Re: DHS Announces the Release of New Training Course: Workplace Security Awareness

["Dr. Wole Akpose" <wole.akpose () MORGAN EDU>]

To Brady:

" That’s the sole purpose for issuing you one."
Actually, no It is NOT.  The SSN is not intended as an Identifier for any
purpose beyond Social Security (and thus Taxes). True it has been misused by
various entities over the years, but most identity theft targeting
legislations, regulations and policies all address the need to limit its use
beyond its intended purposed.

"I’m lost on what the issue is here. "

The issue here is the message being sent, albeit inadvertently, by the DHS.
Requesting for people's SSN for an awareness course offered by DHS is a
signal to others, including all sorts of vendors, that SSN is Kosher as a
Unique ID. This is a lapse in judgement and expose a flaw in the thinking or
execution by those responsible for keeping us safe. If the educator can miss
a key component in the curriculum!

A careful review of the courses, not just for content, would have revealed
the contradiction here. We write policies and guidances  advising people to
not use  SSN for frivolous purposes. Yet we request it for, perhaps, the
most frivolous of them all.

If the DHS does require a unique identifier, there are several alternatives
that are both convenient and secure.

So yes, I do agree with Walter (Petruska) that we should try to help the
DHS, if we believe they bungled this well intentioned program. But we should
not loose sight of the implications of this lapse as we gear up for the
National Cyber Security Awareness Month in October. Security takes
vigilance!

W. Akpose

-- 
*Visit http://msusac.morgan.edu for up to date discussions on Cyber Security
*
Wole Akpose. CISSP, CGEIT, D.Eng, SS-BB
Planning & Information Technology
Morgan State University
1700 E. Cold Spring Lane
Baltimore, MD 21251.
p. 443.885.1850 / 443.885.3372
f. 443.885.8304 /443.885.8211

On Tue, Apr 26, 2011 at 11:40 AM, McClenon, Braden <mcclenbw () oneonta edu>wrote:

> I’m lost on what the issue is here.  Is it the federal government asking
> for your SSN# to identify you?  That’s the sole purpose for issuing you
> one.
>
>
>
> Am I the only one that files my taxes electronically?
>
>
>
> Brady McClenon
>
> Senior Server Administrator
>
> SUNY Oneonta
>
> 607-436-3203
>
>
>
> "My pontifications are much too deep to fit inside a fortune cookie." -
> Confucius' brother
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> *From:* The EDUCAUSE Security Constituent Group Listserv [mailto:
> SECURITY () LISTSERV EDUCAUSE EDU] *On Behalf Of *Jones, Dan
> *Sent:* Friday, April 22, 2011 5:22 PM
>
> *To:* SECURITY () LISTSERV EDUCAUSE EDU
> *Subject:* Re: [SECURITY] DHS Announces the Release of New Training
> Course: Workplace Security Awareness
>
>
>
> The only thing better would be to also require users to accept a
> self-signed certificate.
>
> Dan Jones
>
> ----- Reply message -----
> From: "Mclaughlin, Kevin (mclaugkl)" <mclaugkl () UCMAIL UC EDU>
> Date: Fri, Apr 22, 2011 14:49
> Subject: [SECURITY] DHS Announces the Release of New Training Course:
> Workplace Security Awareness
> To: "SECURITY () LISTSERV EDUCAUSE EDU" <SECURITY () LISTSERV EDUCAUSE EDU>
>
> If only we were at a point where we knew an email like this would have to
> be a joke.
>
> Unreal, just unreal.  Maybe this is their way to push for a federal
> identifier, you know- a group of characters that will uniquely identify each
> .... Oh wait a minute - never mind.
>
> :-)
>
>
>
> Have a great weekend everyone.
>
>
>
> Kevin L. McLaughlin
>
> AVP, Information Security & Special Projects
>
> University of Cincinnati
>
>
>
>
> On Apr 22, 2011, at 2:41 PM, "R J Cronk" <rjc06c () GMAIL COM> wrote:
>
> oh the irony .......
>
> On Fri, Apr 22, 2011 at 2:15 PM, Sarazen, Daniel <dsarazen () umassp edu>
> wrote:
>
> Hi All,
>
> I took the test and they require your social security number.
>
> "Please note that you will be required to enter your Social Security number
> at the completion of this exam. This website and the testing system meet
> federal guidelines for protecting Personally Identifiable Information.
> However, if you do not wish to submit your Social Security number, you will
> need to request an alternative ID number from the Independent Study program.
> For directions on how to request an alternative ID number, please see our
> Frequently Asked Questions:"
>
> Does this concern anyone besides me?
>
> Thanks
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: The EDUCAUSE Security Constituent Group Listserv [mailto:
> SECURITY () LISTSERV EDUCAUSE EDU] On Behalf Of Valerie Vogel
> Sent: Friday, April 22, 2011 12:47 PM
> To: SECURITY () LISTSERV EDUCAUSE EDU
> Subject: [SECURITY] DHS Announces the Release of New Training Course:
> Workplace Security Awareness
>
> A new (no-cost) training course on Workplace Security Awareness is now
> available from DHS: http://training.fema.gov/EMIWeb/IS/IS906.asp. More
> details are provided below.
>
> Thank you,
> Valerie
> _______________
>
> Valerie M. Vogel
> Program Manager, EDUCAUSE
> office: (202) 331-5374
> e-mail: vvogel () educause edu
>
> ------------------------
>
> Sent on behalf of the Department of Homeland Security Office of
> Infrastructure Protection
>
> DHS Announces the Release of New Training Course Workplace Security
> Awareness No-Cost Critical Infrastructure Workplace Security Training
>
> The Department of Homeland Security announces the availability of IS-906,
> Workplace Security Awareness, a no-cost training course developed by the
> Office of Infrastructure Protection Sector-Specific Agency Executive
> Management Office.
>
> Access IS-906 on the Federal Emergency Management Agency Emergency
> Management Institute Web site:
> http://training.fema.gov/EMIWeb/IS/IS906.asp
>
> The online training provides guidance to individuals and organizations on
> how to improve security in the workplace.  The course is self-paced and
> takes about an hour to complete. This comprehensive cross-sector training is
> appropriate for a broad audience regardless of knowledge and skill level.
> The course promotes workplace security practices applicable across all 18
> critical infrastructure sectors.   The training uses innovative multimedia
> scenarios and modules to illustrate potential security threats.  Threat
> scenarios include:
>
> * Access & Security Control
> * Criminal & Suspicious Activities
> * Workplace Violence
> * Cyber Threats
>
> The course also features interactive knowledge reviews, employee tools, and
> additional resources.
>
> Upon completion of Workplace Security Awareness, employees will be able to:
> * Identify potential risks to workplace security
> * Describe measures for improving workplace security
> * Determine the actions to take in response to a security situation
>
> A certificate is given to participants who complete the entire course.
>
> For more information about Office of Infrastructure Protection training
> courses, contact: IP_Education () hq dhs gov
>
> For more information on the DHS Office of Infrastructure Protection:
> www.dhs.gov/criticalinfrastructure