Brian McKenna

Senior infosec pros shift gears from technology to management

Hardware and software have been definitively ousted by management, awareness and HR issues in the minds of infosec professionals world-wide. Such is the top-line finding of the third annual Global Information Security Workforce Study, conducted by IDC on behalf of security education and certification body (ISC)2.

New Symantec to avoid “over integration”

Symantec and Veritas will maintain a loose coupling over the next twelve months, confirmed the new companys European management team at a briefing in London.

Russian hackers are world class

Russian hackers are “the best in the world” Lt. General Boris Miroshnikov told the eCrimes Congress in London on 5 April. “I will tell them of your applause”, he told the clapping audience at the start of a speech reporting on cyber crime developments in the region.

Espionage-linked exploits grow in threat potential

Ross Brown, recently appointed chief operating officer at security research and vulnerability management software firm, eEye has confirmed that zero day exploits are being increasingly used in targeted attacks on large western enterprises.

Reuters steps up outsourced monitoring

Reuters is outsourcing intrusion monitoring to NetSec, a Washington-based MSSP with notable US government contracts.

Bullish British SMEs poised to splash on IT security

One quarter of UK small businesses plan to increase spending on IT security in 2005, compared with four per cent in Germany.

Internal system vulnerabilities poorly patched

Gerhard Eschelbeck, CTO of Qualys and leading vulnerabilities researcher, said that internal systems are still not being patched fast enough compared with external ones. “There is a bigger perceived risk with external vulnerabilities”, Eschelbeck told delegates at CSI 2005 in Washington earlier this week, “but the reality is otherwise”.

Dorothy Denning on infosec and physical security

Dorothy Denning is one of the worlds leading information security experts. She has testified before US Congress on encryption policy and cyber-terrorism, and has served in leadership and advisory positions with US Government agencies and private sector companies. She has published 120 articles and four books, the most recent being Information Warfare and Security. She is currently a professor in the Department of Defense Analysis at the US Naval Postgraduate School in California. Earlier this year (ISC) 2 gave her the 2004 Harold F. Tipton Award in recognition of her outstanding information security career. Patricia Gilmore, (ISC) 2 s board vice president and awards committee chairman commented: “Dr. Denning is a pioneer in the science of cryptography and an expert in information warfare.” Brian Mckenna spoke to Dorothy Denning at the time of her award. You currently work at the US Naval Postgraduate School. Do you think there is a lot that civilian information security professionals can learn from the military?

Gates announces security invasion

Bill Gates told delegates at RSA 2005 that Microsoft will enhance the security of its products in areas that include anti-virus, anti-spyware, and remote access.

Lumeta adds visuals to network discovery tool

Lumeta, a New Jersey based software company that identifies network holes, has upgraded its IPSonar technology.