Link: http://sisfi.org/

Good day to you,

We take this time to share our condolences, patronage and endorsements for the victims that have passed, are alive and their families in letting them know that their memories, stories, struggles and heartaches will not be forgotten and are not without our love, care, support and concern. Here is where everyone will get a chance to say a few words to and for them that will be posted on the tribute sites patronage page.

We all will be able to share this so we can preserve the memories of the happening and your input in it. Please note that any offensive or derogatory responses will be removed at our discretion as this not the place for negative, belittling, demeaning or selfless commentaries. We have much respect for all in this tribute and its meaning.

The website http://sisfi.org/abuse_apprecilove_day/

The Facebook Page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/SISFIs-Abused-and-Bullied-Victims-and-Survivors-Apprecilove-Tribute-Day/141609285875204

Please keep it short and to the point. If you have an image you would like to share you may add it as well.

Thank you and have a great day,

~Brett A. Scudder~

Link: http://sisfi.org/

Good day to you,

On October 8th 2010 we are hosting a special tribute for abuse/bullying victims and would like to ask your help in identifying people who have been and are victims of the societal problems of abuse and bullying. We must have all the names of the people by September 12th so we can properly align the planning and delivery of the gifts and goodies for them. Please send us the info to Secure.Relations@sisfi.org which should include the name, location and contact info for the person(s).

The tribute website is http://sisfi.org/abuse_apprecilove_day/

The Facebook page is here http://www.facebook.com/pages/SISFIs-Abused-and-Bullied-Victims-and-Survivors-Apprecilove-Tribute-Day/141609285875204

Thank you very much and have a great day. We apprecilove your patronage and look forward to serving you more.

~Brett A. Scudder~
President/Chairman/Founder – SISFI – The Scudder’s InfoTech SecuriCity Foundation http://sisfi.org
Brett.Scudder@sisfi.org (877) 539-8614 / (718) 928-9731
Follow me on Twitter http://twitter.com/TITSSN – http://twitter.com/BrettAScudder – http://twitter.com/SISFI – http://twitter.com/SISFINetwork – http://twitter.com/AbuseCzar

Link: http://sisfi.org/

Good day to you,

On October 8th 2010 we are hosting a special tribute for abuse/bullying victims and would like to ask your help in identifying people who have been and are victims of the societal problems of abuse and bullying. We must have all the names of the people by September 12th so we can properly align the planning and delivery of the gifts and goodies for them. Please send us the info to Secure.Relations@sisfi.org which should include the name, location and contact info for the person(s).

The tribute website is http://sisfi.org/abuse_apprecilove_day/

The Facebook page is here http://www.facebook.com/pages/SISFIs-Abused-and-Bullied-Victims-and-Survivors-Apprecilove-Tribute-Day/141609285875204

Thank you very much and have a great day. We apprecilove your patronage and look forward to serving you more.

~Brett A. Scudder~
President/Chairman/Founder – SISFI – The Scudder’s InfoTech SecuriCity Foundation http://sisfi.org
Brett.Scudder@sisfi.org (877) 539-8614 / (718) 928-9731
Follow me on Twitter http://twitter.com/TITSSN – http://twitter.com/BrettAScudder – http://twitter.com/SISFI – http://twitter.com/SISFINetwork – http://twitter.com/AbuseCzar

Link: http://sisfi.org/

Good day to you,

As we gather here today on this very special day, to pay honor and tribute to the victims and people who have been and are affected by the impacts and effects of abuse and bullying in our world, we ask that you take a moment to reflect on these things in our own lives. Many have been lost, fallen and are slipping away from us because of the decadent and callous mentality towards each other as a people, and we must take the time to recognize the severity and seriousness of these issues around us and how they trickle down to every aspect of our society.

They have been through a lot, endured many hardships and sufferings at home, work, school and in the community as friends, communities, people and the world turned against them and they were left alone, desolate and hurting. When they reached out for help, none was given, when they cried out for help, no one heard, when they looked out, they saw no one to help. We do not wear their shoes nor feel there pain but we can let them know that we are here for them and are always willing to listen, hear, support and be a shoulder to lean on. Sometimes all that is needed is just to “listen”.

Won’t you listen to someone in need today?

