The "New" Homeland Security Math
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The new formula for doling out money was supposed to redistribute it more equitably among states most at risk. But small states are still getting more than their share
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The job of homeland security secretary seems exceedingly more complex than anything that Bernard B. Kerik has faced.
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(Source: Lumension Security)  Today's IT security model is broken. In the ongoing battle to defend against malicious attacks, the industry studies and surveys continue to reveal a sobering fact: Although more than 99 percent of companies have anti-virus technology deployed, about 60 percent still suffer from malware infection every year. More organizations every year are also falling victim to data theft, despite the additional layers of IT security. Using traditional security measures, organizations must continuously react to risks, forcing them to constantly play catch-up with today's relentless barrage of viruses, spyware, Trojans and rogue devices. IT security has reached a tipping point, as reactive security solutions are simply unable to keep up with this constant tirade of malicious attacks. Join IDC Analyst Charles Kolodgy as he evaluates the "positive security model" as an emerging alternative and define its elements, including how this model lays a policy-based framework that facilitates proactive, continuous security across the enterprise.  In addition to Mr. Kolodgy's presentation, attendees will hear about: -How the Positive Security Model simplifes the entire security management lifecycle-Lumension Security's solutions, which provide you with unified protection and control of all endpoints-First hand experience from CWIE Holdings about the drawbacks of relying on traditional security measures
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(InfoWorld) - The Department of Homeland Securityâs Computer Emergency Readiness Team (US-CERT) raised a few eyebrows in late November when it sent a warning out to U.S. banks and financial institutions about a possible cyber attack by Islamic militants. The alert, dated Nov. 30, was triggered by a posting on what the DHS considered an Islamic jihadi Web site calling for hackers to attack U.S. financial and banking Web sites, apparently to protest the detention of Muslims at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. However, the warning was heavily qualified, with DHS calling the threat âmore aspirational than operational.â Financial firms downplayed the danger, too. One security executive at a major brokerage told InfoWorld that the warning was a ânon-event.â But could repeated warnings about such non-events eventually make critical infrastructure owners deaf to DHSâs warnings? InfoWorld Senior Editor Paul F. Roberts recently chatted with John Carlson, senior director of security and risk Assessment at BITS, a financial-services industry consortium focused on security, fraud, and risk management, about the DHS warning and state of the public-private partnership on cybersecurity. InfoWorld: Iâm guessing that your members received the US-CERT warning about the cyber terrorist attack? John Carlson: There were two messages sent: the first was [Nov. 30]; then a second revision came out [Dec. 1]. The gist of it was that these reports were not corroborated. IW: What was the reaction of BITS members to the warning? JC: Our members have an âall hazardsâ approach to business-continuity planning. Theyâve got well-developed approaches that have been bolstered since 9/11. In response to new regulatory requirements, firms have done a lot to improve backup, theyâve done tests with the various exchanges. Theyâre also working in closer harmony with the federal government to share information on threats and vulnerabilities. I think thereâs a spirit of appreciation that the government is willing to share information with the financial services industry. The firms take that information into account in responding and activating their business continuity plans. IW: How do your members apply information like this that comes from DHS? JC: Iâm not sure I can give a blanket answer. Each firm has its own mechanisms for gathering information. Risk-management professionals at these firms read the paper and understand the military conflicts and theyâre mindful of that. They take it into account when they have employees traveling. Theyâll monitor where they are. With the [bird flu] pandemic issue, firms were monitoring that closely and trying to figure out what impact it would have on their organizations. IW: Is there a danger from these warnings of creating a âBoy Who Cried Wolfâ situation, where firms begin to disregard the warnings? JC: Thereâs always a concern about the crying-wolf syndrome. But our firms appreciate getting the information even if itâs not corroborated. A continuous flow of information helps build trust between the private and public sectors. IW: Was this warning about the jihadist threat something that your members see all the time, or was this an unusual kind of warning from DHS? JC: I think the warning came across the transom at a high level [saying] âpay attention to this.â So it was different from what we normally get. Weâre getting a steady stream of information on threats and vulnerabilities and a range of things. For example, if thereâs a known virus thatâs being perpetrated in [the United States] or against a financial institution. Weâre also getting information on political changes around the world. IW: Do you think DHS has its arms around the cybersecurity problem? JC: My personal opinion is that the government has some capabilities, but not all capabilities. In general, our firms would like more information, but there are many reasons why if (the government) has the information they donât provide it. But itâs a touchy question. People have lots of different views. Â  IW: Do you feel like your members are getting all the information they need? JC: Thereâs some filtering, but I donât have information to compare or validate what the filter is. We talk about issues through coordinating councils that meet quarterly. Itâs a two way conversation.Â
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As we all know, since September 11, 2001 the U.S. has been much more vigilant in defending itself against terrorist attacks. &nbsp;In addition to bombing the shit out of the Middle East, we have also established the Department of Homeland Security whose responsibility it is to defend us from terrorists. They have so far done a stellar job, as the U.S. has yet to be hit by another terrorist attack. &nbsp;But the ever-vigilant Department of Homeland Security is not resting on its laurels. Recently, they prevented the terrorist supporter Yusef Islam from entering the United States.
