CERIAS Weblogs » Computer Security Outlook

Prof. Eugene Spafford

Eugene H. Spafford is one of the most senior and recognized leaders in the field of computing. He has an on-going record of accomplishment as an advisor and consultant on issues of security, cybercrime and policy to a number of major companies, law enforcement organizations, and government agencies, including Microsoft, Intel, Unisys, the US Air Force, the National Security Agency, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Department of Energy, and two Presidents of the United States. At Purdue, Spaf (as he is generally known) is a professor of Computer Sciences, a professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering (courtesy), a professor of Philosophy (courtesy), a professor of Communication (courtesy), and Executive Director of the Purdue University Center for Education and Research in Information Assurance and Security (CERIAS).

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December 8th, 2007 by Spaf in General, Reviews

Recently, the McAfee Corporation released their latest Virtual Criminology Report. Personnel from CERIAS helped provide some of the research for the report.
The report makes interesting reading, and you might want to download a copy. You will have to register to get a copy, however (that’s McAfee, not CERIAS).

The editors concluded that there are 3 major trends in computer security and computer crime:

An increasing level and sophistication of nation-state sponsored espionage and (some) sabotage.
An increasing sophistication in criminal threats to individuals and businesses
An increasing market for exploits and attack methods

Certainly, anyone following the news and listening to what we’ve been saying here will recognize these trends. All are natural consequences of increased connectivity and increased presence of valued information and resources online, coupled with weak security and largely ineffectual law enforcement. If value is present and there is little or no protection, and if there is also little risk of being caught and punished, then there is going to be a steady increase in system abuse.

I’ve posted links on my tumble log to a number of recent news articles on computer crime and espionage. It’s clear that there is a lot of misuse occurring, and that we aren’t seeing it all.

[posted with ecto]

Tags for this post: cyber crime, cyber espionage, McAfee

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