Adam Firestone is Editor-in-Chief of United States Cybersecurity Magazine and brings nearly 30 years of secure systems design experience to the publication.
Hello, It’s easy to get caught up in the chivalric vision of cybersecurity; it’s one that pervades the industry and has for…oh, well, ever. More than a decade ago I attended a lavish cyber conference where the drinks (mine was an iced tea, in case Karen asks) were served on coasters in the conference organizer’s … Read more
Hello, I’m writing this letter four days after the attempted assassination of an American presidential candidate. Perhaps I shouldn’t be surprised, but political violence in America still shocks me. That being said, what didn’t shock me was how social media platforms blew up in the aftermath. Within hours partisans on both sides of the divide … Read more
Hello, I have a well-researched theory that (OK, well-researched by me, and since this is my column…you get the picture) that most cybersecurity wisdom stems from 1970’s punk rock. For example, in 1977, Joey Ramone graced us with this observation, which was philosophical, pithy, and deeply insightful all at once: I don’t care (he don’t … Read more
The general sat back in her high-backed executive office chair and surveyed the network operations center. A half-dozen engineers focused intently on the large curved high-definition displays in front of them and two men stood to her right. She nodded to the government program manager. “Have we gotten all the necessary approvals?” She knew the … Read more
Hello, Over the last several decades the terms information security and cybersecurity have become conflated to the extent that they’re used interchangeably. Information security is cybersecurity is information security. For sources that do identify a difference between the two, it’s often two sides of the same coin: Information security speaks to the attributes of security … Read more
History defines who we are and informs how Americans chart the nation’s future. It underpins representative government. Increasingly, historical records and documents are being converted to digital formats. This promises to make essential information available to more Americans than before. There are also troubling implications. It takes only a cursory examination of recent events to … Read more
Hello, It’s easy to think of cybersecurity as a coldly logical space where the deterministic management of machines and software creates a binary reality. Do the right thing (for values of “right” that equate to compliance with any of a myriad of frameworks), and security ensues. Do the wrong thing, which is often perceived as … Read more
Hello, Cybersecurity is an interesting word. It’s often referred to as an “industry,” yet the word evokes imagery not of a factory or a production line but of hyperintellectual technologists tackling mindbogglingly complex technical challenges, electronic ninjas dueling with electric katanas in the ether, and ever-vigilant sentinels protecting the nation from those who would do … Read more
Hello, Imagine a world where a single factory produced 55% of the planet’s food supply and almost all of the nutritious foods that are required for children to develop into, and remain, vigorous, healthy, and productive adults with strong immune systems and sharp minds. Putting this into perspective, the countries that represent the Organization of … Read more
Hello, In 1813, Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry, reporting on American success in the Battle of Lake Erie, sent the famous line to General William Henry Harrison: “We have met the enemy and they are ours.” And, as much as I like that American history tidbit, the parody of Perry’s report published by Walt Henry, the … Read more