Our world today is one of turmoil and hardships and instead of pulling together and supporting each other, we are seeing the rapid increase in selfishness, lack of respect, lack of basic morals, ethics and principles across the board. While families, friendships, relationships and communities are hurting from the loss and suffering of loved ones in many ways, we are further disjointed as a people through denial and being naïve about the issues because they may not be directly affecting us or our loved ones. And so we need to start focusing on the people and how their lives and our communities are intertwined and must come together in the fight against abuse and bullying.

This can only be successfully achieved as a people who are actively united and engaged towards this cause through positive support resource structures convergence in this goal of effectively and safely controlling, managing and mitigating these issues for all. Communities must rise up, get engaged, get educated and be more aware of the warning signs and symptoms that are right there in front of you and put a stop to them immediately. Now more than ever the saying of “it takes a village to raise a child” could never be more true than it is today.

School leaders and administrators, we are asking you to please take a more proactive and vigilant stance in listening, watching and identifying these issues in our schools and applying the appropriate handling so that it does not get to a state of fatality of if I had known or done. A school is to serve the community and the community must support the school. There must be coexistence and transparency in the development lifecycle of our youths and community development.

Parents and adults, we need to be more interactive and engaged in the lives of not just your children but the youths in and around our communities. Work with your school leaders to help in balancing home and school life so that when they come into the school, it is with a positive attitude of learning and development.

And so today my friends, let us forget about the problems and focus on the people and how they are and have been dealing with their challenges and problems and join in hands, hearts and minds in showing them love, support and how much they mean to us and that they are never alone.

Please join us as we pay tribute to these great people and the lives they have and are living and the path ahead. It’s their day, let is live it up for and with them. We will be adding the names of the honorees on the tribute page as we work with them and the final list will be announced at our in NYC on September 29th at the Microsoft Briefing Center.

Thank you and have a great day,

~Brett A. Scudder~
President/Chairman/Founder
~SISFI~

Link: http://sisfi.org/

Good day to you,

As we gather here today on this very special day, to pay honor and tribute to the victims and people who have been and are affected by the impacts and effects of abuse and bullying in our world, we ask that you take a moment to reflect on these things in our own lives. Many have been lost, fallen and are slipping away from us because of the decadent and callous mentality towards each other as a people, and we must take the time to recognize the severity and seriousness of these issues around us and how they trickle down to every aspect of our society.

They have been through a lot, endured many hardships and sufferings at home, work, school and in the community as friends, communities, people and the world turned against them and they were left alone, desolate and hurting. When they reached out for help, none was given, when they cried out for help, no one heard, when they looked out, they saw no one to help. We do not wear their shoes nor feel there pain but we can let them know that we are here for them and are always willing to listen, hear, support and be a shoulder to lean on. Sometimes all that is needed is just to “listen”.

Won’t you listen to someone in need today?

Our world today is one of turmoil and hardships and instead of pulling together and supporting each other, we are seeing the rapid increase in selfishness, lack of respect, lack of basic morals, ethics and principles across the board. While families, friendships, relationships and communities are hurting from the loss and suffering of loved ones in many ways, we are further disjointed as a people through denial and being naïve about the issues because they may not be directly affecting us or our loved ones. And so we need to start focusing on the people and how their lives and our communities are intertwined and must come together in the fight against abuse and bullying.

This can only be successfully achieved as a people who are actively united and engaged towards this cause through positive support resource structures convergence in this goal of effectively and safely controlling, managing and mitigating these issues for all. Communities must rise up, get engaged, get educated and be more aware of the warning signs and symptoms that are right there in front of you and put a stop to them immediately. Now more than ever the saying of “it takes a village to raise a child” could never be more true than it is today.

School leaders and administrators, we are asking you to please take a more proactive and vigilant stance in listening, watching and identifying these issues in our schools and applying the appropriate handling so that it does not get to a state of fatality of if I had known or done. A school is to serve the community and the community must support the school. There must be coexistence and transparency in the development lifecycle of our youths and community development.

Parents and adults, we need to be more interactive and engaged in the lives of not just your children but the youths in and around our communities. Work with your school leaders to help in balancing home and school life so that when they come into the school, it is with a positive attitude of learning and development.

And so today my friends, let us forget about the problems and focus on the people and how they are and have been dealing with their challenges and problems and join in hands, hearts and minds in showing them love, support and how much they mean to us and that they are never alone.

Please join us as we pay tribute to these great people and the lives they have and are living and the path ahead. It’s their day, let is live it up for and with them. We will be adding the names of the honorees on the tribute page as we work with them and the final list will be announced at our in NYC on September 29th at the Microsoft Briefing Center.

