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Gartner’s latest on tablet PCs, social tagging, and other emerging technologies

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First a good analogy: “In the history of business and consumer use of the Internet, the vast majority of security approaches have relied on customer premises equipment — security hardware and software at the edge of every business or on the PC of every consumer. This is the equivalent of the water company telling you to put water purifiers onto the water pipe into your house because it is sending you many poisonous substances mixed into your water.”

Despite usability and liability obstacles, few would argue that “immunizing” the network for cyber threats this way doesn’t make sense.

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New security breaches disclosure law

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It also helps protect consumers by giving them the information they need to head off possible identity theft when sensitive details such as Social Security, driver’s license and credit card numbers become exposed.

The Information Security Breach and Notification Act in New York is broadly similar to security breaches laws enacted in California more than two years ago.

Legislation requiring consumer notification of data security breaches has been approved in at least 15 states since then.

New York’s decision to go ahead with its legislation follows a series of high profile consumer data security breaches involving US firms including data mining firm ChoicePoint, payment processing firm CardSystems Solutions and others.

http://www.xatrix.org/article4032.html

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New law may tighten power plant security

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Part of the 1,724-page energy bill that President Bush signed last week calls for federal bureaucrats to create an “electric reliability organization” that would draft mandatory standards–including cybersecurity guidelines–for electric power system operations.

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, or FERC, would be tasked with setting standards to prevent system instability or failures that can be tied to a “sudden disturbance, including a cybersecurity incident.”

FERC may impose penalties for violations and has 180 days to begin the process of certifying the reliability organization.

The new regulations come about three months after a Government Accountability Office report cited “a general consensus–and increasing concern” among officials that systems controlling utility infrastructures face real threats of attack.

A visit from the Slammer worm, for instance, may have been in part to blame for failures at a nuclear power plant in 2003, the report said.

And in March, electric industry security consultants reported numerous intrusions into control systems.

No serious damage was done, they said, but the activity “heightened concerns” about future foul play.

One of the reasons why the control systems are so vulnerable is that they’re increasingly being connected to private networks that use the Internet, so that they can be managed remotely, the GAO report said.

The current computer system used by utilities and public transportation facilities was not designed with the Internet in mind, said Clarence Morey, senior manager for product strategy at Internet Security Systems, a company that counts public utilities among its clients.

“As companies connect these systems to the Net to allow remote access or drive efficiency, they’re opening themselves up to risk,” Morey said.

Morey said his company supported the new legislation, adding that a “three-legged stool” composed of technology, legislation and good policy is the way to fend off attacks.

Right now, no mandatory cybersecurity standards exist for power grid operators, but many of them adhere to voluntary ones set by the North American Electric Reliability Council, said council spokeswoman Ellen Vancko.

The council, which first adopted 24 pages of cybersecurity guidelines in 2003, is on its third draft of permanent, “more defined” standards, she said.

Vancko said she expects that FERC will certify the council as its official Electric Reliability Organization.

The U.S. Department of Energy has already designated the council as coordinator of infrastructure protection for the electric sector, and the council works closely with Homeland Security.

FERC did not return calls for comment on Tuesday.

“We pushed the legislation through, and we’re the only entity out there developing reliability standards,” Vancko said.

“So we’re really the only entity out there qualified to perform such a role.”

New law may tighten power plant security

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US-Cert report on spyware

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Starting on page 10 defensive measures are outlined, emphasizing education and awareness.

It notes that social engineering is a major means of distributing spyware by tricking users into downloading and installing malware.

  • Don’t trust unknown or known high-risk sources.
  • Read the fine print.
  • Pay attention when installing applications.
  • Keep operating systems and software patched.
  • If you are running Windows XP, install Service Pack 2.
  • Use trusted anti-virus and anti-spyware tools.
  • Alternative internet applications
  • Browser configuration.

    • If I had to pick the single most important recommendation in the list, it would be to keep your operating system and software patched, including updating Windows XP to Service Pack 2.

    A lot of spyware and malware is being spread through exploits.

    Much of this can be prevented by keeping Windows updated and avoiding high risk sources, as stated in the first recommendation.

    Porn sites and sites with illegal content, cracks, hacks and warez, are usually the worst offenders.

    Lyrics and wrestling sites are also known offenders.

    The report includes references that are also excellent sources of more information.

     

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    Repositioning the CISO

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    Problem: Organizational Roadblocks Most organizations view the CISO not as a security and risk manager, but as a manager of security assets, like firewalls, intrusion detection/prevention systems, and incident response capabilities.

    According to the 2004 CSO Security Sensor Survey, 38% of respondents place the CISO in the IT chain of command, reporting to the CIO, whose primary responsibility is to maintain the availability of information systems. This placement hinders the CISO’s effectiveness and limits his or her ability to implement change, for a couple of reasons. Security’s message doesn’t reach senior business leadership.

    When the CISO reports to the CIO, a primacy is established. Operational responsibilities take priority over strategic planning. Particularly when threats may cause business disruption, tactical issues take precedence over longer-term planning. It is easier to buy and implement firewalls and intrusion detection systems than to develop security policies and implement a sound awareness program.

    Without long-term planning, the organization will remain trapped in the patch-and-pray scenario.

    “Ideally, the institution should separate the information security program management from the daily security duties required in IT operations. The senior information security officer should be an ‘enterprise’ risk manager rather than a production resource devoted to IT operations. To ensure independence, the information security officer should report directly to the board or senior management rather than through the IT department” (FFIEC Information Technology Examination Handbook).

