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Douglas Schweitzer's picture
Douglas Schweitzer

The Security Sector

Information security failing and ailing

It's not like we weren't already aware, but it was still sobering to learn that at a hearing on Wednesday, the Senate heard testimony by experts indicating that our government is losing the fight to keep information systems secure. No surprise that there was increased activity aimed at government networks in 2007, but to read that Tim Bennett (president of the Cyber Security Industry Alliance) said "Quite frankly, the bad guys are winning" was demoralizing.

This means we just have to step up the pace and stay ahead of breaches. I'm glad to see Bennett likened the situation to warfare - because that's what I consider it. When government networks are being attacked on a daily basis what else could you call it?

Even with FISMA (the 2002 Federal Information Security Management Act) in place, it looks like some agencies are just going through the motions in order to comply with regulations, but that effectiveness isn't being determined. I don't deny that there's better reporting of attacks now, but I don't agree that that's why we're seeing bigger numbers of attacks. It stands to reason that large, organized, criminal enterprises with lots of financial backing are responsible for the jump in the number of attacks.   

What People Are Saying

Bad guys winning

It should be highly noted that most of the serious security attacks come from named miltary and monetary attack sources: Govermant funded attacks from China, Middle-Eastern fanatic fundamentalists (i.e. Muslims), North Korea, etc.
Profits from goods purchased from these countries does not go towards programs to benefit the public as stated by the media, they go towards financing technological attacks on our defense, technological, financial and trade systems for the purpose of bringing down the USA in whatever manner they can. While America donates money, goods, and services to benefit the needy in their countries they spend a great deal of their profits on lavish palaces and military hardware to help them build up about ordinance to be a threat to internal dissidents nearby countries and the safety of the citizens of the world in general, as well as financing these attacks on our defense/ecoomy.

These are highly concentrated attacks focused primarily on our governmental. financial institutions, and other objectives regarding our national defense strategies and technological advances. It would behoove us all to keep an eye out for products that originate from more strategically friendly Countries when at all possible, and when not possible to purchase from friendly manufacturers to the United States of America we should make a note to the sellers that we would have preferred to have purchase items actually manufactured in countries that are more sympathetic and agreeable to the American consumers and economy.

In other words it is we ourselves who are financing the attacks on how on our national defense systems, technological advances whether they be militarily applied, trade secrets for American companies, or even protection against copyright infringement or trade secrets. If we are willing to pay just a slight amount more to keep the purchase products and goods originating from American manufactured/American friendly country manufactured plants and/or American home or American friendly conglomerates we are helping to lower the cost of ITE investors required to keep our country and companies safer for those aligned to do us current harm financially and otherwise.

And before any unfounded accusations and retaliatory remarks are posted yes I do make the effort to find out where products and their components are manufactured. Also I am willing to pay more for said product if it is made in a location, by a company, and in a manner that is beneficial to America and her citizens. Although it is difficult I also try to make sure their components originate in the same manner.
If you don't like spending all that money in security technology you could help to lower your own costs by using amarter buying practices.