RE: Fwd: Why suing auditors won't solve the data breach epidemic

["Nick Vaernhoej" <nick.vaernhoej () capitalcardservices com>]

I don't see how you can reward the essential compliance failure of the
audited company.

Nick

-> -----Original Message-----
-> From: listbounce () securityfocus com
-> [mailto:listbounce () securityfocus com] On Behalf Of Barry Fawthrop
-> Sent: Monday, June 22, 2009 10:15 AM
-> To: pen-test () securityfocus com
-> Cc: Security Focus
-> Subject: Re: Fwd: Why suing auditors won't solve the data breach
-> epidemic
->
-> To All,
->
-> I would agree that suing them is *not* the answer, that is only going
-> to force auditor/audit companies
-> to raise rates and thus make auditing more expensive and thus the
-> first thing dropped by companies
-> in a tight economy.
->
-> I would put forward the suggestion that the Auditors are paid a bonus
-> based on the number of *VALID* findings that they put in their
report.
->
-> As auditors we need to start reporting the below average incidents as
-> average, and list more valid findings.
-> But I must stress *VALID* findings, not just insignificant or
trivial.
->
-> Too often we overlook items and decide not to report them when they
-> should have.
->
-> my 2c
->
-> Barry Fawthrop BSc CISSP, CISA, GCIH
->
->
-> Jeffrey Walton wrote:
-> > From the folks at Attrition and the DataLossDB.
-> >
-> > ---------- Forwarded message ----------
-> > From: security curmudgeon <jericho () attrition org>
-> > Date: Jun 4, 2009 2:23 PM
-> > Subject: Why suing auditors won't solve the data breach epidemic
-> > To: dataloss-discuss () datalossdb org, dataloss () datalossdb org
-> >
-> >  http://www.betanews.com/article/Why-suing-auditors-wont-solve-the-
-> data-breach-
->
epidemic/1244068439?awesm=betane.ws_13&utm_campaign=betanews&utm_conte
-> nt=api&utm_medium=betane.ws-twitter&utm_source=direct-betane.ws
-> >  or http://preview.tinyurl.com/pahfub
-> >
-> >  Why suing auditors won't solve the data breach epidemic
-> >  Something's got to be done, but this isn't necessarily it.
-> >  By Angela Gunn | Published June 4, 2009, 10:26 AM
-> >
-> >  The life of a security auditor has its high points, of course --
-> travel,
-> >  getting paid to break stuff, and more travel -- but there's a lot
-> about
-> >  that job that doesn't recommend it. You're going into someone
-> else's place
-> >  of business and trying to figure out what they're doing wrong, so
-> you can
-> >  write a big report that goes to their bosses? I don't care how
-> personable
-> >  you are, this isn't on the Dale Carnegie list of How To Win
-> Friends.
-> >
-> >  Nor, in a disturbing number of situations, is it on the list of
-> ways to
-> >  Influence People. Take a pack of security auditors out for a beer
-> >  sometime. (You will not have to ask twice, and if you get two
beers
-> in
-> >  them they'll tell you about that mid-sized city whose network is
-> >  end-to-end pwned right now and that international airport that has
-> an
-> >  ongoing problem with stolen IDs -- no names, of course, but plenty
-> of
-> >  other detail. After that, you'll want another beer just for
-> yourself.)
-> >  When they're done scaring you, they'll start trading tales of
-> clients who
-> >  simply refused to accept a bad audit.
-> >
-> >  No one likes to be told that his IT operation has weaknesses, let
-> alone
-> >  critical-stop problems. Some companies will retain a security firm
-> and,
-> >  when bad results start coming back, terminate the contract and
send
-> >  everyone home. Some companies will hire a crew and, when they get
-> there,
-> >  manage to be so disorganized and cranky that the auditors spend
-> half their
-> >  time attempting to simply get started. And some, presented with a
-> report
-> >  saying that their company isn't security-compliant, will simply
ask
-> that
-> >  the report be changed.
-> >
-> >  [..]
-> >  _______________________________________________
-> >  Dataloss Mailing List (dataloss () datalossdb org)
-> >
-> >  Get business, compliance, IT and security staff on the same page
-> with
-> >  CREDANT Technologies: The Shortcut Guide to Understanding Data
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-> >
-> >
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