Category Archives: Cyber Security

The first day of the rest of the Internet

October 1, 2009 ,

Yesterday, the Joint Project Agreement between the U.S. Department of Commerce and ICANN expired. Today, a new “Affirmation of Commitments” goes into effect.

Key points from the new Affirmation:

  • ICANN will remain an independent, private-sector led organization.
  • Nations from around the world will have new input through the Government Advisory Committee (GAC).
  • Overall transparency and global involvement should improve.
  • But this Affirmation should extinguish any notions that the UN, EU, or other international players might gain new power over ICANN.
  • ICANN must focus its efforts to ensure three core objectives. That the Internet is:
  1. always on
  2. free and open
  3. secure and stable

More big issues coming down the pike. But for now, I think, a fortuitous development.

Posted in: Cyber Security, Internet , Tagged: ,

Cyber-security: Let’s get serious

March 20, 2009 ,

As the Internet’s power grows — dominating our public discourse and driving deeper into every industry and commercial realm — it becomes a bigger target. As the key platform of our knowledge economy, it invites mischief, or worse.

Most digital citizens know the hassles and even dangers of viruses, phishing, and all manner of mal-ware. But cybersecurity is a much broader and deeper topic, and will grow ever more so. The Center for Strategic and International Studies published a good report on December 8 detailing the threats and offering recommendations to “the 44th Presidency.” CSIS suggested a number of specific actions, among them:

(1) a comprehensive national strategy; (2) that the White House lead the effort; (3) that we “regulate cyberspace”; (4) that we authenticate identities; (5) modernizing old laws not suited to the digital networked world; (6) building secure government systems;  and (7) not starting over, given what they saw as the previous administration’s productive start.

Yesterday the Senate Commerce Committee moved the ball forward with a hearing on the topic, including the head of the CSIS study James Lewis, nuclear engineer Joseph Weiss, cyber-guru Ed Amoroso of AT&T, and Eugene Spafford of Purdue University’s Center for Education and Research in Information Assurance and Security — better known by its brilliant acronym, CERIAS. (more…)

Posted in: Cyber Security

Web Wars

December 10, 2008 ,

A new report says we’re not prepared for the cyberwars to come and need a White House office to address emerging threats.

Posted in: Cyber Security