--- Begin Forwarded Message ---
Date: Sun, 9 Dec 2001 20:13:54 -0500
From: Rob Dollison <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: All Department of the Interior (DOI) Internet connections shut
down by         DOJ court case



If any one has been having trouble either connecting to a USGS web site or
trying to download USGS data, it is because all Department of Interior (and
therefore USGS) Internet email and access to the Internet has been
temporarily shut down due to security concerns of the Court in the Corbell
v. Norton case.

These measures were ordered by the Court after the Special Master for the
Corbell litigation hired a contractor to conduct penetration testing of the
Indian Trust Management systems which resulted in a compromise of those
systems.  As a result, all Bureaus had to disconnect all of their external
network connections.

Until this suspension of Internet access is resolved you can still contact
USGS for science information, data or products via the phone at
1-800-ASK-USGS.  Data purchases can still be made, however, only
non-internet and non-ftp delivery mechanisms are available at this time.

USGS Business Partners and State Earth Science Information Centers (State
ESICs)are also still available to support data needs.  Most of these centers
should be able to be found through performing a search on standard Internet
search engines.

It is unknown at this time how long these measures will be in place.  The
Department of the Interior is working with the Court to discuss the security
of their systems and the restoration of the affected connections.

--- End Forwarded Message ---