RE: [TSCM-L] Security? Huh!

[InfoSec News <isn () c4i org>]

From: "Anonymous" <popeye () navy mil>

[OK, yesterday I said that this thread is dead unless something
interesting popped up, well this one is interesting.  This posting is
anonymized since this comes from someone active-duty in the navy,
reads from the web, and would probably get in a world of hurt posting
under their real name(s).   - WK]

I hate to contradict this opinion, however, I am an Operations
Specialist active in the USN. ITC ( Information Technology Chief ) has
obviously not been exposed to the security side of things very well.

For one, without my inside knowledge of the USN's network, you can see
the amount of defacements that are gov't based. The numbers speak for
themselves. As for the Navy, they are sadly restricted in their
ability to efficently secure their network due to being contracted out
by SPAWAR. No unauthorized "third-party" software is allowed.

The security applications that are made available via SPAWAR is
pathetic. No IDS, no monitoring software, no nothing. They rely on the
LAN Admin's event log alone. Now this may actually be worth something
if the admin is actually worth a shit. Usually it's someone not even
in the IT rating that has a fair knowledge of NT.

There are many ways that I believe the USN and all military
establishments could increase the security of their network. I cannot
go into specifics on what I have seen myself, but I can say I have
identified 3 major security holes on my ship alone.

I can only assume the entire Navy is like this. Maybe they should make
security school a requirement before they send these guys to run a
network.



> -----Original Message-----
> From: InfoSec News [SMTP:isn () c4i org]
> Sent: Friday, March 01, 2002 2:03 AM
> To:   isn () attrition org
> Subject:      Re: [ISN] [TSCM-L] Security? Huh! (fwd)
>
> Forwarded from: Alex Nehlebaeff <Alex.Nehlebaeff () weblinkwireless com>
>
> Maybe, but I seriously doubt you are hired to perform penetration
> test on critical government agencies. I would imagine that the
> buildings you are performing your penetration tests on are buildings
> that do not contain classified information or systems and are
> accessible to the public.
>
> That is not to say that public accessible buildings don't hold
> sensitive material and that you are not performing a service. My
> beef and this is were I agree with Michael, is you make it sound as
> if the whole federal government security program is a joke. And
> after spending 24 years in the Navy, I think I have been exposed to
> some of the security mechanisms that the government uses and I
> assure you, that your james bond tactics would not work in the
> majority of the installations I (and Michael) worked in.
>
> Alex L. Nehlebaeff, ITC(SW), USN(Ret)



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