[MLUG] SANS NewsBites Vol. 8 Num. 44 (fwd)

[Mike Miller <EMAIL:PROTECTED>]

See below.  The good ol' US House of Reps. has really blown it, as you 
would expect.  Do they ever listen to the geeks?  I know they didn't 
listen this time and it is costing them.  --Mike


From: The SANS Institute <EMAIL:PROTECTED>
Subject: SANS NewsBites Vol. 8 Num. 44

Another week, another data breach, and another million Americans become 
prime candidates for identity theft. At the same time the number of cyber 
criminals around the world is skyrocketing. Many of them think stealing 
from the US is an honorable profession. One major bank reported 
(privately) that cyber fraud at their bank is up by 300% over last year. 
They are starting to question whether they should cover the losses 
suffered by their depositors and have already stopped covering losses by 
small businesses.

If the public ever gets angry enough to ask for accountability, they need 
look no further than their elected officials who lead the House of 
Representatives.  The US government could have led by example and created 
a market for far more secure systems and networks. Instead government 
leads only in the number of cyber breaches they hide from the public. 
Congress (with OMB and NIST's active assistance) set the bar far too low, 
measured the wrong things, avoided pressuring vendors and government 
contractors to deliver safer systems, and then actively refused to ask the 
Government Accountability Office to take a hard look at the impact of what 
they have done. We'll be highlighting some of the most egregious actions 
in coming editions of NewsBites.

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