UKFast security bulletin - March 2010

feature article

RSA Conference maps out future of internet security

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Following on from the recent attacks on Gmail accounts in China, the issue of cyber-espionage topped the bill at the RSA Conference 2010.

With attacks becoming more sophisticated and malicious as the number of people going online increases, delegates were encouraged to battle the threat as a community.

Chief executive of Verisign, Mark McLaughlin told BBC News, "Certainly as more utilisation of the net occurs and more people go online, then the more security concerns have to go up.

"Throw cloud computing on top of that as well as more people accessing information via their phones, the growth of the smart grid and health records coming online and we have a situation that means people have got to be more forward thinking about security and how to address it."

Throughout the week a series of White House officials also highlighted the need for greater co-operation between academia, government and the private sector and even declassified parts of a top secret plan to protect the nation's computer networks from cyber warfare.

President Obama's newly-appointed cyber security tsar, Howard Schmidt said, "We have to fully recognise the importance cyber security has in our lives.

"We must continue to seek out innovative new partnerships - not only within government, but also among industry, government and the American public."

Cisco's chief security officer, John Stewart agreed, "We need more openness and collaboration within business and with government working together."

With cloud computing and social networking also major discussion points and the presence of many top-grade officials, the RSA conference significantly highlighted the increasing government concern for cyber security.

Other news

Social network security is risky business Businesses are still trying to figure out what to make of social networking. Read the rest of this article.		Learn from Google and Adobe attacks Companies should take extra steps to secure their source code from the type of targeted attacks that hit Google, Adobe, Intel and others over the past few months. Read the rest of this article.
US lifts lid on plan for internet security The White House has declassified parts of a top secret plan outlining how government will protect the nation's computer networks from cyber warfare. Read the rest of this article.		FBI asks businesses to fight online crime The director of the FBI Robert Mueller used his keynote address to the RSA 2010 conference to appeal for greater cooperation between law enforcement and the private sector to fight online crime. Read the rest of this article.
Countries must unite on cyber security All countries should make rapid information sharing in response to cyber attacks a top priority, according to an international cyber security panel at RSA 2010 in San Francisco. Read the rest of this article.		Black market exhibit at RSA 2010 For many people, the concepts of botnets, software exploits, and underground marketplaces are fairly abstract. Read the rest of this article .

Best regards,

The UKFast team