Tag Bruce Schneier

Entries 15 Total

Schneier on Cyberwar Hype

Jul 7, ’10 3:35 PM

If you didn’t have time to watch the video from my earlier post, Bruce Schneier has a succinct opinion article on CNN about the hype surrounding the threat of cyberwar that summarizes his thoughts on the topic.

Here’s a particularly interesting thought from the article:

We have a variety of institutions that can defend us when attacked: the police, the military, the Department of Homeland Security, various commercial products and services, and our own personal or corporate lawyers. The legal framework for any particular attack depends on two things: the attacker and the motive. Those are precisely the two things you don’t know when you’re being attacked on the Internet.

Many of the questions about reacting to cyber attacks boil down to how you react when we just don’t know who’s responsible or why they did it.

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Point-Counterpoint: Hiring Hackers

Jun 28, ’10 3:17 PM

Bruce Schneier and Marcus Ranum discuss a topic I’ve commented on before: Should you hire a convicted felon to do computer security work? Although this article appears as a point-counterpoint piece, you could be forgiven for thinking that they basically agree with each other after reading the article since they each offer variations on the theme of “it depends.”

I don’t agree. The bottom line is simple: popular culture is wrong — don’t hire hackers for computer security work.

Are there exceptions? Maybe. Schneier and Ranum don’t point out any compelling examples though. More importantly, why take the chance when there are so many highly qualified individuals who haven’t been convicted of computer crimes?

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The Cyberwar Threat

Jun 23, ’10 9:24 AM

IQ2US recently hosted a great debate from some of the top minds in information privacy and security. The premise of the debate was that “the cyberwar threat has been grossly exaggerated.” Those in favor of the motion are Marc Rotenburg and Bruce Schneier. Those against the motion are Mike McConnell and Jonathan Zittrain. You can find out more about the debate here. Definitely worth watching if you’re at all interested in the topic.

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Fifth Annual Movie Plot Threat Contest Winner

Jun 15, ’10 9:59 AM

The votes are in on Bruce Schneier’s Fifth Annual Movie Plot Threat Contest and the winner has been decided. Congratulations Laura! There were a lot of great entries this year. I think my personal favorite (other than the winner) is this runner-up parody of Little Red Riding Hood.

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Schneier’s Fifth Annual Movie Plot Threat Contest

Apr 5, ’10 8:45 AM

Bruce Schneier announced his Fifth Annual Movie Plot Threat Contest last Thursday:

Your task, ye Weavers of Tales, is to create a fable or fairytale suitable for instilling the appropriate level of fear in children so they grow up appreciating all the lords do to protect them.

That’s this year’s contest. Make your submissions short and sweet: 400 words or less. Imagine that someone will be illustrating this story for young children. Submit your entry in comments; deadline is May 1. Feel free to post ideas and suggestions in comments as well, although only actual stories will count as submissions. I’ll choose several semifinalists, and then you all will vote for the winner. The prize is a signed copy of my latest book, Cryptography Engineering. And if anyone seriously wants to illustrate this, please contact me directly — or just go for it and post a link.

The deadline is May 1st, and the prize is a nice added bonus. When I won the Third Annual Movie Plot Threat Contest, the prize was “well, nothing really, except the fame and glory afforded by this blog.” Of course, the real winners are the folks that get to read all the submissions, so be sure to check them out. Some hilarious entries have already been submitted.

In other news, the DHS announced a Cybersecurity Awareness Campaign Challenge:

The National Cybersecurity Awareness Campaign Challenge Competition is designed to solicit ideas from industry and individuals alike on how best we can clearly and comprehensively discuss cybersecurity with the American public.

The deadline for this one is April 30th, and the prize is an invitation “to an event in Washington D.C. in late May or early June.” This is a much harder problem than the Movie Plot Threat Contest, and I can’t help but think that the Movie Plot Threat Contest itself is actually a solution to the DHS Cybersecurity Awareness Campaign Contest.

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