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Head Of Homeland Cybersecurity Named
ziggy_zero writes "Security software industry veteran Amit Yoran is expected to be named the new head of federal cybersecurity by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) on Tuesday. The DHS is also partnering with CERT to form the "US-CERT" cyber-attack coordination center, coordinating efforts to fight cyber-attacks, worms, etc."
Homeland security is a great idea, but there hasn't been much as far as actual results yet. We need some stats on how many threats they found/evaded, or is there this info available already?
Is anyone else tired of the word "cyber" being applied to anything dealing with computers? "Head of Cybersecurity" sounds like a title that some 13 year-old hax0r would call himself after finally learning how to share his family's broadband internet connection among machines. I find it difficult to take an office seriously if it designates head of "cyber" anything. It's the year 2003, people. Let's just start calling it "the internet."
but it seems to me that bribes from Mirrosoft for "defense contracts" comprise the largest threats to national electronic security.
Let's just switch everything over to OpenBSD and pray to cueriel that we keep good relations with Canada.
You can't judge a book by the way it wears its hair.
This sounds much, much better than it could have been.
I was predicting the worst...
someone with no technical background,
someone from Justice Dept,
someone corporate goon from Microsoft...
I am relieved.
From the article:
"Yoran helped to found network scanning company RipTech Inc. of Alexandria, Virginia, in 1998. After RipTech was acquired by antivirus giant Symantec Corp. for $145 million in August 2002, Yoran stayed on as Symantec vice president of worldwide managed security services operations, according to Symantec spokesman Cris Paden."
Anyone care to wager how soon the government starts awarding contracts/grants to Symantec for its exclusive security solution?
Want to improve your Karma? Instead of "Post Anonymously", try the "Post Humously" option.
Oh, great. Let's combine the computer security industry (already famous for making work and money for itself by scaring everyone with over-hyped media attention to every script-kiddy's feeble edit of an existing worm) with the Department of Homeland Security's similar tactics of justifying it's existence, not to mention whatever policies the powers-that-be desire.
We'll all be on tranquilizers in no time.
computerlady - a brand new Slash-daughter - alone, but no longer invisible, in the
Gods, I'm glad there's a humongous bureaucracy ready to step in and clean up the internet.
What's the plan, prosecute more teenagers and distribute their allowances between the multi-billion-dollar claimants?
Sheesh, evil *and* a jerk. -- Jade
when it comes to censoring and creating a virtual intranet to replace what we have now, it's easier to pacify moms and pops who think the 'cyber' world is something they could not possibly understand for themselves, so best leave it to the nice government to look after us...
Maybe this guy will help get rid of all those nasty worms on the intarweb
They would need to start by getting rid of Windows, which they apparently have standardized on. Not a good start.
Visit Jonesblog and say hello.
I am an indian and can tell you that Amit Yoran is NOT AN INDIAN NAME.
I think that choosing a software security and anti-virus expert, rather then someone with a law enforecement background is a good thing. It will hopefully keep the focus of off spying on citizens and might help reduce the number of worms going around right now.
This just in: Our Nation's cyber-fighting department outsourced security implementation to India.
...who uses a new personalized OS: Microsoft WindowsXPlode
...who just outsourced 90% to Afghanistan.
...who just hired on some guy who calls himself 'Ossy bin Laden'.
...who just finished a 3 month 'pong' marathon in a cave located in an area no-one's heard of.
"He had a weird smirk on his face when they told him he would be in charge of managing cyber-attacks. Upon further clarification, his smile turned to frown when it was revealed to him that he would not actually be creating worms, viruses, or organized DDoS attacks."
- Anonymous (but VERY reliable) source
;-)
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So, what, exactly, is the Department of Cybersecurity going to do? Monitor the Internet? Intercept virii? Rubberstamp Microsoft's agenda? Scan your email? Stop spam? Raid the homes of script kiddies? Side with the RIAA vs. 12-year-old girls? I really would like to know what "cybersecurity" entails.
And, fwiw, if the BSA "lauds" him, he can't be all that good news for open source.
If this man has any moral fiber and/or desire to defend privacy rights, it'll quickly be eroded under this administration.
Why am I so damned suspicious and cynical of everything this administration does? Is something wrong with me?
For those who are unfamilliar with him, here's a recent Frontline interview.