Thank you and have a great day,

~Brett A. Scudder~
President/Chairman/Founder
~SISFI~

Link: http://sisfi.org/

Good day to you,

As we gather here today on this very special day, to pay honor and tribute to the victims and people who have been and are affected by the impacts and effects of abuse and bullying in our world, we ask that you take a moment to reflect on these things in our own lives. Many have been lost, fallen and are slipping away from us because of the decadent and callous mentality towards each other as a people, and we must take the time to recognize the severity and seriousness of these issues around us and how they trickle down to every aspect of our society.

They have been through a lot, endured many hardships and sufferings at home, work, school and in the community as friends, communities, people and the world turned against them and they were left alone, desolate and hurting. When they reached out for help, none was given, when they cried out for help, no one heard, when they looked out, they saw no one to help. We do not wear their shoes nor feel there pain but we can let them know that we are here for them and are always willing to listen, hear, support and be a shoulder to lean on. Sometimes all that is needed is just to “listen”.

Won’t you listen to someone in need today?

Our world today is one of turmoil and hardships and instead of pulling together and supporting each other, we are seeing the rapid increase in selfishness, lack of respect, lack of basic morals, ethics and principles across the board. While families, friendships, relationships and communities are hurting from the loss and suffering of loved ones in many ways, we are further disjointed as a people through denial and being naïve about the issues because they may not be directly affecting us or our loved ones. And so we need to start focusing on the people and how their lives and our communities are intertwined and must come together in the fight against abuse and bullying.

This can only be successfully achieved as a people who are actively united and engaged towards this cause through positive support resource structures convergence in this goal of effectively and safely controlling, managing and mitigating these issues for all. Communities must rise up, get engaged, get educated and be more aware of the warning signs and symptoms that are right there in front of you and put a stop to them immediately. Now more than ever the saying of “it takes a village to raise a child” could never be more true than it is today.

School leaders and administrators, we are asking you to please take a more proactive and vigilant stance in listening, watching and identifying these issues in our schools and applying the appropriate handling so that it does not get to a state of fatality of if I had known or done. A school is to serve the community and the community must support the school. There must be coexistence and transparency in the development lifecycle of our youths and community development.

Parents and adults, we need to be more interactive and engaged in the lives of not just your children but the youths in and around our communities. Work with your school leaders to help in balancing home and school life so that when they come into the school, it is with a positive attitude of learning and development.

And so today my friends, let us forget about the problems and focus on the people and how they are and have been dealing with their challenges and problems and join in hands, hearts and minds in showing them love, support and how much they mean to us and that they are never alone.

Please join us as we pay tribute to these great people and the lives they have and are living and the path ahead. It’s their day, let is live it up for and with them. We will be adding the names of the honorees on the tribute page as we work with them and the final list will be announced at our in NYC on September 29th at the Microsoft Briefing Center.

Thank you and have a great day,

~Brett A. Scudder~
President/Chairman/Founder
~SISFI~

Link: http://titssn.org/blog.php?user=1&blogentry_id=370

Link: http://titssn.org/blog.php?user=1&blogentry_id=368

 

Link: http://titssn.org/blog.php?user=1&blogentry_id=355

Good day to you,

Today at 12 noon, SISFI officially launched its website http://sisfi.org and resources to the general public. We look forward to your patronage and providing the valuable resources needed for technology and IT Security education, awareness, training and development for all. As we embark on this mission, we ask that you take the time to learn more about our foundation and its objectives as we are all affected by the on and offline technology and security, privacy and risks of our every growing and changing global infrastructure.

Strength in numbers, strength in determination, strength in leadership, strength in values, strength in effectiveness, strength in qualities, success in strength.

Please join us as we take on the tasks ahead with an open mind, willing hearts and full schedules. We ask for your support by signing our guestbook and sharing your endorsement.

Thank you very much and have a great day. We apprecilove your patronage and look forward to serving you more.

~Brett A. Scudder~
President/Chairman | SISFI – The Scudder’s InfoTech SecuriCity Foundation | http://sisfi.org

Link: http://titssn.org/signup.php

Good day to you,

It is with great excitement that I officially announce the launch of our ENGAGED “ENabling Greater Awareness, Growth and Educational Development” October promotion for today October 15th. This is a significant launch for us as it signals a new level of commitment of how serious we are taking our work and initiatives in promoting the elevation of education, awareness and training for technology and IT Security. This will be a quarterly event that focuses on providing more attention, support and focus on these critical areas of our future. Over the next two weeks we will feature special activities within the network that will focus on technology and IT Security in general by adding some special giveaways and incentives to our participating members.

