单选题 In the wake of the Sept. 11 attacks, many Americans feel we may begin to see the erosion of some of our civil liberties. There is concern we may be subject to personal searches and increased monitoring of our activities, all in the name of safety and security. On the computing front, I would argue that we already have had to surrender many of our liberties to protect ourselves from computer viruses and other security breaches.
As much as vendors and network administrators try to make scanning for viruses an unobtrusive process for the end user, we still are inconvenienced by the routines mandated by the guardians of our corporate computing security. However, inconvenience takes a back seat to the outright need for security. Viruses are more than inconvenient; they cause real damage. Computer Economics estimates the cost of virus attacks on information systems around the world, including cleanup costs and lost productivity, has already reached $10.7 billion so far this year. Compare that figure with $17.1 billion for all of 2000 and $12.1 billion for 1999.
I know you're thinking. "I'm only one person. How can I spend the necessary time to safeguard my company against viruses and security holes and still do my regular job?"
Realistically, you can't. But there are resources to help you.
Microsoft has just announced a new initiative called the Strategic Technology Protection Program. Among the services being offered are free technical support related to viruses and a security tool kit that includes patches and service packs that address security vulnerabilities in Windows NT and 2000.
The FBI and SANS Institute have just released their top 20 list of the most critical Internet security vulnerabilities. The majority of successful attacks on computer systems via the Internet can be traced to exploitation of security flaws on this list. Study the list at www. sanq. org.
The Center for Internet Security provides methods and tools to improve, monitor and compare the security status of your Internet-connected systems. Find out how to benchmark your organization's status at www. cisecurity, org.
Software vendors such as Network Associates, Symantec and Computer Associates have very informative virus resource centers. The Symantec Antivirus Research Center (www. symantec, com/avcenter) has an online newsletter and in-depth information about viruses. Likewise, the CA Virus Information Center offer tips on managing virus incidents and protecting messaging systems.
Just like our national defense, the best protection against a debilitating virus attack is knowledge of the vulnerabilities and the means to plug the security holes. Be proactive and vigilant, and make use of the numerous resources at your disposal.

单选题 The writer seems to feel that ______.
A. the concern about the erosion of liberties is unnecessary
B. the routine scanning of viruses causes much inconvenience to end users
C. the need for computing security makes inconvenience tolerable
D. liberty can be guaranteed only if security is achieved first

单选题 The two figures " $17.1 billion" and " $12.1 billion" are mentioned for the readers to ______.
A. make sense of the damages that have been done so far this year
B. see the decrease of the cost of virus attacks
C. calculate the cost of virus attacks for the year 2001
D. pay more attention to anti-virus resources

单选题 To obtain detailed information about viruses, we can resort to ______.
A. the Strategic Technology Protection Program
B. www. sans. org
C. www. cisecurity, org
D. www. symantec, corn

单选题 By simply checking the top 20 list, we may ______.
A. obtain a picture of major successful attacks on computer systems
B. identify a possible security hole in our computer systems
C. improve the security status of our computer systems
D. protect our computer systems from virus attacks

单选题 A proper title for this passage might be ______.
A. the Aftermath of Sept. 11
B. Liberty vs. Security
C. Strategies for Battling Virus
D. Virus Attack—Another Form of Sept. 11