Government Information Security Podcast

Mobile apps and smartphone security are increasing global concerns. But Dr. Giles Hogben of ENISA says mobile malware mania is a bit overhyped, since mobile is actually more secure than most other platforms currently on the market.

It's been well over a year since the passage of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act. How should banking institutions prepare for the hundreds of new regulations expected to come as a result of this landmark legislation?

Intelligence expert Terry Roberts says cyber intelligence, a new approach to IT security, could make significant gains in the coming year. "The good thing is, this isn't really rocket science," says the chair of the Intelligence and National Security Alliance's Cyber Council.

Based on its experience with Hurricane Irene, an executive at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in Manhattan advises hospitals to make sure they plan for worst-case scenarios.

The Sept. 11 terrorist attacks struck the U.S., but the impact and lessons affected the world and the entire information security profession, says Rolf von Roessing, past international vice president of ISACA.

Although the 9/11 attacks 10 years ago were a strong catalyst for ramped up disaster recovery and business continuity planning, there's still plenty of work to do, says security specialist Mac McMillan.

On the morning of Sept. 11, 2001, federal IT leader Mark Forman was briefing government chief human resources directors on the president's e-government initiative at a forum at the University of Maryland, a 10-mile drive from his White House office, when word came of the first jet crashing into the north tower of the World Trade Center in New York.

As we approach the 10-year anniversary of the 9/11 attacks on the U.S., Kevin Sullivan, a former investigator with the New York State Police, reflects on lessons learned and steps industries still need to take to ensure a tragedy like 9/11 is never repeated.

Frequent face-to-face training on social media policies is a vital component of any risk management effort, says consultant Erika Del Giudice.

Out with the old; in with the new. It's time for security-minded organizations to invest in the power and protection of the next generation firewall, says Matt Keil of Palo Alto Networks.

Careers in IT security remain hot, says David Foote, noted researcher and analyst of IT workforce trends. But there's a disconnect between current job opportunities and the talent pool looking to fill them.

Facial recognition technology could prove to be an effective way to authenticate individuals seeking entry to secured buildings or databases storing sensitive information. But the biometric technology already is being abused, and IT security managers employing facial recognition should be careful to encrypt the biometric data, cautions a privacy rights leader.

In many states, the top information security officer champions IT security rather than dictates it, as the decisions of specific steps to take to safeguard digital assets are left to departments, agencies and commissions.

Fraud is a global concern, and an area regulators and financial institutions the world-over are watching closely, says Bill Isaac. Whether a cyberthreat or mortgage fraud, investments in fraud prevention will continue, despite the state of the international economy.

Give a man a fish, you feed him for today, the proverb says. Teach a man to fish; and you feed him for a lifetime. That adage can be applied to information security, as well.

Bob Russo says the long-awaited PCI guidance on tokenization should provide merchants with a baseline for standardization and best practices, and serve as a roadmap for how tokenization can complement compliance with the PCI-DSS.

As far as Dr. Giles Hogben of ENISA is concerned, now might be the golden opportunity for information security experts to influence the security and privacy measures that may help define Internet safety for the next decade or beyond.

Eugene Spafford thinks America needs the cybersecurity equivalent of an agriculture extension service to help educate citizens on IT security.

Yahoo's Justin Somaini believes his fellow CISOs in business and government do a good job keeping their bosses informed of proper information security practices, but could do better in educating the rank and file about them.

ISACA's Marc Vael says differences in cloud computing environments and cloud providers can pose security risks. But well thought-out contracts and risk-management plans can fill potential security gaps and ensure business continuity during outages and disasters.