Once again, I join with my blogging colleagues in offering some predictions for the coming year. I have kept it to six, so as not to get carried away, and I kept them general, so I have a better chance of being right. Some are nearly no-brainers, but several are definitely going out on a limb. I will let the readers judge if I am “sawing” on the correct side or not.
Cybercriminals begin to exploit the cloud for hacking – Homeland Security Newswire
Want to check whether the password to your wireless network (or your neighbor’s) passes muster? For $34, you can do just that by using a password-cracking service that is primarily aimed at “penetration testers” — people who are paid by a company to test its network’s security.
Congressional Quarterly surveyed homeland security experts, a number of whom are contributors to Security Debrief, on the state and future of homeland security. Some of their views on the Obama administration’s best move in homeland security in 2009 are provided here.
People all over the country are writing about 2009 – a good many will write about the events that affected cyber issues. I will not try to do a complete tour de force but will list some of the issues I felt were either very interesting or particularly important.
Today we had a major step forward in defending our Nation’s networks and a huge reminder of how great the cyber security gap we face actually is. The White House staff announced that Howard A. Schmidt was selected by the President to fill the role of Cyber Coordinator on the National Security Staff. This position has stood vacant since the President declared it a key need in his 29 May release of his Cyber report.
Recent comments by Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano highlight the growing threat of homegrown radicalization. What then, can corporate America do to protect itself, the country at large and prevent attacks from taking place? Companies must be aware of who they are letting into their offices, plants and warehouses. Access to private sector infrastructure and technology can have devastating effects in the hands of al Qaeda operatives or sympathizers.
Rich Cooper, Security Debrief contributor and Principal with Catalyst Partners, recently published an interview with former DHS Secretary Michael Chertoff in the 2009 Year in Homeland Security. Here are some highlights from the interview.
Last week in Portland, officials conducting routine reservoir testing found something unexpected: E. Coli. Officials reached out to the community via print, television, and radio news outlets, health networks, and their utility Web site. Unfortunately, many in the community remained unaware of the contamination until reading about it on the bottom of their TV screens during the following day’s football games. As it turns out, textbook responses don’t work as well when the textbook in question is out of date.
On the drive home, I heard the WTOP/CBS news reporters talk about how the President was once again considering the building and re-building of portions of our nation’s infrastructure as a means to put the millions of unemployed and under-employed Americans back to work. I couldn’t help but feel, “Here we go again.” It’s no secret that our country’s infrastructure is in dreadful shape, but my sense of deja vu at hearing the President’s interests in infrastructure was met by the realization that we are about to commit the same old sins and mistakes we’ve been making for years.
TSA Leaks Sensitive Airport Screening Manual – Wired
Government workers preparing the release of a Transportation Security Administration manual that details airport screening procedures badly bungled their redaction of the .pdf file. Result: The full text of a document considered “sensitive security information” was inadvertently leaked.
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