IT security is national security -- but you're not alone

[Audrey McNeil <audrey () riskbasedsecurity com>]

http://www.networkworld.com/news/2014/041714-it-security-is-national-security-280819.html?source=nww_rss

National security may be at stake as private businesses try to manage a
growing number of cyberthreats, but IT professionals shouldn't have to bear
that burden alone.

That was one of the messages from a conference earlier this week where
threat experts from Kaspersky Lab shared the stage with corporate security
chiefs and the former U.S. secretary of homeland security. There were also
a few tips for facing up to the problem.

"If the private sector goes down, and critical infrastructure, [then] more
often than not ... you have national security at risk as well," said Tom
Ridge, who led the new Department of Homeland Security in the wake of the
Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks. Because government relies so much on
critical infrastructure such as power grids, communications networks and
transportation, and because of the way malware spreads, the line between
attacks against states and attacks against companies is blurry.

Companies and governments face a broad range of active threats, some of
which are probably being perpetrated by hackers with nation-states behind
them, according to Kaspersky, which researches cybercrime and sells
technology to counter it.

Large enterprises need to step up their game in dealing with cyberattacks,
which are no longer preventable but are manageable, said Ridge, who now
runs a consultancy. For their part, governments should share more
information with the private sector, he said.

"Everybody has a role to play, particularly the private sector. And I'm not
sure, today, that the focus from private enterprise is as clear and as
direct as it is within our military and within our war planners," Ridge
said.

Companies have to become resilient rather than just rolling out security
tools, Ridge said. That involves internal governance, training, and
awareness as well as technology, Ridge said.

Ellen Richey, Visa International's chief enterprise risk officer, agreed.

"If you don't have the support of the CEO, or the board, or the owners ...
you will never get anything done. Period. It's amazing," Richey said.

No technology alone can make up for attention to security at all levels of
the organization, she said.

"It's equally a business process problem," Richey said. "You have to be on
it seven days a week, 24 hours a day," handling mundane tasks such as
access controls, patches and passwords.

Then there are those employees who just tend to lose things. "Some people
shouldn't really be asked to protect anything," Richey said. If you're one
of them, you should deliberately keep as little sensitive data as possible
around you, she said.

Companies trying to get a grip on security can turn to industry standards
that have been forged and proven in previous incidents, said Steve
Adegbite, who oversees security strategy at Wells Fargo. Those can be the
baseline for a system tailored to their needs. He also recommends sharing
information with peers. In the U.S., this can be done through Information
Sharing and Analysis Centers for finance, health care, telecommunications,
supply chain and other industries.

"Cybersecurity is a team sport. It takes everybody on the field playing,"
Adegbite said.

Having friends in the right places can also make a difference, according to
Chris Rezek, an expert consultant at McKinsey.

"For smaller institutions, make sure you know your local FBI contact [and]
which third-party service you're going to call when something happens, so
they're not a stranger when you pick up the phone," Rezek said.

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