Will a firewall at the South Pole melt through?

Ok, this is a little weird. Apparently, a National Science Foundation research station at the South Pole was hacked earlier this year. Although the NSF disputes the claim, US Attorney General John Ashcroft and the FBI have at various times claimed that the attack placed the lives of the scientists there at risk, because the life support system was compromised. That may or may not be true, but it's certainly a convenient excuse for them to tout the USA PATRIOT Act and how they say it saved 58 lives.

I have no way to verify the claims on either side, but if you're interested in more information, SecurityFocus.com has the scoop.