These activities will include special featured questions, forum and group discussions, polls and spur of the moment giveaways. These rewards are added to our Virtual Gifts and will be how the winners are rewarded. The more points you accumulate during the next two weeks will allow you to claim additional products and solutions that were made available by our participating vendors. We ask that you be prudent in choosing your prizes/gifts with the consideration in mind that because they are specific to securing your systems, you should not have two of the same type of solutions running at the same time. This will cause considerable system performance issues. Please feel free to seek our guidance with your choices. We are here to help.

We want to say a very special thank you to our participating vendors for this month and hope that you will continue to support the initiative. This month’s vendors list includes, Pearson Education - representing Cisco Press, Safend, Sunbelt Software, Symantec, SpectorSoft, ESET, PCTools and Kaspersky. As a thank you from the network, we will be providing a special page for your company and products in the network. This page will feature the product(s) that were provided for this month’s promotion. This is the least we can do in thanks for your contributions and we hope that you will continue to keep us apprised on the development of your products/solutions going forward.

So let’s get ENGAGED http://titssn.org/signup.php

Thank you very much and have a great day. We apprecilove your business and support and look forward to serving you more.

~Brett A. Scudder~
President/CEO/Chairman/Founder/Security Architect
~TITSSN ~The IT Security Suite Network~ | http://titssn.net
We are Security - your Security - our Security - IT Security. Our Security is Safe and Secure.

Link: http://titssn.org

Good day to you,

We are in the final stages of the October ENGAGED special promotion launch which will kick off on the 15th with a series of value added educational and awareness events in our network. You must be an active member to win and so we encourage you to join in and start accumulating those points needed to win. The more points is the better your chances of winning the good stuff.

Here is a list of some of the products/solutions we’re giving away.

Sunbelt Software’s VIPRE® Antivirus + Antispyware
Symantec Internet Security 2010
Kaspersky Internet Suite 2010
PCTools Spyware Doctor and Registry Mechanic
ESET Smart Security 4 and ESET NOD32 Antivirus 4
Plus more to come by the 15th as we’re still waiting for confirmation from a few other vendors who have expressed interest.

Remember, you must be an active member to participate and win. Join us here http://titssn.org/signup.php.

Thank you and have a great day,

~Brett A. Scudder~

Link: http://titssn.net

Good day to you,

TITSSN is working on its first annual SecuriTech Hands-on IT Security Workshop Conference in New York City coming in February 2010. This workshop will be a full day of hands-on security product implementations, configuration, troubleshooting and assessment from our finest security vendors, professionals, experts and gurus. The workshop will be high level technical and will cater to breaking down the knowledge and awareness issues of new, existing and enhanced IT Security products and solutions.

More details to come as we finalize the event, guest vendors and other participants. The event website info will be posted soon.

Thank you and have a great day,

~Brett A. Scudder~

Link: http://www.titssn.org/blog.php?user=1&blogentry_id=37

Good day to you,

This is just a reminder as we are working on building up the membership and visibility on/of our site that every 100th member will receive a $50 gift certificate. We’re not only offering good information and resources, we’re offering valuable incentives as well. We’re working on a referral program that will offer $25 to every member that brings 25 active users to the network.

This is to prove how serious we are about getting the values and information on and about IT Security out to the people as it is a people problem and we’re addressing it that way.

Please spread the word http://www.titssn.org/blog.php?user=1&blogentry_id=37.

Thank you and have a great day,

~Brett A. Scudder~

Link: http://theitsecurityattache.com/blogs/

Greetings my readers,

I can truly say that after spending the past two days hammering out the features, functionality and usability of the two devices side by side, I am much more confident, comfortable and relaxed with the HTC Touch Pro 2 than my iPhone (which I only have for testing and comparative reasons anyway) as a professional, music connoisseur and just being able to have it manage my day to day activities, planning and scheduling. As a person that lives religiously off his calendar, I must feel comfortable in the device I carry and its ability to keep me on track.

