuss this with the American Institute of Architects, the group that issued the warning, at the first possible time.
We suggest that you notify your architect that your building's blueprints are to be treated as confidential, especially those very high profile museums with landmark buildings and high visibility. This suggestion applies even if you are not involved with a current project with that architect. Your architect may have blueprints for past projects performed years ago. Advise your staff, especially your public relations officer and your facilities department not to release information about your building and to report any suspicions to you. If anyone in your organization has any CAD drawings of your building on their hard drive, save them to CD's or take them off line. Instruct your architect to take your files off their computer if your building is completed and he doesn't need them at hand. Don't assume your firewall is secure and advise your architect to make no assumptions about his firewall. It isn't. I guarantee it. I've spoken to many experts and all agree that FTP sites and museum servers are rarely secure. These hackers may be professionals on a mission from God. Or, it all may be just a coincidence. I get paid to be paranoid. So do you.
One final thought. When these hacking attacks on our computers began, my tendency was to think of them as coincidence. But my training for over a quarter century was to look for anything out of place or unusual and ask whether it poses a risk. It wasn't easy to go with my instincts and to stand up to the architects and others who told me I'm too paranoid. Standing up to them could cost me tens of thousands of dollars. But the higher the stakes, the more careful and paranoid we have to be. My point is that you are the people who are being paid to be paranoid. You've got to strike a careful balance between crying wolf and knowing when something just doesn't look right, then taking action even if you are the only person taking that position.
Steve Keller Certified Protection Professional
From: StevenRKeller@aol.com Subject:
Blueprint security follow-up from Steve Keller
Two days ago I advised clients and readers of the Museum Security Network that the American Institute of Architects had alerted its 70,000 members to the possibility of terrorist trying to obtain drawings of buildings and building systems. I advised you to be alert to this and to take action to protect your drawings. I told you about our experience with hackers trying to enter our computers on a massive level.
Hours after posting that message a client called me to say that they had received an email from a person who claimed to be an architectural student at a major university. He said he is studying the museum and wanted a set of drawings of the building. He had a Middle Eastern name and the request was unusual in that it is the first time anyone has requested drawings in this manner. The client called us for advice when they read our posting. They did not send drawings. The matter has been referred to the FBI.
I wanted you to be aware that while this may be a coincidence, it may also be a matter of great concern. While the museum involved is located in a high profile, highly upscale community and could be considered to be a symbol of American affluence, there is nothing about this faciltiy other than this that might make it a target. In other words, it is just like your museum. So please take this seriously.
I'd like to hear of any similar requests for blueprints that your museum has received since July from people who might not be who they seem to be or may not otherwise have a need for them.
Steve Keller Certified Protection Professional www.stevekeller.com
From: StevenRKeller@aol.com Subject:
More on blueprint security
Sorry if my last notice was redundant. I am trying to keep the MSN, my client alert list, and my architect alert list up to speed and some of you may have gotten the last notice twice.
Since advising you that a museum had received a request for blueprints from a student with a Middle Eastern name on 9/11, a different client has advised me that after bringing this to the attention of their architectural department curator, they, too, had received such a request from a student recently. This one may be legit and does not have a Middle Eastern name. He is from a different university and students do sometimes request this type of informaiton. What made his request unusual was that he asked the locations of the air intake vents on the outside of the building. This matter has also been referred to the FBI. I pass this on to you not to make you paranoid (I'm paranoid enough for both of us) but to make you alert to the various types of requests that should arouse suspicions. This incident involved an architecturally significant building of small size that might not normally be considered to be a target or symbol.
Steve Keller, CPP www.stevekeller.com
FBI staged robbery for leverage, lawyers say
By Associated Press, 9/26/2001
The FBI staged an armored car company robbery to get leverage on a group of men they believed knew the whereabouts of more than $200 million in stolen museum artwork, the defendants' lawyers told a federal jury in Boston yesterday. The four men, being tried on charges of attempted robbery, conspiracy, and various firearms violations, were enticed by a government informant to help with the Feb. 9, 1999, attempted robbery of the Loomis-Fargo Armored Car Co. in Easton, defense attorneys said in opening statements in US District Court. Carmello Merlino, 66, his nephew William Merlino, 40, both of Quincy; Stephen Rossetti, 42, of Boston; and David Turner, 33, of Randolph, have pleaded not guilty to the charges. The theft in 1990 of several masterpieces from Boston's Isabella Stuart Gardner Museum remains unsolved. The heist included paintings by Rembrandt and Vermeer and was the costliest in US history. The empty frames of the stolen paintings still hang in the museum. Turner's attorney, Robert M. Goldstein, said the FBI was trying to get Turner to talk about the stolen artwork, possibly by offering to drop the charges associated with the attempted holdup in exchange for information. All four men deny involvement in the museum heist or knowledge of the artworks' whereabouts.
''The government manufactured a crime to provide them with leverage to squeeze David Turner for any information he possibly had about the paintings stolen from the Gardner Museum,'' Goldstein said. Assistant US Attorney James F. Lang did not mention any connection to the art theft in his opening statement. Lang did concede that agents used an informant, Anthony Romano, to help build the attempted robbery case against the four men. Romano is a convicted felon with a history of drug abuse. ''Those are not the qualities that the FBI looks for or cherishes in a witness,'' Lang said. ''But it was largely because of his criminal background that he was able to infiltrate this case.''
Romano, who worked for Carmello Merlino at his Dorchester automotive repair business, taped at least 17 conversations with the four defendants. Some of those discussions, Lang said, contained references to the use of a hand grenade and an M-14 assault rifle during a planned robbery. Both items were found in Turner's Chevy Tahoe on the day he was arrested, along with ski masks and bulletproof vests, Lang said. Romano, who is due to testify later in the trial, is currently in the federal witness protection program. FBI reports show that agents had approached Carmello Merlino between 1997 and 1998 because they believed he might know who had the Gardner artwork. But Merlino didn't tell them anything about the artwork, the reports say. Merlino's attorney, Martin Boudreau, argued that Romano helped the FBI because he wanted the $5 million reward offered for the recovery of the artwork. Boudreau also said Romano encouraged Merlino to plan a robbery of Loomis-Fargo. Prosecutors maintain Carmello Merlino was the mastermind behind the robbery plot.
This story ran on page B2 of the Boston Globe on 9/26/2001. http://www.boston.com/
Brazil Ships Rare Art to New York
By PETER MUELLO, Associated Press Writer
RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil (AP) - Despite fears of new terrorist attacks, Brazil has lifted its ban on the shipment of a rare baroque altarpiece for an exhibit at New York's Guggenheim museum.
more: http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/ap/20011005/en/attacks_guggenheim_1.html
Art world is braced for terror attack backlash
Freeserve boss counts cost of dotcom slump | Trouble at the top leaves Alliance open to takeover | Companies rush to offload bad news THE art world fears it may be the latest victim of September's terrorist attack on the World Trade Center. Desire Unbound, Tate Modern's dark and sexy exhibition of surrealist art, is proving a runaway success. The show seems to have caught the public mood. Morgan Stanley, the investment bank that lost staff in September's terror attacks in New York, has sponsored the show and held its delayed launch party last week. But while surrealism is drawing crowds at the Tate, many in the art world fear Desire Unbound may be one of the last shows to attract big- bucks corporate sponsorship.
more: http://www.sunday-times.co.uk/news/pages/sti/2001/10/07/stibusnws02023.html