Expert: Cybersecurity lapses could cost public trust

 

Connecting state and local government leaders

Government and industry must invest in protective and proactive measures, he said.

An information security expert warned that attacks on computer systems will continue to escalate and become a public trust issue until governments, industry and other organizations implement and enforce better security policies and invest more money and employees in cybersecurity.

Eugene Spafford, a computer sciences professor at Purdue University, painted a grim picture during a June 19 teleconference hosted by the National Association of State Chief Information Officers (NASCIO). He said information security research has been underinvested in and national and international law enforcement have few resources and employees to fight cybercrime.

'Things don't look at all rosy,' he said.

Organized crime ' increasingly from Eastern Europe and Africa ' is responsible for data breaches. Cybercriminals have resorted to extortion, demanding money in exchange for not erasing an agency's or organization's data or instituting denial-of-service attacks. They employ people to write spyware, botnets and other types of surreptitious software that hide in computers and capture keystrokes and other data, Spafford said.

The cost of identity theft exceeds $100 billion annually, he said.

However, the federal government doesn't seem particularly concerned about cybersecurity, Spafford said. For example, Homeland Security Department officials have yet to fill an assistant secretary for cybersecurity and telecommunications position created last fall, and DHS' budget for information security research is less than 1 percent of the agency's budget, he said. More money is spent to keep cigarette lighters off airplanes than to address the fundamental problems of information security, he added.

Earlier this year, NASCIO and the Metropolitan Information Exchange released a joint survey that shows state governments have varying degrees of technologies, policies, education, budgets and staffing regarding cybersecurity. State officials previously said they would like better guidance and cooperation with federal officials on the matter.

Spafford, who also runs Purdue's Center for Education and Research in Information Assurance and Security (CERIAS), said agencies and organizations haven't kept pace with good security measures as they have moved into telecommuting and wireless environments and have begun using new technology such as voice over IP.

Spafford said he understands agencies are understaffed and underfunded to keep up with the 20 new software vulnerabilities and 50 new malware reported daily. But the alternative is to lose data, and as more data breaches are reported, the public will become more distrustful of government agencies and hesitant to use the Internet and e-mail, he said. This has already started and could affect state governments that are trying to provide more services and transactions online, Spafford added.

It's not only a matter of implementing security technologies such as firewalls to prevent or slow attacks. For example, he said CERIAS has implemented policies and other measures and has not had an incident or break-in in nearly a decade. He said agencies need to plan for the long term and think about what kind of data they're storing, how long they're storing it, and whether it's necessary and encrypted. He said people need to understand penalties for misusing information, and policies need to be audited and enforced.

Officials should also consider the benefits and possible misuse of the new technologies they want their employees to use. Agencies should also limit outside connectivity to their systems. He said not everything has to be connected, and it's generally a good idea to house critical information in stand-alone systems requiring employees to be on-site to access that data.

Spafford also recommended developing a heterogeneous environment of different kinds of hardware and software platforms, which are more resistant to widespread attacks and more likely to detect attacks earlier.

'Probably the biggest thing, however, is being able to have authority to set policies, audit them and execute sanctions against those who violate the policies,' he said. 'Almost every data breach [that] occurred in the last year'has been a result of someone who believed their deadline was so pressing and job so pressing that they didn't need to follow the policy.'

The pharmaceutical industry has done a good job of securing data, he said, adding that he heard the adult entertainment and online gambling industries also manage cybersecurity well.

Sarkar is a freelance writer based in Washington, D.C.

X
This website uses cookies to enhance user experience and to analyze performance and traffic on our website. We also share information about your use of our site with our social media, advertising and analytics partners. Learn More / Do Not Sell My Personal Information
Accept Cookies
X
Cookie Preferences Cookie List

Do Not Sell My Personal Information

When you visit our website, we store cookies on your browser to collect information. The information collected might relate to you, your preferences or your device, and is mostly used to make the site work as you expect it to and to provide a more personalized web experience. However, you can choose not to allow certain types of cookies, which may impact your experience of the site and the services we are able to offer. Click on the different category headings to find out more and change our default settings according to your preference. You cannot opt-out of our First Party Strictly Necessary Cookies as they are deployed in order to ensure the proper functioning of our website (such as prompting the cookie banner and remembering your settings, to log into your account, to redirect you when you log out, etc.). For more information about the First and Third Party Cookies used please follow this link.