Once Microsoft opens up the app like store I’m sure this will push the usability and functionality levels even higher and I can’t wait. My only fears, and I do mean fear, is that the upcoming Windows Mobile v.6.5 may bring changes to this setup that may not work best for me and so I will be making a backup of my existing setup before upgrading to WinMo v.6.5.

So now I prepare for WinMo v.6.5 and I will complete my full review of the device on the existing WinMo v.6.1Professional and post it shortly. Until then, I’m just all over the touching.

Have a great day,

~Brett A. Scudder~

Link: http://titssn.org/signup.php

Greetings my fellow readers,

This is an early heads up for you our valuable blogs readers that we will be giving away a lot of great full version security solutions for FREE as a part of our contribution towards helping to provide more education, awareness and security for our online users. We value your support in reading our blogs and sending me your feedback and support so here’s a little something back from us to you.

There will be anti-virus suites, anti-malware suites and other detection, prevention and mitigation solutions from the vendors in our network. You must be an active member of our social network to win so join up now and get ready for some good stuff. All are invited so join us if you are not yet a member of the best new social network around.

http://titssn.org/signup.php

The giveaway details will be provided shortly as I work on purchasing the solutions to have enough to distribute.

Thank you and have a great day,

~Brett A. Scudder~

Link: http://titssn.net

Good day to you,

Last year I started a series of online presentations that were geared towards IT Security education, training and awareness and they had their ups and downs. One thing that is sure is that the information needs to get out to the people but more importantly is to get the right info and resources out. While I invited people to the sessions they declined to attend only to come back with questions of a similar issue a week or two later.

Many people today still don’t know how they are impacted by these security issues or how to address them. My online sessions provided critical information about such things in an effort to let people know that IT Security IS a people problem, NOT an industry one and so they must get educated and be aware of what the threats landscape looks like and where they fit into it.

So this year, 2010, we are taking it one step further and introduce a monthly online IT Security Panel discussion to help address some of the issues that are out there in the wild. My aim is that by doing this online we can/will attract a wider range of people in the comfort of their homes, workplaces and places of learning.

I have met and talked with a few security experts who will be joining us at different levels of the security space to help to make this valuable and resourceful. More details will be posted as the sessions are aligned with the panelists so stay tuned.

Thank you and have a great day,

~Brett A. Scudder~

Link: http://titssn.org/signup.php

Good day to you,

We’re running a promotional signup special on our social network for the next two weeks in an effort to promote the content and information we are making available. Every new member that signs up through October 15th will receive an extra 1500 points to be used for virtual gifts in the network. We are adding more valuable solutions and products to our virtual gifts store for our members. The more points, the more choices you have to get gifts.

We have a few new vendors who are joining the network and will be contributing towards the gifts so gather up those points and get ready to use them.

http://titssn.org/signup.php

Please remember to spread the word and let everyone know that we’re here to provide valuable education, awareness, training and networking on/about technology and IT Security and all are invited, no exceptions. IT Security is a people problem, not an industry one and is how we’re addressing it.

Thank you and have a great day,

~Brett A. Scudder~

Link: http://titssn.net

Good day to you,

It’s coming to that time of the year again and another anniversary is upon us. TITSSN will celebrate our 5th year and the start of our fiscal year for 2010 on July 1st 2009. We were planning to have an awesome celebration as usual and will be working on some goodies throughout the month. We have been having some challenges with sponsors and getting the support needed to achieve these goals.

However, with our will and the desire to move forward against all obstacles, we will be having an awesome month of celebration and thanks for us reaching this far.

We invite everyone who has ever heard of and about us or have supported our initiatives to join us in celebration wherever you are for the month of July and we look forward to an awesome year in 2010.

Happy Anniversary TITSSN and best wishes for many more to come.

~Brett A. Scudder~
President/CEO/Chairman

Link: http://titssn.net

Good day to you,

NYITSA-UG’s June group meeting is Cancelled

We will not be having a group meeting this month. Please make note of these changes and update your calendars.

We will get together again for the training and development workshop on June 16th.

Thank you and have a great day,

~Brett A. Scudder~

Link: http://titssn.org/signup.php

Good day to you,

It is always a challenge to drive the attention, traffic and visibility of technology and IT Security education, awareness and guidance to the masses as it isn’t one of those things they pay attention to until something happens or there is a need. As a Technology/IT Security leader for today and tomorrow, we, TITSSN, are always pushing for proactive approaches to getting the information, resources and value to the people so that we can stop, block and prevent successful attacks before they happen.

