Article 1: Should Software Reliability Be Examined More Closely? Article 2: Internet Router Security Threatens the Net Article 3: Hospitals Seek Measures to Avoid Medical Errors Article 4: The FAA Reports the Number of Runway Incursions Dropping   Should Software Reliability Be Examined More Closely? As software controls more and more of our everyday products – from stoves to cell phones and from cars to power plants – malfunctions caused by "bugs" in the software code are becoming more common and widespread. A study commissioned in 2002 by the National Institute of Standards and Technology found that software errors cost the U.S. economy roughly $59.5 billion annually, with more than half those costs borne by the software users. But bad computer code can sometimes result in more than the loss of money. It can cause tragedy, as in the case of a poorly-programmed ground-based altitude warning system that was partly responsible for the crash in 1997 of a Korean Air flight. That crash killed 228 people. Yet experts agree that computer code could be made more reliable with more testing before a product is released. Others feel that it would help if software makers were held accountable for poor programming. Developers say that defects stem from software complexity and pressure to bring new products to market quickly. Programmers typically spend half their time writing code and the other half looking for bugs. Though that approach may have worked when the computer industry was still in its infancy and programs were small, many of today’s applications are quite large, and a major application may have more than a million lines of code. Another aspect of the problem is the fact that programmers have no way to test their design’s reliability before the consumer purchases it, unlike most other products brought to market. To combat this, engineers are learning to pay greater attention to details and ignore aggressive deadlines. Moreover, the need exists for the creation of automated tools that can analyze software and rate its reliability. Software developers have largely not been held accountable for shoddy products, due in part to the reluctance of industry regulators to rein in the nation’s fastest-growing industry. Most industry insiders agree that software bugs would be greatly reduced if software makers were held legally responsible for defects. Source: CNN.com 5/2/03  Internet Router Security Threatens the Net   Currently, there are approximately 12,000 routers that channel information to more than 130,000 networks on the World Wide Web. Border gateway protocol (BGP) is a widely used technology that efficiently routes data through the Internet. BGP, however, is a technology that lacks virtually any form of security, making it highly susceptible to tampering. A misconfigured router, or one that has been compromised, can allow a hacker to redirect information, wiretap data, and generally cause any level of mayhem and confusion. Routers using BGP currently rely on the honor system when interacting with their Internet neighbors – they don’t ask for or require any sort of digital identification. In April of 1997, this resulted in a small Virginia Internet provider advertising that it was the best route to the Internet. The ensuing avalanche of data bottlenecked major portions of the Internet for more than two hours. Though the Bush Administration has recently named BGP as critical technology that needs to be secured, the work is proceeding slowly. The Internet Engineering Task Force, the group that sets the technical standards for the Internet, has developed the specifications for Secure BGP, but network-hardware manufacturers have been slow to adopt the new technology because of the additional costs it would impose on obtaining a Web address. Source: CNET News, February 28, 2003   Hospitals Seek Measures to Avoid Medical Errors   Hospitals and other care-giving facilities are implementing new policies to help curb the incidence of medical mistakes in an effort to meet the recommended new safety precautions and procedures suggested by patient watchgroups. The National Quality Forum, a nonprofit public/private collaborative, has issued a report describing 30 health-care practices that every hospital should follow to lessen the risk of medical errors. A similar nonprofit group, the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO), has also released a "universal protocol" for the prevention of "wrong-site, wrong-procedure and wrong-person surgery," and an updated list of seven National Patient Safety Goals, including 13 additional "safe practices" that hospitals will be required to adopt by July 2004. JCAHO publishes reports every two months based on hospital accidents and deaths. One such accident is a "surgical fire" caused by combustible materials in operating rooms. A common ignition source is electrosurgical and cauterization equipment or lasers, with most fires occurring in a patient’s airway, or in the oxygen-enriched atmosphere about the head or face. Other hazards include flammable materials such as alcohol-based prepping agents and ointments, and the linen drapes and masks used during surgery – any of which can be easily ignited by the spark from a high-speed drill or similar equipment. The new JCAHO protocol includes lengthy patient-care checklists, and a requirement that a surgeon personally initial or write the word "yes" on any area of a patient that will be operated on. Many orthopaedic surgeons have been using their own similar procedures for years, having nurses or the patients themselves mark the correct site for surgery, but not until the "Sign Your Site" ad campaign initiated in recent years by the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons has awareness been raised significantly. In a survey performed earlier this year, it was reported that 93% of surgeons are signing sites themselves, compared with only 43% in 1999. JCAHO reports that next year, alerts may be issued on preventable deaths during childbirth, and on injuries and deaths that result when patients wander out of hospitals. Source: "The Informed Patient," by Laura Landro Wall Street Journal online, July 31, 2003

The FAA Reports the Number of Runway Incursions Dropping

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) reports a 17 percent drop in runway incursions between October 1, 2001 and September 30, 2002, compared with the previous 12-month period. The number fell from 407 to 339. Additionally, the number of "serious incidents" – those where a collision was avoided only by a last-minute diversion of an involved plane or vehicle – was also cut in half from 20 to 10 during the same period. The FAA credits its ongoing awareness campaign for pilots and other airport personnel, as well as improved runway markers and signs at various airports. New technologies, such as a system that uses existing radar to warn traffic controllers of potential collisions, and runway sensors and lights that let pilots know when runways are clear, are also being tested at major airports. The 339 incursions translate to 5.2 incidents per million takeoffs and landings. The FAA reports that most runway incursions involve small private planes, not large passenger jets. Stopping runway incursions continues to be a priority of the National Transportation Safety Board, even though there have been no catastrophic collisions at any U.S. airport. The Los Angeles (California) International Airport and North Las Vegas (Nevada) Airport have reported the largest number of aggregate incursions over the last four years at 34 each. Source: CNN.com, July 31, 2003