Blog

  • Tragedy in Paris – Call for Information Sharing

    I tell my students every day that security is as good as your listening skills.  Of course I am selfishly suggesting that these undergraduates read their assignments and listen to my lectures.  Recent events in Paris point as a Break Down Of Communication and Cooperation.  We should all apply this as lessons learned.

    Some believe that this recent failure lies solely on the French intelligence agency.  Many believe that recent disclosures through Snowden have nations questioning their trust in the US.  It is obvious that mutual trust enhances information sharing and security intelligence. 

    Calling on all of my friends and colleagues to get involved in InfraGard.  All members must be US citizens cleared through a background check process.  Sensitive information can be freely shared, strengthening the threat intelligence of all parties involved.  Don’t let this tragedy happen in the US.  Get involved today!

    References:

    1. https://www.ibtimes.com/paris-terror-attack-intelligence-failure-not-snowdens-fault-break-down-communication-2185255
    2. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/nov/14/french-intelligence-under-scrutiny-paris-attacks
    3. https://www.infragard.org/

  • Where’d My Network Go? A Call for Resilience!

    I remember a few years back when the company I was working for was implementing wireless networking. I explained that there were several threats that could deny its services. I suggested it be positioned as a convenience – nice to have and non-essential. Who can really get by without wireless networking these days? Are we being truthful with ourselves?

    Two things have changed over the years – the dependency is higher and threat is more real. So are we willingly accepting more risk or are we simply in disbelief?

    Check out how WiFi jamming attacks more simple and cheaper than ever. Now look at how many critical processes use technology that operates over this medium. Sick, right?

    Now add a new word to your vocabulary: RESILIENCE, and strive for new capacity to recover readily from such adversity.

    References:

    1. https://www.helpnetsecurity.com/2015/10/13/wifi-jamming-attacks-more-simple-and-cheaper-than-ever/
  • A step forward to Critical Infrastructure Protection

    Calling on old friends and new to Join our public/private partnership for critical infrastructure protection – InfraGard

    InfraGard is an organization dedicated to the protection of the United States and its citizens. In order to maintain a level of trust within the membership, all applicants undergo a background check performed by the FBI (for this reason InfraGard membership is currently limited to United States citizens). Applications are then screened according to a defined criteria and then passed to the local chapter for final acceptance (individual chapters may have more strict criteria).

    Along with your InfraGard membership comes great responsibility. We value active members who are willing to devote their time, effort and talent to help build this organization and achieve our goals of protecting our citizens. You will be a representative of the nation’s largest volunteer organization dedicated to critical infrastructure protection.

    InfraGard provides a forum where you can network with your peers and access an FBI secure communication network, enabling you to learn time-sensitive, infrastructure related security information from government sources such as DHS and the FBI.  Besides, the no cost membership opens doors to invitations and discounts to important training seminars and conferences.

    References:

    1. https://www.infragard.org/