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Cyber security is a top priority for many political leaders, computer scientists, critical infrastructure overseers, law enforcement professionals, business professionals, and average citizens. Read the concerns of these experts and leaders:
"There can be no doubt that America's critical infrastructure networks are under constant threat. Pervasive vulnerabilities in hardware and software, and the connectivity of these machines to the Internet make our multilayered lines of defense — anti-virus, firewall, and intrusion detection — relatively ineffective in addressing the problem." — Congressman James Langevin, Chairman of the Subcommittee on Emerging Threats, Cybersecurity and Science and Technology "[Cyber attacks] are national security threats that may be posed by foreign nations or others intent on attacking the United States through its electric grid. Widespread disruption of electric service can quickly undermine our government, military readiness and economy and endanger the health and safety of millions of citizens," he said. "There may be a need to act quickly to protect the grid, to act in a manner where action is mandatory rather than voluntary and to protect security-sensitive information from public disclosure." — Joseph Kelliher, Chairman, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) "Every American depends - directly or indirectly - on our system of information networks. They are increasingly the backbone of our economy and our infrastructure; our national security and our personal well-being. But it's no secret that terrorists could use our computer networks to deal us a crippling blow. We know that cyber-espionage and common crime is already on the rise. And yet while countries like China have been quick to recognize this change, for the last eight years we have been dragging our feet" — Senator Barack Obama, Summit on Confronting New Threats, July 16, 2008 "Security experts have been saying the security of the Windows family of products is hopelessly inadequate. Now there is a rigorous government certification confirming this." — Jonathan Shapiro, Research Assistant Professor, The Johns Hopkins University "Now, we have a foundation that is what I consider...I don't want to say unstable...but not prepared for the level of use that it is currently receiving, and it is the ideal environment for what I consider people selling snake oil solutions. And I don't mean that in a bad way, but when you offer security on the Internet, how much permanence is there? If you're talking strictly information security, I come in to sell you border routers, intrusion detection and intrusion prevention devices, and I tell you that this will help you secure your system...but for how long? Until a hardware or software vulnerability is discovered in one those appliances? And that's another issue. If we can't secure the applications, where you should start out with security in mind...but there's so much rush to market and pressure on those creating software." — James Finch, Assistant Director, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Head of Cyber Division "They had access to everything. They had the keys to every room at the bank. And we can't say whether they still do or don't until we fully and openly address what's happening here." — World Bank Executive "The vulnerabilities are endemic because we have whole networks and infrastructures built on software that's insecure. Any given day, some new vulnerability pops up." Thus, much of the world's critical infrastructure, financial networks, medical information systems, telecommunications gear, and portable mobile devices are open to compromise by determined individuals, corporations, organized crime, and nation states." — Michael Vatis, Former Director, National Infrastructure Protection Center, Federal Bureau of Investigation "The only path towards software security is through "high assurance". In other words, critical software must be designed for security in the beginning, that security claim must be certified by independent experts, and security must be field proven." — Bruce Schneier, Security Technologist, Author, Chief Security Technology Officer of British Telecommunications PLC "This isn't the cyber-hacking that you think of just for passwords. This is the capacity to destroy hardware in your home, at airports, at military bases, your car, if it's connected through the grid." — Andy Karsner, Assistant Secretary for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, US Department of Energy "We write to you with great concern about the cybersecurity posture of our nation's nuclear power plants, and ask that you move with all deliberate speed in ensuring that nuclear plant licensees institute comprehensive cybersecurity policies and procedures on safety and non-safety systems alike." — Congressman Bennie G. Thompson, Chairman, Committee on Homeland Security; and, Congressman James R. Langevin, Chairman, Subcommittee on Emerging Threats, Cybersecurity, and Science and Technology "Our information infrastructure—including...embedded processors and controllers in critical industries—increasingly is being targeted for exploitation and potentially for disruption or destruction." — J. Michael McConnell, Director of National Intelligence, February 7, 2008 "...However, DHS has not yet developed national threat and vulnerability assessments or developed and exercised government and government/industry contingency recovery plans for cybersecurity, including a plan for recovering key Internet functions. Further, DHS continues to have difficulties in developing partnerships—as called for in federal policy—with other federal agencies, state and local governments, and the private sector." — David A. Powner, Director, Information Technology Management Issues , July 19, 2005 "The Global Information Grid enterprise offers significant advantages and efficiencies to war fighters ... But all of this requires the users to have trust in the information. Our adversaries will attack it." — J. Michael Johnson, Chief of the Information Assurance Office, National Security Agency "Cyber security has historically been a battle between an offensive capability (hack) that has generally been ahead of the defense (deny). This fact of life was made painfully aware to me while serving as Commander-In -Chief of US Strategic Command and as Security Czar for the Secretary of Energy. Today, that traditional paradigm has literally been turned upside down with the unprecedented EAL 6+ High Robustness certification by the National Security Agency for Integrity Solutions' partitioned real-time operating systems. Cyber warfare has truly emerged around the world as an operational weapon of mass disruption and Integrity's innovative technological tools have clearly put the defense of our government and commercial systems on a level of security virtually unknown up this point." — Eugene E. Habiger, General, USAF, Ret. "From the finance sector to our military, from energy companies to our intelligence agencies, our nation relies upon a vast, interdependent web of information technology systems. Every day this infrastructure is under cyber-siege. The tools we have deployed now to defend against these attacks simply cannot defeat the sophisticated enemies we now face—organized crime, corporate spies, foreign intelligence services. According to the General Accountability Office, cyber-crime costs the U.S. economy at least $117 billion each year. These attacks may be virtual, but the barbarians are not at the gates, they are inside our systems. That is about to change. INTEGRITY Security offers American government and business the ability to effectively protect their information and operations against even the most determined attacks. For the last three years the experts at the NSA, the best in the world, worked hard to break the INTEGRITY System. They had the source code, they had all the information possible, and, yet, they couldn't defeat INTEGRITY. We need INTEGRITY protecting all our vital government and corporate information and information systems." — C. Thomas McMillen, Chairman and CEO, Homeland Security Capital Corporation; Vice Chairman, Fortress International Group, Inc.; Chairman and Co-CEO, Secure America Acquisition Corp., former three-term Congressman from Maryland "The current state of our nation's cyber security can, at best, be rated as 'needs improvement. Our country's critical infrastructure is based on information systems and computer networks. We all should share responsibility for protecting our critical infrastructure from physical and cyber threats that can jeopardize our security and prosperity." — Joseph Levy, Chairman and CEO, Quadragon Group; founder of CXO Media; Publisher of CIO Magazine and CSO Magazine
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