Talks: 2007 Archives
Video: Bruce Schneier on Information Security: Ten Trends
Surveying current trends in information security, it’s clear that a myriad of forces are at work. But fundamentally, security is all about economics: both attacker and defender are trying to maximize the return on their investments. Economics can both explain why security fails so often and offer new solutions for its success. For example, often the people who could protect a system are not those who suffer the costs of failure. Changing these economic incentives will do more to improve security than will more technology.
Video: Schneier on Identity Theft
I am attending the IT Security Summit 2007 here in Johannesburg this week. It’s a busy week for conferences with Interop in Vegas and AusCERT in session in Australia. While smaller than the other two this one is proving very interesting. I originally submitted my cyber crime scenario presentation but that theme proved so popular I was asked to address something else. So I brushed off my “Future of Network Security” slides and will be sharing that with the 450 or so delegates here tomorrow.
Last night was the gala reception where we were treated to a short identity theft skit (industrial theater they called it) starring Bruce Schneier. An impostor burst in on the scene and claimed to be Bruce. He produced a passport that identified himself as Mr. Bruce Schneier. He then had his interlocutor check images on Google, FBI.gov and CIA.gov, all of which identified this bloke as Bruce. It was only after Bruce solved a simple block cypher of the words “I am Bruce” that the impostor fled the scene. Watch the video of Bruce describing the point of the exercise…
Sidebar photo of Bruce Schneier by Joe MacInnis.