[Clips] Cyberterror 'overhyped,' security guru says

[R. A. Hettinga]

--- begin forwarded text


 Delivered-To: clips at philodox.com
 Date: Thu, 24 Nov 2005 14:08:41 -0500
 To: Philodox Clips List <clips at philodox.com>
 From: "R. A. Hettinga" <rah at shipwright.com>
 Subject: [Clips] Cyberterror 'overhyped,' security guru says
 Reply-To: rah at philodox.com
 Sender: clips-bounces at philodox.com

 <http://news.com.com/2102-7348_3-5968997.html?tag=st.util.print>

 CNET News

  Cyberterror 'overhyped,' security guru says

  By Tom Espiner

  Story last modified Wed Nov 23 07:41:00 PST 2005


 Fears of cyberterror could actually hurt IT security, a threats expert
asserts.

  Bruce Schneier, who has written several books on security and is the
 founder of Counterpane Internet Security, told ZDNet UK that officials
 claiming terrorists pose a serious danger to computer networks are guilty
 of directing attention away from the threat faced from criminals.

  "I think that the terrorist threat is overhyped, and the criminal threat
 is underhyped," Schneier said Tuesday. "I hear people talk about the risks
 to critical infrastructure from cyberterrorism, but the risks come
 primarily from criminals. It's just criminals at the moment aren't as
 'sexy' as terrorists."

  Schneier was speaking after the SANS Institute released its latest
 security report at an event in London. During this event, Roger Cummings,
 director of the U.K. National Infrastructure Security Coordination Center,
 said that foreign governments are the primary threat to the U.K.'s critical
 infrastructure.

  "Foreign states are probing the (critical infrastructure) for
 information," Cummings said. The U.K.'s (critical infrastructure) is made
 up of financial institutions; key transport, telecom and energy networks;
 and government organizations.

  Schneier, though, is concerned that governments are focusing too much on
 cyberterrorism, which is diverting badly needed resources from fighting
 cybercrime.

 "We should not ignore criminals, and I think we're underspending on crime.
 If you look at ID theft and extortion--it still goes on. Criminals are
 after money," Schneier said.

  Cummings also said that hackers are already being employed by both
 organized criminals and government bodies, in what he termed the "malicious
 marketplace."

  Schneier agrees this is an issue.

  "There is definitely a marketplace for vulnerabilities, exploits and old
 computers. It's a bad development, but there are definitely conduits
 between hackers and criminals," Schneier said.


 --
 -----------------
 R. A. Hettinga <mailto: rah at ibuc.com>
 The Internet Bearer Underwriting Corporation <http://www.ibuc.com/>
 44 Farquhar Street, Boston, MA 02131 USA
 "... however it may deserve respect for its usefulness and antiquity,
 [predicting the end of the world] has not been found agreeable to
 experience." -- Edward Gibbon, 'Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire'
 _______________________________________________
 Clips mailing list
 Clips at philodox.com
 http://www.philodox.com/mailman/listinfo/clips

--- end forwarded text


-- 
-----------------
R. A. Hettinga <mailto: rah at ibuc.com>
The Internet Bearer Underwriting Corporation <http://www.ibuc.com/>
44 Farquhar Street, Boston, MA 02131 USA
"... however it may deserve respect for its usefulness and antiquity,
[predicting the end of the world] has not been found agreeable to
experience." -- Edward Gibbon, 'Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire'

---------------------------------------------------------------------
The Cryptography Mailing List
Unsubscribe by sending "unsubscribe cryptography" to majordomo at metzdowd.com