Security for the Paranoid

Stephenmg writes "In Security for the Paranoid, Mark Burnett talks about his computer security methods after other Security profesionals say he is too Paranoid. 'Paranoia is the key to success in the security world. Is it time to worry when other security professionals consider you too paranoid? I require my kids to use at least 14 character passwords on our home network and I'm considering issuing them smart cards.' I don't see anything wrong with his methods."

Comments

This guy is a moron

[Uhh_Duh]

Being paranoid is fine -- but it's only 1% of the battle -- and it makes no sense to run around closing up every possible hole you find.

A security expert is supposed to identify ALL of the possible ways in which the organization may experience a negative impact as a result of poor security (both logical and physical). His job, brace yourselves kids, is not to close all of the holes!! Rather, his role is centered around determining the cost/benefit of taking care of each specific issue. If there's a 0.5% risk of a particular security hole costing a large organization only $1,000 in damages and cleanup, and closing that hole will cost $5,000 in man-hours and hardware, it's pretty clear what the correct choice is. On the other hand, the risk may be low, and the cost may be low, so you just do it. Or the risk me be high, and the cost high, so you STILL do it... you get the idea.

Being paranoid is fine -- it will help you identify security problems that others may or may not see. However, what to DO about the holes you find is where the real work begins.

I can't imagine a cost-benefit scenario that justifies issuing smart-cards to family members on a home network. This guy has officially achieved 'retard' status.

I wouldn't want him as my ISO

[GPLDAN]

Seriously. I would fear the guy doesn't even begin to fathom risk analysis. He just breeds paranoia. Guys like that break budgets wide open and spend lots of money they shouldn't on lots of stuff they don't need. He's like Mel Gibson in Conspiracy. Three firewalls? I hope they are open source cause Checkpoint licenses are expensive.

You start breaking down security prinicples and over doing it, and you just look stupid. Other security professionals are telling him he's paranoid, but that's just being nice. What they are THINKING, is that the guy is incompetent. And doesn't understand productivity versus security tradeoffs. Somebody needs to have him go read Schnier on a island somewhere. Unpucker.

It's a joke, people

[Daedala]

As soon as I read this article, I sent it to many of my friends, because it's funny. It's an elegant, understated, hilarious demonstration of an important point. It starts perfectly reasonably and gets progressively sillier, until by the end it's way over-the-top hyperbole. This essay is a really lovely piece of writing, because at first it suckers you in with its reasonably paranoid stance, and when you realize you've been had -- I guess that's if you realize you've been had -- makes you think about diminishing returns.