What defines an InfoSec Professional?

[list-procurare at secureconsulting.net (Benjamin Tomhave)]

I'm gonna have to go ahead and disagree with you, there, Michael.  You're
looking at things far too narrowly.  And here's a very simple example:

Small business.  Single DMZ.  Hosts DB and Web App on separate platforms. 
Web app needs to make back-end calls to DB.  There's no reason whatsoever
why the DB itself needs to be directly exposed to the Internet.  Thus, you
implement a firewall that restricts ingress access on ports 80/443 to the
web server only.

This scenario would exist irregardless of the quality of the underlying
code, based on principles of default deny, defense in depth, segregation
of duties, etc.  In other words, don't put all your eggs in the "securely
coded" basket.

---
On the original topic... I don't think titles or certifications or even
security-related actions make a security professional.  I know personnel
within security departments who perform access management tasks without a
solid understanding of what all is contained within infosec.  They don't
know the security triad (C-I-A), they don't necessarily have a sound
understanding of why they're doing what they do, etc.  Yet they have
"security" in their titles.

Similarly, I've interviewed many a CISSP who I would not consider to be an
infosec professional.  Just because you can memorize a few facts within
the 10 infosec domains does not mean you get it.  I would even go so far
as to say that just because a developer reads the OWASP Top 10 and then
begins performing input validation does not make them an infosec
professional.  It makes them a better developer.

Bottom line, then, is that a true infosec professional should be defined
as someone working in a dedicated security role who distinguishes
themselves by their level of knowledge, wisdom, and experience that can be
demonstrably applied within the infosec genre.

fwiw & tgif.

cheers,

-ben

-- 
Benjamin Tomhave, MS, CISSP, NSA-IAM, NSA-IEM
falcon at secureconsulting.net
Web: http://falcon.secureconsulting.net/
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"We must scrupulously guard the civil liberties of all citizens, whatever
their background. We must remember that any oppression, any injustice, any
hatred is a wedge designed to attack our civilization."
-President Franklin Delano Roosevelt

On Fri, March 9, 2007 7:54 am, Michael S Hines wrote:
> I respectfully disagree.
>
> The need for a firewall or IDS is due to the poor coding of the receptor
> of
> network traffic - so you have to prevent bad things from reaching the
> receptor (which is the TCP/IP stack and then the host operating system -
> and
> then the middleware and then the application).
>
> The reason you have to prevent bad things from reaching the receptor (OS)
> is
> because of poor coding practices in the receptor (OS).
>
> In terms of state diagrams - you have an undefied state in the code -
> which
> produces unpredictable actions.  Technically speaking, it's undesireable
> but
> predictable actions - that's how the software can be used to gain
> unauthorized entry.  And once someone finds the hole - the very mechanism
> used for protection (networks) is used to spread the story.  Kind of like
> the farmer eating his seed corn.   :)
>
> Regarding roles - there are many who do Infosec - in many different roles.
> Law makers, lawyers, Boards of Directors, management, policy staff,
> technical staff, network engineers, programmers, quality assurance staff,
> users, ethical hackers, unethical hackers, et al.
>
> I'm not sure we're moving the industry forward by trying to say "I am one"
> but "You are not" - are we?
>
> Mike Hines
> -----------------------------
> Michael S Hines
> mshines at purdue.edu
>
>
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