In retrospect....

This is my final week of class for this course, Information Security Management, and while it has been a long ride, it has been most informative and worthy of my time.

Looking at my blog for the past few (cough12cough) weeks they have been a variety of IT/InfoSec yummy-ness.  I wrote a few times about Sony and their malware/hacking drama, we touched on policy/procedures, ISO certification, disasters and a rant about security breaches that actually affected me directly.

I tended to choose these topics because either they were close to my heart, got my blood boiling or I found them interesting. Many times a week I would research Cnet.com for much of my news, I also checked Forbes and of course, Yahoo. But Cnet.com tended to have the goods more so than not.

When I was first asked to write a blog for this course I felt intimidated and a little stuck. What would I write about, what if I couldn't think of anything, how do I do this, what if I sound like an idiot..all of these thoughts went through my mind.

I also found that once I didn't worry about these things I could just be myself and blog. A few tips to the next batch of students that have to do this for course credit:

• Blogging isn't as serious as a paper/essay. You can be fun and feisty as you write about your topic.
• Do your research and form your educated opinion. Blogs are opinion based and it's ok to disagree or agree, just give us a reason why.
• Use reputable sources. Don't use another person's blog unless you have a reason to (I haven't found a reason too)
• Don't use Wikipedia for research. Technically you shouldn't use this for any college research, so just don't. 
• Have fun. Enjoy your writing and topic, this way it doesn't feel like an assignment

Lastly, if your still terrified of the blog world or don't understand how to...just look it up online, there are many articles on how to start a blog.

As I progressed through this blog, I discovered the value in the assignment. Much of the reason is keeping up with what's happening out there in the InfoSec world, following trends, seeing whats new, etc. This can only help you in your professional life. IT and InfoSec, well anything technology related, is ever changing and in order to be at the top of our game, we need to stay in the know. This blog helps me do this. And hopefully, you too!

Stay safe out there, thank you for reading!

Go Microsoft, kick some butt!

I am proud of Microsoft!

Looks like they are targeting Asia as a global hub of cybercrime and malware. Bout time, yea?

Ok let's be honest, we (the folks in IT in the US) have seen the cyber attacks coming from Asia. I have seen it as well. Working at a university inside a NOC, the attempts to hack into systems containing that "yummy" data of students social security numbers and birth dates. Yup, happens so frequently it looks like the Matrix running in the back ground with nothing unusual in the least.

And while I am not sure this approach will actually work, I am at least glad that Microsoft is attempting to do something about it. Or at least trying...

Microsoft believes that the interpol unit in Singapore will have better access to the surrounding areas with this center. Looking at not only Asia, but the Oceanic countries as well. This way they are watching the money and where it's coming from.

Another huge concern is malware and rightfully so.

"Of a more pressing concern is China, which already has a Cybercrime Satellite Center located in Beijing. Bosco says the infection rate in China is high due to counterfeit software. There's a huge amount of infections within China, and the result of that from our investigative work was that it comes from an unsecured supply chain," said Bosco. "What happens is you're getting a lot of people infected because of simply buying a computer with pre-installed malware. Sometimes, it's not even that, it comes with all of the features, such as automatic updates and firewalls disabled."

"The minute you put it on the Internet, even if you're not infected, within hours you will be infected and it just cascades and you'll see a huge amount of infections in China because of that."

The entire article can be found here:
http://www.cnet.com/news/asia-could-be-the-next-hotbed-of-cybercrime-says-microsoft/

Will this make a difference? Well something has to be done, so why not try it. Until we get to the point of either stopping the way we do business OR never using the Internet (sorry if your laughing so hard your coffee is dribbling out your nose), then let's throw everything against the wall until something sticks. I mean doctors do it when trying to diagnose a disease they can't figure out (I know from personal experience...another blog, another time) But why not this? It will be interesting to see what happens now.

Stay safe out there!

A way of life...the constant fear of a data breach

Is it really a way of life, have we become numb to this?

