Schneier on Security

Clive Robinson • January 31, 2025 3:05 PM

@John Freeze, Drew

With regards,

The free market never corrected IT security problems: less budget for security -> more profit.”

Actually no it’s “less profit”.

The Free Market Mantra of neo-cons and their minions boils down to,

“Take the money and run, don’t invest and reap the rewards continuously”

It’s almost the worst form of “short term thinking”.

Where it gets worse is the “don’t leave money on the floor” mantra. That in reality is

“Mortgage it up beyond the hilt, and run with the money leaving debts that can never be repaid no matter what productivity can be obtained.”

In it’s way part of this process is,

“Out sourcing, and Off Shoring.”

The latter of which is where “trade secrets are just given to,

“Agents of a hostile economic power.”

They don’t even have to commit “industrial espionage” because it gets given to them for just a cent or two off of the production Dollar.

As for “Out Sourcing” this is where all the “industrial espionage” and “insecurity” starts. Because to give those few cents off of the Dollar the agent the work is out sourced to has to make a 30-50% profit otherwise they would go “belly up”. So they need to spend less than 1/3rd of the money on “security” etc than the original organisation did.

And it should only take a moment or two’s thoughts to realise what that realy means for security…

It’s why it’s also called,

“A race for the bottom.”

And history shows two things,

1, It’s only stopped by Government legislation and regulation.
2, The effective level playing field the Government legislation and regulation forces, in turn creates real innovation both in products and production.

Thus contrary to the “Free Market Mantras” of the neo-cons, legislation and regulation acts like “a rising tide” and “lifts all well found businesses”. But at the expense of the neo-con “multiple holes in the hull businesses” that “just go under when the tide rises”, because “they are not well found”…

Clive Robinson • January 31, 2025 5:40 PM

@ lurker, John Freeze, Drew,

As has been noted the current POTUS on his first trip was very keen on using “social media” and what others soon christened “Fake-News” or worse.

He then became “exhibit A” in a whole series of criminal court cases, and of some that have been concluded found guilty of criminal behaviour.

There is a lot of media and artist/creator talk about similar criminal behaviour performed by AI companies POTUS has “cuddled upto” in one way or another…

Well the Attorney General of California has made it clear they regard practically every thing AI companies are doing is probably criminal behaviour,

https://gizmodo.com/californias-ag-tells-ai-companies-practically-everything-theyre-doing-might-be-illegal-2000555896

I just hope this opinion gets confirmed in either court or legislation fairly quickly.

Clive Robinson • February 5, 2025 7:58 AM

@ Bruce,

USPO suspends inbound packages from China and Hong Kong.

Yes it’s sort of “off topic”, but it can easily be seen as part of an escalating course of ill advised action,

https://about.usps.com/newsroom/service-alerts/international/suspension-of-inbound-parcels-from-china-and-hong-kong.htm

This is very rapidly going to spread into “Domestic” and “light commercial” goods and create significant scarcities and rapidly rising prices and inflation. Non of which is useful for the average American Voter.

If after recent “weather events” across the US and the Government Responses (or lack there of as portrayed in the MSM). You might have started thinking of making changes to your life and way of living…

Such as not being 100% dependent on the various infrastructure grids, or availability of goods in “Just In Time”(JIT) long supply chain stores etc.

Now might be a good time to make what you might consider domestic “capital equipment” purchases, whilst the goods are still actually crossing boarders and still at non tariffed prices, and making it onto store shelves.

Even doing a minimum buy of the 3day to 3month FEMA purchases and ensuring your domestic equipment is actually “fully functional” would make sense.

Oh and consider “unemployment” due to “share holder value” profit protection lay-offs to become not just “more frequent” but effectively “the norm”. Remember “side gigs” are only possible if you can source resources for them (you can not be productively working without Comms or Power or other resources).

Years ago I used to call keeping such resources including money as “a year of ‘drop-dead’ protection”.

I later found I was not alone in this thinking. Quite a few fairly mainstream religions tell their members to store a years supply of foods, water, energy, and other basics of life and work. Not just for the members of their immediate family but also their more extended family.

I’m told “Generation Zee” are going 90’s and earlier retro… Well knowing how to make food not just “shelf stable” without refrigeration but “ready to eat without needing “heat or water” and in a reusable way –think jar canning– is a very valuable skill set our grand and great grand parents used to do. Most do not realise that the standard size of US back yards pre 1970’s was sufficient to grow plant based foods and a few small live stock –fowl / rabbits / a goat/sheep– sufficient to feed a family of 6-8 people, along with collecting “water off the roof” to irrigate etc.

We can actually do better these days and less stressfuly than RTO in conditions you would not be legally alowed to keep/ship livestock in most civilised Western Nations.

Surveys are revealing that whilst most are not “actually quiting” with RTO mandates, many have dropped into “quiet/slow quiting” where they are only putting in the pretense of working in hopes of being made redundant etc.

As my father observed,

“It’s better to jump than fall, and that is better than being pushed, as you have some control on how you land.”

Both my parents by any measure of the time were “upper middle class” with good jobs and incomes. However they were born and grew up between the two world wars and knew all to well what the “Great Depression” and similar economic recession s were all about. They also very nearly did not survive the post WWII economic blight that went through to the 1960’s and many in Europe would not have survived if it was not for ordinary Americans sending aid parcels paid for out of their own pockets.

We don’t get taught such things in schools these days and it’s been lost in just a few generations as those who lived it or were taught it by their parents die out. And I suspect all to soon many are going to wish they had simple basic knowledge about “Keeping a pantry and garden”. Along with how to survive in the bitterest winter cold and most humid of summer heat without “energy” and “food” they can afford.

In the UK Armed Forces there is a saying,

“A soldiers first duty is to themselves.”

Look on it as acquiring the knowledge and skills, not just to survive but thrive in just about any environment you get throw in to. It’s a higher level of “Self Reliance” than most ever bother to acquire. But those that do have the best ability to survive any natural or manmade misfortune that comes their way as the increasing numbers of natural disasters show over and over.

It should also be the first mantra of “security”. Because if you are not secure or behave in an insecure way then not just you but all those around you will suffer.

As I point out from time to time, there is a scale of,

“Individual Rights v Social Responsibility”

Those that overly believe in the former, tend to forget all those things they think of as “rights” can only exist on a foundation of “responsibilities” to the community and society they exist in.