Take My Wallet, Please

[Lance Spitzner <lance () honeynet org>]

I found this to be very interesting.  November's issue of Kiplinger's  
has a one page interview with a Mr. Bob Arno of Las Vegas.  While his  
job has nothing to do with honeypots or information security, there  
are some neat similarities.  He specializes in learning about  
picketpockets and then shares what he learns.  I was intrigued HOW he  
learns about the threats.

How do you track down pickpockets?
-----------------------------------
I stuff my wallet with paper and keep
it in my pants pocket. Then I linger in
prime tourist spots in foreign cities.
Sooner or later, someone steals the wallet,
and I try to steal it back.

Really?
-------
Yeah. If I successfully steal the wallet
back -- and I often do -- the thief is
usually willing to share the latest techniques.

Even more is his commentary on why pickpockets are not as common in  
the US.

Why don't you study pickpockets in the U.S.?
--------------------------------------------
Pickpockets are rare here because we train our
cops well, we use security cameras and the
consequences are too severe.

If this is truly the case (I'm know little about this field) what I  
find interesting about the solution is that it does not depend on  
prevention but enforcement.  It comes down the fact that the risk is  
to great.  The bad guys have a good chance of getting caught, and if  
they do get caught, they will feel some pain.  In the world of  
information security, there is little chance of being caught or  
feeling any pain.  Our focus is only on the technology, yet all the  
technology in the world will only slow the bad guys down.  If there  
is no risk, if there is little chance of being identified and  
prosecuted, then technology really does not matter.  They can simply  
keep trying to break in and sooner or later they will succeed.  Not  
until the threats are concerned about the risk of prosecution will we  
start turning the wave.

You can find the article online for free here.

   http://www.kiplinger.com/personalfinance/magazine/archives/ 
2006/11/mystory.html

lance