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U.S. Cybersecurity Not So Secure?
freaktheclown writes "According to CNet, 'government auditors have been saying that Homeland Security has failed to live up to its cybersecurity responsibilities and may be 'unprepared' for emergencies.'" The article discusses FEMA's handling of relief efforts for hurricane Katrina and how a very similar situation exists with electronic security measures in the U.S. In addition to a conjecture the department of cybersecurity has been "plagued by a series of damning reports, accusations of bureaucratic bungling, and a rapid exodus of senior staff that's worrying experts and industry groups."
Cybersecurity not so secure?
That's like jumbo shrimp!
I keep all my usernames/passwords on a Geocities hosted site.
Well duh, it's hardly surprising, when everything's considered.
My sig is too lon
Yes, unqualified people performing serious jobs leads to nothing but problems.
Careful now, that sounds a bit like TERRORIST talk to me...
Yep, shoot all computer users and make sure the damn things are never turned on agai35[cf(*^NO CARRIER
AT&ROFLMAO
>
> Yes, unqualified people performing serious jobs leads to nothing but problems.
You miss the point. The purpose of cycling senior people through the bureaucracy isn't because the bureaucracy's ineffective, it's because it's the gateway to a consluting career with the bureaucracy. That's how the Aristocracy of Pull works, and it works the same way whether the Jackasses or the Elephants are in charge. (The only catch is that you can only pull fellow Jackasses (or Elephants) through the door -- and because your tribal totem isn't going to be in charge forever, whenever your gang's in charge, you're obliged to bring the maximum number of fellow gang members through the door as possible during your time in charge.)
To recap:
1) Cultivate enough pull to get a cushy appointment.
2) As a courtesy to the last guy to hold your post, hire him as a conslutant at double his previous pay.
3) Continue to ineffective -- preferably so ineffective that you have a good excuse to resign in "disgrace" within a year or so. This frees up the slot so your boss can reward another guy with pull.
4) Get hired by the new guy at half the political liability to your friends, and at double the pay.
5) PROFIT!
The less effective the bureaucracy, the more people can be run through the revolving door during the course of a given administration, and the more taxpayer dollars can be looted in the process. And because pull is proportional to dollars looted, the system creates its own incentive. Launder, rinse, repeat.
the gateway to a consluting career
This is one of the most insightful typos I've seen on slashdot.
Ho! Haha! Guard! Turn! Parry! Dodge! Spin! Ha! Thrust!
A cyberterrorist attack could hit any moment. DHS needs to have the following items on hand to distribute:
.. however some with expired TTL's may have to be left behind).
1,000,000 emergency email clients
100,000 fast-deploying RSS readers
5,000,000 excel-compatible spreadsheets (they might have to tap foreign companies to produce this)
20,000,000 Windows-compatible operating systems
plenty of duct tape
Thankfully, DHS has already executed several successful evacuation drills:
1) with coordination from the major tier-1 ISPs, we can evacute up to 1 terabyte per day from the major population centers. (including packets with damaged headers
2) basic instant messaging services can be brought back on line within 8 hours. (full emoticon graphics after 10).
3) they even have a backup supply of viruses and malware which, thanks to the assistance of Microsoft Corporation, can be deployed in approximately 15 minutes so that knowledge workers can "feel at home" during difficult times.
Not to mention a team of professionally trained counselors to comfort those who feel lost and helpless without their Lotus Notes.
I'm sure with more planning and understanding, and working with the private sector, DHS can make us all feel a little safer from a cyberterrorist attack.