Human Firewall launches campaign

[InfoSec News <isn () c4i org>]

http://www.fcw.com/fcw/articles/2001/1001/web-fire-10-02-01.asp

By Dan Caterinicchia 
Oct. 2 2001

To help managers and employees improve the protection of critical
information, a consortium of government, industry and nonprofit
organizations on Oct. 1 announced the launch of an international
educational campaign to raise the awareness of information security. 

"The Human Firewall campaign was developed to help people recognize
how important human and policy issues are to successfully defending
information assets from unauthorized use or abuse," Doug Erwin, chief
executive officer of PentaSafe Security Technologies and acting
chairman for the council, said in a release. 

"In the past, we have relied primarily on technology as the first line
of defense," Erwin said, "but it's time to broaden our view of
information security to include the people who use technology...and
the policies surrounding that use in order to effectively guard our
companies against hackers, cyber-terrorists or even disgruntled
employees."

The Human Firewall Council represents a melting pot of public, private
and nonprofit organizations. In addition to Erwin, charter members in
the United States include:

* Brett Hovington, national coordinator for the FBI's Infragard Group.

* Mike Kelly, partner, Ernst & Young's security consulting divisi

* Steve Hunt, vice president and research leader, Giga Information
  Group.

* Charles Wood, an independent information security consultant and
  author of "Information Security Policies Made Easy."

* Steve Katz, chief security officer, Merrill Lynch and Company Inc.

As part of the educational campaign, the group launched a Web site 
( www.humanfirewall.org ), which features a manifesto that visitors
are encouraged to read and sign to show their commitment to raising
security awareness in their organizations.

Wood, the manifesto's author, said the increasing severity of
information security problems "clearly indicates that the prevailing
emphasis on technological solutions is not working."

The manifesto suggests that "management must adopt a more integrated
approach which recognizes the pivotal role played by people such as
employees, contractors, consultants, temporaries, volunteers,
strategic partners, outsourcing firm staff and others."

Members of the council will give a keynote presentation at the
Computer Security Institute's annual conference Oct. 31, where they
will present a blueprint to help organizations take the first steps in
creating a successful awareness program.

Sen. Robert Bennett (R-Utah), an information security awareness
advocate, has been invited to give the opening remarks to the
presentation.



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