[LINK] Fwd: Cisco details networking immune system

[Roger Clarke]

The original idea was that intelligence was at the ends of the 
network, not embedded in it.

Cisco's intention of building intelligence into the middle sounds 
attractive;  but it's also the way in which corporates and/or 
governments will impose control on users, as well as uses.


>http://www.vnunet.com/news/1161344
>18 Feb 2005, from the RSA Conference
>
>Cisco details networking immune system
>
>The best defence is self-defence, says Chambers
>Iain Thomson at the RSA Conference in San Francisco, vnunet.com 18 Feb 2005
>ADVERTISEMENT
>
>
>Cisco president John Chambers has been giving more details of his 
>company's plans to build intelligent, self-defending networks.
>
>Speaking at the RSA Conference in San Francisco, he warned that 
>security problems were only going to get worse and that networks had 
>to be redesigned to deal with the increasing threats.
>
>This involves making every part of the network security-aware and 
>ready to stamp on problems the second they start, much like a human 
>body defends itself against viruses, according to Chambers.
>
>"You haven't seen anything yet in terms of the speed and complexity 
>[of computer security problems]," he warned.
>
>"We have to move from reactive mode to preventing, isolating and 
>containing such problems. We have to move from adaptive threats to 
>proactive defence."
>
>To this end Cisco started work five years ago on building the next 
>generation of network defence tools, the first 10 of which have just 
>been unveiled.
>
>Cisco has already made 12 acquisitions, signed 30 corporate 
>partnerships and dedicated 1,500 engineers to solving security 
>problems.
>
>This effort will only increase and the industry can expect to see 
>more Cisco acquisitions and partnerships over the coming years, 
>Chambers promised.
>
>He demonstrated two newly developed technologies that would play a 
>key role in building in what Cisco calls Adaptive Threat Defense.
>
>Cisco IPS Version 5.0 is a tool to mitigate the effects of worms and 
>viruses without taking down the network, and Cisco Security 
>Monitoring, Analysis and Response System examines networks with a 
>security audit and gives IT managers the opportunity to configure 
>systems to be at their most resilient.
>
>"You have to design security into the network. It's like an 
>automobile: you don't wrap a car in cushions, you build security in 
>from the ground up," said Chambers.
>
>"We have always believed that security is tied to the network. If 
>you haven't already started to address the issues you've got big 
>problems."

-- 
Roger Clarke              http://www.anu.edu.au/people/Roger.Clarke/
			            
Xamax Consultancy Pty Ltd, 78 Sidaway St, Chapman ACT 2611 AUSTRALIA
                 Tel: +61 2 6288 1472, and 6288 6916
mailto:Roger.Clarke at xamax.com.au            http://www.xamax.com.au/

Visiting Professor in the Baker Cyberspace Law & Policy Centre, UNSW
Visiting Professor in the eCommerce Program, University of Hong Kong
Visiting Fellow in Computer Science,  Australian National University