Re: DOD mulls Internet disconnect (Re: The future of NAPs and IXPs)

["Jay R. Ashworth" <jra () scfn thpl lib fl us>]

On Mon, Apr 19, 1999 at 04:18:12PM -0500, Sean Donelan wrote:
> > It's worth pointing out, as a sidebar to that, that the greater the
> > dependence on interconnection, the more hardened it's _feasible_ to make
> > that interconnection environment, assuming you've rolled your numbers
> > right.  Staying on the proper side of that curve is important...
>
> Don't fall into the trap of thinking you can harden anything enough.  The
> Internet was built on the assumption diversity buys reliability better than
> hardening.  To this day, it seems to be a hard thing to do in practice.  It
> is much easier to adopt the bunker mentality, and try to protect it all
> behind one big wall.  Which doesn't work much better in practice, but pays
> consultants a lot better.

<chuckle>

> Normally, I wouldn't assume Lt. Generals understand technical matters
> very well, prefering instead to listen to majors and below.  I have
> no clue what the Lt. General is thinking changing .mil to .com will
> do for security.
>
> http://www.fcw.com/pubs/fcw/1999/0419/fcw-newsdod-4-19-99.html

Well, from the piece, either the reporter or the officer fails to
understand the fundamental disconnect between the two namespaces and
their implications.

> I wonder if the Lt. General realizes the damage he may end up doing.

Of course not.  _I_ wonder if he's _listening_ to his Colonels...

> Some of us "outsiders" have long relied on information from the military
> web sites to help us improve the design of our own infrastructures.  Which
> in turn the government relies on to carry out its mission.  It is a fallicy
> to think you can provide the information needed to protect the network to
> just one or two "cleared" companies.  I'm not "cleared," yet I still need
> provide information assurance services to my clients.  It would be a shame
> if a hacker chopped three "zeros" off a defense spending bill. I thought
> the government had figured there is more interdependence between all levels
> after all its critical infrastructure studies in the last couple of years.

If this was true, then they wouldn't have shut down the OTA a couple
years ago; they being some of the few people on the Hill who were
waiting at the station when the Clue Train stopped there.  (www.cluetrain.org)

> Sorry, I just had to vent.

You go.

Cheers,
-- jra
-- 
Jay R. Ashworth                                                jra () baylink com
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