Cyber Wars
Onto my next book. Since my last post, I have read a few books, but am in the middle of a interesting read name “Cyber Wars” by Richard A. Clarke who has an extensive background in Government IT. This, coupled with the recent “Top Secret America” Washington Post expose has led me to believe that we are reaching the boiling point of interest on these converging subjects.
Cyber Wars details the history of Cyber attacks launched by suspected nation states, details the various international (formal and informal) hacking rings, and discusses openly how software, hardware, and infrastructure vulnerabilities may lead to some serious trouble. Clarke offers some opinions on why the US is ahead on ‘cyber-offense’ but way behind on ‘cyber-defenses’ particularly because American civilization has become so reliant on our technology – EVERYTHING is connected to the internet, and that is the root of our security challenge.
What to do? Unplug everything? Disable all broadband access? Create a China-like “great Firewall”? I don’t think the majority will trade convenience for security, which is ultimately the sacrifice we all make. How often do we just click “Yes” to any/all system screens? Clicking Yes to changing in Terms and Conditions, Privacy changes, etc. without at least scanning the material is perilous risk that people take.
Cybersecurity on the government scale is still taking shape. Gen. Alexander earned a 4th star on his way to taking the new CYBERCOM command, but overall, the US seems to be reluctant to sign up for protecting private industry, at least that is the public stance. Cost and politics aside, citizens must be more aware of the digital footprints we leave behind. most of us at least shred our bank documents before thrashing them – we all should do the same when banking online too. Clicking the ‘Log-out’ button reduces the chance of a “man in the middle” attack by shredding (digitally) your user session. Simple steps like these will greatly lead to a more knowledgeable and secure digital nation.
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