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White House Homeland Security Adviser Frances Townsend holds a news conference on a new National Intelligence Estimate on threats to the United States, July 17, 2007.
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A small group of thinking men and women convened at Rutgers University last month to consider how order theory &#151; a branch of abstract mathematics that deals with hierarchical relationships &#151; could be applied to the war on terror.
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Valued at upward of $140 billion over the next five years, the growing U.S. homeland security market is luring a range of suppliers, including many defense firms hedging against a slowdown in war spending.
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I spent much of this afternoon in a mandatory (for poll workers) four hour training class on the Hart InterCivic eSlate voting system, soon to be in use in elections in my home county. (Hart InterCivic is a privately held firm out of Houston, specializing in election equipment and in software products for county records offices). Contrary to my previous impression, the machines are not touch screen machines, although they share some similarities.  I went into the class skeptical; I have been a critic of what I percieve as an unseemly rush to adopt insecure electronic voting systems. I emerged guardedly optimistic; the systems appear, from what I can tell, to be reasonably secure against vote manipulation by people who are not part of the election staff, and they appear to provide approximately the same level of security against election office malfeasance that paper ballots do. At the end of the day, if the election staff wants to tamper, they can; but that was true with paper ballots as well. That risk can be mitigated by election office procedures intended to mitigate it; in San Mateo County's case, those procedures have in some important regards not yet been established, as I will discuss below.
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Its intelligence services are running wild in the U.S. and pilfering technology, according to a new counterintelligence exec on China. Is this the latest Bush fear-mongering? Plus: Bush board backs wiretaps. In 27B Stroke 6.
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Encryption circles are buzzing with news that mathematical functions embedded in common security applications have previously unknown weaknesses.
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Representatives of the CWE (Common Weakness Enumeration) project, which launched in December 2005, reported to Black Hat DC attendees that progress continues on the project. The DHS-sponsored effort is currently sifting through "mountains" of vuln data, and they're in touch with the affected companies.
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A guide to the new Bush budget's winners and losers
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The disruption of an alleged plot at JFK airport reveals a broader and complex homeland-security challenge.
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Americans are facing a brave new world of post-September 11 technology marvels that could soon find their way into billions of dollars of projected homeland security spending.
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Mitre initiative, backed by Homeland Security, is designed to replace many variations in use today with standard flaw terms.
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U.S. News & World Report - When it comes to terrorists' most valuable weapons, passports and visas probably rank higher than bullets and bombs. Without such documents, terrorists can't easily travel to train, conduct reconnaissance, or prepare for an attack. "They are the greatest tools that terrorists have in their arsenal," says Asa Hutchinson, under secretary for border and transportation security at the Department of Homeland Security. That fact became clear in the aftermath of 9/11, when it was discovered that all 19 of the hijackers had made it into the United States with doctored or suspicious  ...