Friday, September 24, 2004

High Stakes for Security We need no reminder to emphasize the importance of information security, but here are a few headlines from this week: Services take sick leave as bugs, viruses plague computers (Denver Post) Computer woes prompt questions on preparedness (The Coloradan) Want a driver’s license? No luck (Colorado Springs Gazette) Faculty and staff preparation key to successful for SSN changeover (Penn State U.) Worm burrows way into state computers (Times Union) Hacking the Presidential Election Computer worm impacts drivers license process (Grand Island Independent) Cyber-nightmare (Forbes) Hackers or cyber soldiers? Tech sleuths track hacker Required computer registration reduces virus attacks Security failures exposed records Hackers and viruses are not the only threat.  We must all get more serious about business continuity.  And here's an interesting article on spyware in the LA Times with this quote: "Spyware is generally legal (in every state except Utah) as long as its original intent is to monitor browsing and shopping habits.Unfortunately, unscrupulous marketers and criminals have hidden their software under the spyware cloak to avoid being called viruses. Some spyware authors get paid about 15 cents a hit, while virus writers seem to be more motivated by the thrill of hacking into computer networks or disrupting corporations and government." 2:13:33 PM    comment []

Citizen Satisfaction Survey Here are the latest ACSI survey results measuring citizen satisfaction with e-government services.  The survey deals strictly with federal sites, but offers some useful suggestions for improving egov websites.  The survey suggests the need for continuous improvement or risk declining satisfaction. The Dutch are calling for breakthroughs in the European Union's egovernment efforts.  They would like to see a much more transaction rich offering, including the creation of an interoperable European framework for identity management.  The EU is also creating the European Network and Information Security Agency (ENISA).  Its charge is to: collect and analyse data on security incidents in Europe and emerging risks, advise and assist the Commission and the Member States on information security and in their dialogue with industry to address security-related problems in hardware and software, promote risk assessment and risk management methods to enhance our capability to deal with information security threats, and raise awareness and co-operation among different actors in the information security field, notably by developing public / private partnerships in this field. 8:17:23 AM    comment []

© Copyright 2004 David Fletcher.