By this I mean data breaches. They are more and more frequent and seem just like something we have to "live with".

Recently, Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield has been the most recent hack to affect nearly 80 million people. And I could be one of them. I have their insurance through my employer, it's good insurance...a bit pricey but good. But now I need to worry about this.

They are supposed to mail their customers letter if they were affected. And while that is a policy. it's a crappy in practice. Do you realize that by the time I get the letter (if I get one; I hope I don't), someone already has opened up credit cards in my name or taken out loans. Seriously this is getting ridiculous.

"Anthem Blue Cross was the target of a very sophisticated external cyber attack. These attackers gained unauthorized access to Anthem’s IT system and have obtained personal information from our current and former members such as their names, birthdays, medical IDs/social security numbers, street addresses, email addresses and employment information, including income data. Based on what we know now, there is no evidence that credit card or medical information (such as claims, test results or diagnostic codes) were targeted or compromised (http://www.forbes.com/sites/gregorymcneal/2015/02/04/massive-data-breach-at-health-insurer-anthem-reveals-social-security-numbers-and-more/)."

Does that make me feel better? Um, no! I am kind of irate. Being a geek (as I so choose to identify with) I find the lack of protect and the "oh, it's just something we need to live with" frustrating to say the least. We shouldn't have to live with this. There has got to be a better way. 

I realize that since we are doing pretty much everything through the Internet...it has an enhanced risk. But maybe doing business this way is OK or maybe it isn't. While I don't have the answers and I can't really think of much else, except to maybe not use social security numbers for things like insurance (maybe a different number to identify with) might help this craze of stealing information and identities. OR even crazier, it's too bad we have a monetary based society (I know way off topic), but it would eliminate the greed factor of crimes....just saying.

If you were compromised or even if you weren't, there are a few things everyone can do to be a little bit safer in the vortex of the Internet. Check out these steps for security: http://www.forbes.com/sites/gregorymcneal/2015/02/05/6-ways-to-protect-yourself-after-the-anthem-data-breach/

I am off to call the 3 credit reporting agencies...just as a precaution. 

Try to stay safe out there....try.... 

If it ain't broke, don't fix it....Really? I am not buying that.

There is a theory that if something isn't broken we don't need to fix it.

Well I am here to tell you that is a poor way to live, especially in IT.

Last week I discussed risk management. With that also comes re-evaluation of systems and those associated risks. So while the idea of "it ain't broke, don't fix it" might work for other aspects of your life...if your in IT it doesn't.

While the world is an ever changing place, we all know technology is as well. What iPhone are we on now? 16 or something. (Ok, I know it's 6...I think) The point is that rapid change also means threats are changing rapidly as well. With that comes a responsibility to maintain a current risk management strategy that follows current threats with current technology.

Let's face it...if we have sever or any hardware from ages ago with the associated cost of that equipment from that time period and the threats from back then as well...It really doesn't do an organization any good for today, because it's no longer valid. Much like just because you took a shower yesterday, doesn't mean you never need a shower again. (I had a classmate use this analogy and I did tell him I would steal it, so there)

Just as technology changes so much the organization re-analyze their strategies. Risk management would be a big one to keep current. And it's not the only one, they are all important to maintain and re-analyze from time to time. One thing I learned is establishing these as "living" documents, they are ever changing and evolving to keep up with the times.

Some interesting pieces related to my topic:
http://www.pwc.com/gx/en/governance-risk-compliance-consulting-services/resilience/publications/business-resilience-sustainability-enterprise-risk-management.jhtml
http://www.accuvant.com/resources/risk-and-the-ciso-role
http://www.resolvergrc.com/blog/what-makes-for-an-effective-risk-manager-in-todays-ever-changing-world/

While the topic is broad and I could go on for a long time....ultimately this type of thinking makes any organization stronger, being able to recognize and to adapt to changes that happen...that should get them to a level of greatness and hopefully protect themselves better from the ever changing world of technology.