ITAC Blog » President Obama

Friday’s Food for Thought: The “MRI” of Identity Theft and Cyber Crime

ITACadmin — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 20:39:36 +0000

In many ways, the issue of cyber crime and identity theft parallels the challenges that our nation is facing when it comes to airport security. As is the case with fighting terrorism, unfortunately, there seems to be no end of cyber crime. President Obama further reinforced this by naming Howard Schmidt as the Cybersecurity Coordinator.

In taking a page from TSA, and the implementation of the full body scan, what is next for airport security? An MRI scan? Can you leave your shoes on then? As terrorist activity increases, so do the lines at security – and consumers have no choice but to get used to it.

Now with cyber crimes on the rise, will the average consumer require a “cyber MRI” to keep themselves from being victims of fraud? Who knows? Many cyber security experts have talked about the need for a shared accountability with consumers, law enforcement and policy makers to fight cyber crime. So, perhaps the idea of a “cyber MRI” has some legs…

Newer and more complex security measures are in store for 2010. Just like lines for airport security will increase due to terrorist activities – there will also be longer security waits for consumers.

So take off your shoes, your shirt, your watch, your glasses, your coat (you get the picture), it may be a long wait….

Front Runners for “Cyber Czar” Position and 60-Day Review will be Released Tomorrow

ITACadmin — Thu, 28 May 2009 14:41:15 +0000

While we are anxiously awaiting for President Obama to name the new “cyber czar” and release the findings of the 60-day review on cyber security, we thought we would share the latest news. The front runners have been named and they are Melissa Hathaway, Rod Beckstrom and Paul Kurtz.

So, who do you think the winner will be? We are betting on Hathaway, since she has already been playing the interim role. Also, big reminder that we are soliciting Three Recommendations from our readers as to how this person can best serve in this position. Don’t be shy! And remember, we will be taking these recommendations and formally presenting them to the new cyber czar.

Pentagon Detected 360 Million Attempts to Penetrate its Networks in 2008

ITACadmin — Wed, 06 May 2009 15:01:05 +0000

Well, it seems that the recent breach of the Joint Fighter Strike project was not the first cyber attack against the Department of Defense. According to a recent Wall Street Journal article, the Pentagon confirmed that it detected 360 million attempts to penetrate its networks in 2008, which is up from six million in 2006. The Department of Defense also disclosed that it had spent $100 million in the past six months repairing damage from these cyber attacks.

While we are not surprised that the Joint Strike Fighter breach was not the only attempt at attacking the Pentagon’s networks, we are astounded by the sheer volume of attacks. We are also curious to hear how the 2009 numbers will shake out, which will surely be an increase in the 2008. Also, $100 million dollars is a significant investment for the Department of Defense, but surely they will need to pore even more resources into fighting this battle.

We are still anxiously await the results of the Obama administration recently completed a 60-day review of the government’s efforts to protect key public and private networks. And, fortunately, the Pentagon will be creating a new “cyber command” for defending the Pentagon computer networks and improve U.S. offensive capabilities. So, our government is moving forward with addressing this issue.

Interesting times we live in right now. We will keep you posted on the results of the 60-day cyber review.