This week's blogger, Doug Ross, is the IT guru at Western & Southern Financial Group - but don't take our word for it - he was recently named one of
Computerworld's 2010 Premier 100 IT Leaders. Ross says times have changed in Cincinnati since his first start up software company in the late 80s when IT innovation was only synonymous with the West Coast - now his city is
a front-runner for mainstream tech investment and innovative solutions. Ross offers some global IT advice on cyberspace challenges for businesses and government as well as shares his local inspiration - mentoring in high schools - in this week's blogs.
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It's Come to This: the Militarization of Cyberspace
Posted By: Doug Ross
2/25/2010
A story broke in January that shocked computer security experts around the world. Google, Adobe and dozens of other extremely sophisticated companies had been penetrated by a group of well-funded and highly disciplined attackers. The culprits sought e-mails, source code and other material that made it likely the attacks were politically motivated.
"Operation Aurora" raised alarms around the world, not only for executives in the private sector but also for those in government. The attackers had successfully evaded every defense shield imaginable: firewalls, antivirus, intrusion prevention and many other layers of protection. One commentator called it "the closest thing to an act of war to happen since 9/11."
Insiders have pinned the blame on the Chinese military, i.e., the People's Liberation Army (or PLA), presumably operating at the behest of top government officials. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton went so far as to issue a statement condemning the attacks and requesting an explanation from China.
The implications for private enterprise are wide-ranging. If your company deals with any type of sensitive information in meaningful volumes, it could be a target. The characteristics of a high-value target include: a large number of financial transactions; large quantities of personally identifying information (PII) like social security numbers; or valuable intellectual property.
So if your IT staff isn't aware of "Operation Aurora", or isn't familiarizing itself with extrusion prevention, data-loss prevention and next-generation firewalls, pass this article on to them. We're in the early stages of what can only be called the militarization of cyberspace. This is one party you don't want to show up late for.