Allow All Cookies

Manage Consent Preferences

Strictly Necessary Cookies - Always Active

We do not allow you to opt-out of our certain cookies, as they are necessary to ensure the proper functioning of our website (such as prompting our cookie banner and remembering your privacy choices) and/or to monitor site performance. These cookies are not used in a way that constitutes a “sale” of your data under the CCPA. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not work as intended if you do so. You can usually find these settings in the Options or Preferences menu of your browser. Visit www.allaboutcookies.org to learn more.

Sale of Personal Data, Targeting & Social Media Cookies

Under the California Consumer Privacy Act, you have the right to opt-out of the sale of your personal information to third parties. These cookies collect information for analytics and to personalize your experience with targeted ads. You may exercise your right to opt out of the sale of personal information by using this toggle switch. If you opt out we will not be able to offer you personalised ads and will not hand over your personal information to any third parties. Additionally, you may contact our legal department for further clarification about your rights as a California consumer by using this Exercise My Rights link

If you have enabled privacy controls on your browser (such as a plugin), we have to take that as a valid request to opt-out. Therefore we would not be able to track your activity through the web. This may affect our ability to personalize ads according to your preferences.

Targeting cookies may be set through our site by our advertising partners. They may be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant adverts on other sites. They do not store directly personal information, but are based on uniquely identifying your browser and internet device. If you do not allow these cookies, you will experience less targeted advertising.

Social media cookies are set by a range of social media services that we have added to the site to enable you to share our content with your friends and networks. They are capable of tracking your browser across other sites and building up a profile of your interests. This may impact the content and messages you see on other websites you visit. If you do not allow these cookies you may not be able to use or see these sharing tools.

If you want to opt out of all of our lead reports and lists, please submit a privacy request at our Do Not Sell page.

Save Settings
Cookie Preferences Cookie List

Cookie List

A cookie is a small piece of data (text file) that a website – when visited by a user – asks your browser to store on your device in order to remember information about you, such as your language preference or login information. Those cookies are set by us and called first-party cookies. We also use third-party cookies – which are cookies from a domain different than the domain of the website you are visiting – for our advertising and marketing efforts. More specifically, we use cookies and other tracking technologies for the following purposes:

Strictly Necessary Cookies

We do not allow you to opt-out of our certain cookies, as they are necessary to ensure the proper functioning of our website (such as prompting our cookie banner and remembering your privacy choices) and/or to monitor site performance. These cookies are not used in a way that constitutes a “sale” of your data under the CCPA. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not work as intended if you do so. You can usually find these settings in the Options or Preferences menu of your browser. Visit www.allaboutcookies.org to learn more.

Functional Cookies

We do not allow you to opt-out of our certain cookies, as they are necessary to ensure the proper functioning of our website (such as prompting our cookie banner and remembering your privacy choices) and/or to monitor site performance. These cookies are not used in a way that constitutes a “sale” of your data under the CCPA. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not work as intended if you do so. You can usually find these settings in the Options or Preferences menu of your browser. Visit www.allaboutcookies.org to learn more.

Performance Cookies

We do not allow you to opt-out of our certain cookies, as they are necessary to ensure the proper functioning of our website (such as prompting our cookie banner and remembering your privacy choices) and/or to monitor site performance. These cookies are not used in a way that constitutes a “sale” of your data under the CCPA. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not work as intended if you do so. You can usually find these settings in the Options or Preferences menu of your browser. Visit www.allaboutcookies.org to learn more.

Sale of Personal Data

We also use cookies to personalize your experience on our websites, including by determining the most relevant content and advertisements to show you, and to monitor site traffic and performance, so that we may improve our websites and your experience. You may opt out of our use of such cookies (and the associated “sale” of your Personal Information) by using this toggle switch. You will still see some advertising, regardless of your selection. Because we do not track you across different devices, browsers and GEMG properties, your selection will take effect only on this browser, this device and this website.

Social Media Cookies

We also use cookies to personalize your experience on our websites, including by determining the most relevant content and advertisements to show you, and to monitor site traffic and performance, so that we may improve our websites and your experience. You may opt out of our use of such cookies (and the associated “sale” of your Personal Information) by using this toggle switch. You will still see some advertising, regardless of your selection. Because we do not track you across different devices, browsers and GEMG properties, your selection will take effect only on this browser, this device and this website.

Targeting Cookies

We also use cookies to personalize your experience on our websites, including by determining the most relevant content and advertisements to show you, and to monitor site traffic and performance, so that we may improve our websites and your experience. You may opt out of our use of such cookies (and the associated “sale” of your Personal Information) by using this toggle switch. You will still see some advertising, regardless of your selection. Because we do not track you across different devices, browsers and GEMG properties, your selection will take effect only on this browser, this device and this website.