Amit Yoran is of course, a VP at Symantec. That would be the same company whose COO, John Schwartz, recently caused a storm by calling for laws to make it a criminal offence to share information and tools online which could be used by malicious hackers and virus writers.
Am I alone in putting two and two together and becoming alarmed at the implication?
My next sig will be ready soon, but subscribers can beat the rush
Rip-Tech was one of the largest security monitoring firms in the country, I can only see this as a good thing. Besides the goverment already has moved a majority of it's firewalls over to symantec long time ago.
I remebmer when I went to the raptor training 75% of the guys there were goverment types or working on goverment contracts.
I call it the Information Superhighway. Why? Is it because:
1) I like lots of syllables.
2) I'm a slave to whatever phrase is the current media darling.
3) I feel like roadkill on said highway.
or
4) I like screaming "ONRAMP!" every time I boot the computer.
They say the first thing to go is your penis. Well, it's either that or your brain. I forget which...
Anyone wonder how long it will take until we have easy to understand color coded virus "terrah" alert levels?
Make sure everyone's vote counts: Verified Voting
That would be his point.
The Kruger Dunning explains most post on
He won't be able to get into the office with a furrun sounding name like that.
"They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety."
I, for one, welcome our new cyber-security overlord!
I'm slightly concerned that its someone whos main source of income has been writing anti-virus software for Windows machines. I would doubt that he wakes up each day he hears about a new windows virus and says, that does it, i'm swithcing to linux for better security. He probably also would not really like to see for example, an open source virus program.
And to the extent that he can cast off his "I profit from poor windows security" past, then he would probably see the "paladium" or whatever its called now as the ideal solultion to the widows is a seive problem. And in the HS dept he'll have the clout to make it a national requirement.
the only good thing is it looks like he was a technical person who is well aware of many of the problems in computer security.
Some drink at the fountain of knowledge. Others just gargle.
I've never heard of this guy, so I just google'd him, and found all kinds of things, including this
interview with him from March 13, 2003, and this brief biography. He is currently vice president of Managed Security Services Operations for Symantec, and previously worked for the U.S. Department of Defense Computer Emergency Response Team (DoD/CERT).
kinda nice to see that the future "Head of Homeland Cybersecurity" at least has a formal c.s. education, and some obvious real-world experience.
I got to witness ISS getting the "dept" involved firsthand with a recent Apache bug...... they decided that Free Operating Systems were not "real vendors" and kept us all out of the loop, so then we all got to find out about the bug with the rest of the public. The few "trusted" parties would have been looking at some treason if they had notified their friends in other affected projects.
Thanks ISS... again. This will be a huge unimprovement. I fear Germany will become the new world center for computer security if these boneheads have their way.
I know this guy. He was a classmate of mine back at the Academy. The guy is sharp. He went from West Point, the Army's academyh, into the Air Force (A handful of people do this each year). I note went out to our class list about his companies sale, which made us all quite jealous.
The thing about West Point is that it drives home a commitment to the Country (Duty, Honor, Country is the School Moto). At least we have someone who stood up, raised his right hand, and swore to support and defend the Constitution. Yes, I am sure he is a savvy business man, but he's as honest as we are going to get.
BTW Amit, is an Israeli name.
Open Source Identity Management: FreeIPA.org
I listened to Richard Clarke at MIT once. While he was a very fervent advocate of cleaning up security, he lied blatantly and publicly at that presentation. "Carnivore was a bad name and a bad idea, it no longer exists" was flatly known to be false by at least 3 people in the room who had had occasion to be directly aware of *which* little rooms at the local mid-level ISP had the secret equipment, still in use as of the previous week.
He also refused to acknowledge the federal role in crippling security through the encryption export controls, which while looser now are still aimed dead square against anything the NSA cannot easily break into, and FCC standards that prevent breaking FBI or other agency undetectable man-in-the-middle monitoring.
We'll see if this new guy can do a better job, but if he has Ashcroft's hand shoved up is ass making his lips wiggle, I don't hold out much hope for actual improvements in our overall security. The very tools that improve security make life harder for law enforcement to monitor without detection: Ashcroft is not giving up those features, period.
Yes I know, the DHS hasn't done anything so far to earn this level of distrust from me, in fact they seem to be trying to build up trust, but...I'd definitely feel better just contacting security@mylinuxdistribution.com.