[LINK] US Gov in cyber fight but can't keep up

[Tom Koltai]

> -----Original Message-----
> From: link-bounces at mailman.anu.edu.au 
> [mailto:link-bounces at mailman.anu.edu.au] On Behalf Of 
> stephen at melbpc.org.au
> Sent: Friday, 17 June 2011 4:14 AM
> To: link at anu.edu.au
> Subject: [LINK] US Gov in cyber fight but can't keep up
> 
> Special report: Government in cyber fight but can't keep up
> 
> By Phil Stewart, Diane Bartz, Jim Wolf and Jeff Mason | Thu 
> Jun 16, 2011
> <http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/06/16/us-usa-cybersecurity-
> idUSTRE75F4YG20110616?feedType=nl&feedName=ustopnewsafternoon>
> 
> 
> WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Pentagon is about to roll out an expanded 
> effort to safeguard its contractors from hackers.
> 
> It's building a virtual firing range in cyberspace to test new 
> technologies, according to officials familiar with the plans, 
> as a recent 
> wave of cyber attacks boosts concerns about U.S. 
> vulnerability to digital 
> warfare.

My guess is that if the combined efforts of the entire US Army, Navy,
Airforce, various civillian peace-kreeping and commercial military
contractors couldn’t prevent 911 over US sovereign soil, then there isnt
much hope of battening down the digital hatches, regardless of the
filters, loops, DPI switches or other sniffers employed.

The same would apply to any Government that thinks it can prevent
digital mischief with brute force and a show of "strength".
There will always be an exception that will phreak to embarrass; to say
"Lookitme - arnt I clever, I changed their home page."

Education of the masses of the damage that hacking and viruses have on
the economy, international détente, future jobs, living standards and
the abilility for everyone in the world to eat three squares per day
with a dry warm safe place to sleep, has to be the only workable long
term answer.

Increasing the powers of security forces is a great short term vote
catcher but a definitive long term Economy buster.
Let's sack one Government Security person every day and instead spend
50K (per day) to advertise the downside of digital crime.

"Yes, you might manage to cheat someone out of their bank account this
week, but what about your children?" 
"Are your actions today removing from them the future ability to use a
free and unhindered Internet?"

Or send out the existing security forces to schools all over the world
to explain the benefits of an unfiltered Net versus a Government
restricted walled garden.

Or how about a new Berne Convention... The Hackers Agreement. Any nation
that is host to a hacking offence pays the recipient country 10 million
dollars per hacking incursion... 

All we need is the unique home address of every TCP user... I'm sure
no-one would mind.

Gee we could fix the economy in about 25 minutes according to my router
logs [if those logs are representative of the rest of the world].

Failing the above, lets start a ["Hackers are ruining your future, your
childrens future and your childrens childrens future. To stop these
small dicked persons, why not "Dob in a Hacker today"] campaign...

30 pieces of genuine Hacker Proof Federal Reserve issued silver bars for
each "Dob".

TomK