Ralph Langner recently spoke at TED about his team’s findings on Stuxnet; it’s a clear (and somewhat scary) insight into the wars of the future. Instead of sending fighters and bombers to take out Iran’s nuclear program, as was done in 1981 to eliminate Iraq’s program, a carefully crafted virus slowly and methodologically damaged or destroyed vital equipment.
How long until this is used as a standard part of ‘softening’ a target by taking out key infrastructure (flight systems, power plants, telephone & internet, etc.) before the bombs start to fly?
For those of us that have a professional interest in security, understanding the threats both present and future is simply a necessity.
It has been 20 years since I first used machine learning to solve a complex business problem. The underlying problem was simple: the company was selling a new service and wanted to know who was most likely to buy it. We had millions of records, and each record had hundreds of fields. A vast amount of data, but no idea how to extract insight from it. Countless hours from various data analysts had been invested into finding a pattern, but none was forthcoming.
It’s time for everyone from the industry, developers, and the government to declare war on ransomware and make it as hard as possible for them to ply their insidious trade. There have been false starts and baby steps, diligent fighters without enough resources, and vendors that have only given a nod to the issue. It’s time to use every tool reasonably available to stop this scourge.
For so many in the industry that have dedicated so much of their time and effort to this fight, this statement may seem to diminish their efforts, but that is not my intent.
The cultural phenomenon that is Hamilton, brought back to the forefront due to its streaming release, is an artistic feat, but it also serves as an opportunity to refresh our memories on the history behind these characters, and look for opportunities to learn lessons that apply today. This is exactly what I’ve been doing.
For all of his flaws, one thing that I have to respect about Alexander Hamilton (as well as his wife, Eliza) is the understanding of the long-term impact of the written word.
Sometime in the 1990’s I used a 2400-baud modem and connected to the internet for the first time; I found a new world, a better world. A world where ideas and intellect set people apart, not skin color, or political affiliation, of even the pseudo-scandal of the day (which is probably just a disguise for ignorance and intolerance).
It was a time of invention, in a world where everything was new and the potential was unlimited.
SOPA, while it’s not likely to be passed as-is, I would be willing to bet money that something SOPA-like will be passed. It may be watered down with many of the most offending parts removed, but for those backing SOPA it’ll still be a real victory. For them getting it on the books, even in a weakened form means it can be tweaked (and extended) later.
There’s been an amazing resistance to SOPA, from the boycott of GoDaddy to public statements from celebrities such as Adam Savage – the public outcry against this horrid piece of legislation has been quite inspiring.
Security researcher, engineer and software developer with more than 20 years of experience.
Work: I primarily focus on application security, usable security, secure communications, and cryptography. I build and lead strong and dynamic teams, who cover all facets of security and privacy.
Writing: I write about my research, security in general, development and software design, and leadership through my blog, essays, and various publications.
I also engage in some creating writing when I can.
Photography: I am a purist fine art photographer, working primarily in black & white, and focused on sharing new perspectives of the world.
Limited edition prints of my work are available on my online gallery.
I also have a background in photojournalism, and volunteer in this field when I can.