    Firms who take this approach will realize new benefits from their CISOs. IT-independent CISOs can frame security in terms of business issues rather than IT projects.

    A traditional security manager’s explanation of the recent ChoicePoint fraud case might sound like this: “The server’s verification and authentication processes for the client Web portal were ineffective, thereby facilitating fraudulent access to sensitive back-end systems and personally identifiable data.” When framed in terms of business issues: “The trust model used by ChoicePoint failed in such a way as to compromise the company’s most vital assets.”

    A trust model establishes the standards by which an organization determines who to trust with its assets.

    Organizations have several options as to how to reposition the CISO. They can combine information security with physical security and elevate the senior security officer to CSO, reporting directly to the CEO. The CSO Security Sensor Survey indicates that 34% of its respondents have implemented this change, up 15% from the previous year. By combining physical and cyber security under one executive, the organization gains a holistic view of potential threats and the associated vulnerabilities.

    Elevating the chief security executive to CRO-chief risk officer-makes sense in medium to small enterprises where key executives often assume multiple roles. The benefit in this approach is that the CRO considers areas of risk beyond those dealt with by a CSO or CISO.

    A second compelling reason for many CISOs’ lack of success is their inability to establish a credible economic basis for security investments and to assess information security relative to business initiatives. Much has been said about return on security investment (ROSI) and security metrics. At first glance, metrics seem to be the Yellow Brick Road to the boardroom. However, the CSO Security Sensor Survey reported that 34% of respondents did not use ROSI and had no intention to do so. The problem with ROSI is that its components are too subjective. Right now, there is no standard, statistically valid method of measuring ROSI. Some CISOs are using “homemade” formulas to calculate ROSI, but without sound standards and appropriate rigor, these calculations are not worth the time it takes to create them.

    Solution: Use a Standard, Valid, Reliable Metric Be cautious of traditional security metrics, such as “total number of incidents reported.” When you add more firewalls, the number of incidents reported goes up, not down. Associative-Based upon a best practice or security model that enables comparison within the organization, within the industry, or across industries. One way to achieve an associative metric is to use ISO-17799 as the template for your security program. ISO-17799 is a comprehensive set of controls utilizing the best practices in information security.

    http://www.securityinfowatch.com/print/Security-Technology-and-Design/Homeland-Security/Repositioning-the-CISO/4789SIW2

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    Tough road for identity tech

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    Governments in Western Europe, Southeast Asia and the Middle East have projects in launch mode or in the planning stages.

    Even in the U.S.–which like the U.K. has long resisted the urge to require citizens to bear ID cards–federal officials are pushing a de facto national ID. ID card projects around the world include efforts to collect biometric data, such as fingerprints, on citizens and permanent residents. The identifiers get stored on a microprocessor chip embedded in a digital card and on a central database.


    Although officials often try to promote the technology as bringing government closer to the people, at bottom they see it as one of the most effective ways to stem the flow of illegal immigrants, crack down on ID fraud and, for many countries, reduce the threat of terrorism. Among the large national ID projects on the drawing board in the West, France and the U.K. are tying their cards to planned rollouts of electronic passports. And although critics of the plans, led by privacy advocates and fiscal conservatives, have been gaining strength of late, officials are not likely to back down, especially after the recent terrorist attacks in London.

    A vast market Reliable estimates of the ID card tech market are difficult to come by. U.S.-based equity research firm Morgan Keegan last year estimated governments worldwide spent $4.8 billion in 2003 to identify and track citizens and residents, mainly through the use of low-tech cards and associated databases and network infrastructure. That is expected to grow to $10.7 billion by 2007, fueled largely by the higher costs for chip-based, or “smart,” cards and biometrics, including the biometric databases and readers.
    “National ID has big growth, and that’s purely being driven by China.” Anoop Ubhey, analyst, Frost & Sullivan Smart card suppliers project they will ship 60 million government ID cards worldwide this year, up by a third from 2004. The estimate includes some health cards that patients use to file their insurance claims.
    U.S.-based printer and PC giant Hewlett-Packard has seized on such projections to help it tout a “National Identity System” offering, which it announced in late May. HP, eager to reduce its dependence on sales of ink cartridges and the fiercely competitive PC business, has cast itself in the role of systems integrator to governments around the world. It hopes to sell officials on complete “identity management systems,” including biometric verification, smart cards and networking software. For this it has enlisted various IT “partners,” including Microsoft. “It’s a crying need from those governments,” says Jim Ganthier, worldwide marketing director for HP’s Defense, Intelligence and Public Safety unit.

    U.S.-based research firm Frost & Sullivan isn’t quite as bullish on the market. It estimates governments worldwide issued just 12.4 million electronic ID cards to citizens and permanent residents last year. It predicts that will increase to 450 million cards a year in 2009. But much of that growth will come from one massive project. “National ID has big growth, and that’s purely being driven by China,” says Anoop Ubhey, an analyst for Frost & Sullivan. “We certainly don’t think the whole project will be completed by 2008.” And Beijing is keeping card costs low and restricting almost the entire $6 billion-plus project to domestic vendors.

    http://news.com.com/Tough+road+for+identity+tech/2100-7341_3-5839928.html?part=rss&tag=5839928&subj=news

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