Steven Bucci

A Challenge to the US STRATCOM Commander

June 21, 2010

At day two of the AFCEA STRATCOM Cyber Security Symposium, I was a member of the Industry Panel. I took a breath and issued my challenge. Our moderator had asked each of the four panelists to make brief opening remarks on the state of industry in the cyber security issue space and to end with a “memorable” bumper sticker. It was my turn to make opening remarks. I went with my strong suit: directness, passion and leadership. I issued a challenge directly to Commanding General of StratCom with the bumper sticker “Make the Public-Private Partnership Real.”

NSA's Meyerricks Addresses Cyber Audience

Steven Bucci |

June 15, 2010

At the Defense Daily Cyber Summit today, Dawn Meyerricks, Deputy Director for Science and Technology at NSA stated without hesitation that cyber security is NOT the same as Information Assurance (IA). Many of us gave her hearty “amens.” Meyerricks made numerous other important points, and when questioned on differences between government agency perspectives on cyber, she said differences between various experts were in dire need of resolution.

Is Cyber War an International Inevitability?

Steven Bucci |

June 11, 2010

There is great debate on the possibility, existence, inevitability and reality of Cyber War. Some say we are in the midst of one everyday. Others say that this is just technologically enabled espionage, nowhere near a “war.” Those that think this is all a tempest in a teapot were dealt a blow recently when it was revealed that a special NATO Commission led by former U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright is warning that the next aggression against a NATO member country will probably come via the cyber realm.

Botnets Continue to Grow

Steven Bucci |

June 9, 2010

More and more people are becoming aware of Botnets and the problems they can cause. What used to be an esoteric technical subject has entered the common vernacular, and well it should. The size and complexity of these zombie computer networks is staggering. Many have over a million personal computers as “members.” Obviously the vast majority of these have been incorporated without the knowledge or consent of the owners. The bottom line is this: you must be aware that Bots are out there, and they “want” your computer.

Each Service Sees Cyber a Little Differently

Steven Bucci |

June 1, 2010

Now that Congress has finally confirmed Gen. Keith Alexander for his fourth star and the duty of Commander, US Cyber Command, he has a tough road ahead. Cyber Command will be a sub-unified command under U.S. Strategic Command. It is not an intelligence organization – despite Alexander being dual hated as the Director of the National Security Agency – but is what the military refers to as a warfighting command. Alexander will have control of components from each of the services. As a Joint Commander, he must blend these elements into a cohesive force to deal with an enormous set of challenges in a unified manner.

Was the Stock Market Crash a Cyber Attack?

Steven Bucci |

May 12, 2010

Last week we experienced a major “event” in the financial world. In a matter of minutes, the New York Stock Exchange lost nearly 1000 points or about $1 trillion. It caused panic and kicked off numerous investigations as to the catalyst of the dramatic and expensive incident. There are five possible reasons for the market fall, but despite lots of hand wringing and conspiracy theorizing, pretty much all the experts agreed that it was not a terrorist incident.

SCADA Systems: Are they our soft underbelly?

Steven Bucci |

May 10, 2010

If you want to scare a cyber-lay person, have them watch Bruce Willis chase virtual terrorists in “Live Free or Die Hard” and tell them it is all possible. In the film, the entire digital infrastructure of our country is brought to a stand still by a small group of very talented hackers. OK, professional analysts have told me it could not happen today. It could, however, happen in the not too distant future, particularly if present trends continue. The keys to that scenario are SCADA systems.

Is Cloud Computing Losing Some of its Allure?

Steven Bucci |

May 6, 2010

At a Cloud Computing Summit this week, initial questions were simple and basic; later, the question grew almost hostile. I remain an advocate for Cloud Computing. I am convinced that its economic, ecological and efficiency pluses will out weigh its potential downsides in the end. The mostly government crowd was not so sure. They were asking tough questions and were more than a little skeptical.

DHS Cyber Progress – Why Not Tell Us?

Steven Bucci |

May 4, 2010

I have been critical in the past of the fact that DHS has not done enough about cybersecurity. I believe DHS is the correct part of the federal government to lead on cyber issues, but it always seemed that everything was on hold. It turns out I was wrong. I attended a superb cybersecurity event, and while I would love to give you a complete blow-by-blow recount of the excellent panel presentations and the Q&A, it was all done on a non-attribution basis. Despite that, I do feel compelled to share some of what I heard.

Contributor: