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Howard Schmidt
From: Dave Aitel <dave () immunityinc com>
Date: Fri, 18 May 2012 10:01:26 -0400
"As for getting into the power grid, I can't see that that's realistic," Schmidt said. <http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2010/03/schmidt-cyberwar/> Likewise as that Threat Point article from the start of his time in the White House points out: "People have to recognize that when we close the door and go home, we are just normal netizens like anyone else," Schmidt said. "I've been in the internet from the very beginning. We don't want to see it changed to where it is no longer available and we don't have the ability to do things *anonymously* as we choose to in certain realms." Also in that article you can see the initial tension between the NSA and the office of the Cyber Security Coordinator. And the last few weeks have been dominated by the NSA and White House togethertrying (and failing) <http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2012/01/26/legislation-address-growing-danger-cyber-threats?utm_source=related>to push forward legislation that regulates the security of critical infrastructure (such as the power grid). But Schmidt's dream was always elsewhere - in the role of human identity and the internet. And you can see it in his trusted identities strategy <http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2010/06/25/national-strategy-trusted-identities-cyberspace>. This also is where I see the largest influence from his Microsoft days, from the days the technologies Passport and CardSpace (remember them?) looked "promising". But trusted identities is not necessarily where people want to go, even if it helps security in some way (or enables rather revolutionary things like Internet voting). And aside from a few favored vendors who wanted to make money implementing an identity scheme for every American, you don't see a groundswell of support. Keep in mind that we have Aurora and the associated rise of "APT", Wikileaks, and the public hacking of various water utilities <http://news.cnet.com/8301-27080_3-57330029-245/dhs-denies-report-of-water-utility-hack/> during his time in office. Also during his time America and Russia and China <http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/05/07/china-us-vow-cooperation-cybersecurity_n_1498245.html> have connected on CyberSecurity more than you may have thought they would. Most of what a Cyber Security Czar does is shrouded in secrecy, so it's hard to truly say what Howard's legacy will be, but it's probably safe to say a new identity management policy for the entire country will not be it. -dave -- INFILTRATE - the world's best offensive information security conference. April 2013 in Miami Beach www.infiltratecon.com
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