It is for this reason that we’re adding more value and incentives to our network to drive active membership on the site by giving a $50 USD gift certificate to every 100th new member. This will be monitored to ensure that the 100th member is actually a real person who does something on the site other than just signing up. We have put security measures in place to try and block all levels of spamming (posts, commenting, signup) in order to maintain the realness of our network and resources especially for these incentives. There will be other giveaways and incentives as we try to bring the value of the education and awareness to the global user base of people.

There is more to come as we look into the deliverables of our network and resources. A new partnership is in the works with a very popular publishing provider to offer printed materials in networking technologies (IP com, network security, storage), and Cisco® certification. These materials will be added into the Virtual gifts and other offers on the site to enhance the training and education of our members.

Our network was built to provide value and in so doing, we are adding value across the board for all.

There are some limitations in geographic locations for the recipients and we are working on these issues to ensure that everyone can and will benefit from what is being offered.

We thank you for your support as we build on this network and its resources.

http://titssn.org

Thank you and have a great day,

~Brett A. Scudder~

Link: http://titssn.org/signup.php

Good day to you,

In an effort to enhance the features and values of our network, we have added the Virtual Gifts, Prizes and Solutions as additional resources for our members. As the name says, virtual gifts are categorized in various groups and since we’re extra special and love to provide valuable resources for our members, we enhanced the virtual gifts of our network to include physical products you can use in your PCs.

Yes, that’s right, real gifts from our virtual network such as:

Security products and solutions (anti-virus, anti-malware, firewalls and more)
Applications (business, productivity, system management, utilities)
Mobile Device Apps (business, productivity, system management, utilities)
Microsoft Operating Systems (Vista, Windows 7, XP)
Free Health Assessments/Consultations
Mobile Devices
Hardware products
And more as we continue to build on these offerings.

Some gifts will be location specific so please be sure to look carefully when choosing your gifts. Some gifts are free and for fun and entertainment.

This is just the beginning as we continue to find ways to getting the value and benefits of being an active member of this network while gaining from the knowledge and resources of our training, education and development.

http://titssn.org/signup.php

Thank you and have a great day,

~Brett A. Scudder~

Link: http://titssn.org/browse_blogs.php

Good day to you,

Effective today, June 1st 2009, we will begin using our social network’s blogs board for the organizations main blogging. We will still maintain the http://titssn.net/blogs site for critical and important organization news, happenings and security alerts. Due to the integration of additional features and resources within the social network, using them will be very beneficial for us as we will now be able to better manage the integration of these features in one central location. You can view the blogs on the social network here http://titssn.org/browse_blogs.php.

We will be moving the main organization forum posts from our old board at http://theitsecuritysuite.net/forum/phpBB2 to the social network starting today. The main organization posts will now be copied into the social network until we phase out the old site.

All referencing links from our main websites, blogs and other areas will now point to the social network. This is in an effort to work within the social network and its resources as our new home.

We will also be removing some of the sub groups on LinkedIn and referencing them from our main group located here http://www.linkedin.com/groups?gid=44598. This will help to share the info of our network resources while still maintaining a strong presence on LinkedIn. A list of the affected groups will be posted shortly. The groups’ functionality within the social network will give us the same feature and resources and more for us to collaborate more effectively.

We are very happy and excited about our new home and social network and this month will be the major kickoff for populating it with some great content, resources and info.

Join us so the values and benefits can be had.

Thank you and have a great day,

~Brett A. Scudder~
President/CEO/Chairman

Link: http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9133687

Obama’s cybersecurity plan gets cautious praise
The challenge will be to get various interests working together

Jaikumar Vijayan | http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9133687

May 29, 2009 (Computerworld) President Obama’s plan for securing cyberspace and his creation of a new White House cybersecurity coordinator are being greeted with cautious optimism within the security industry.

Many see the strategy as a sign of the administration’s willingness to recognize cyber threats as a national security issue. But until details are fleshed out, it’s hard to know just how far it will go in bolstering the nation’s ability to deal with cyber attacks, they said.

At a White House briefing, Obama described a five-pronged cybersecurity strategy for defending government, military and private sector networks against threats from what he said is a growing number of bad actors. He noted that the new cybersecurity coordinator will be responsible for pulling together a national strategy for securing American interests in cyberspace and stressed that the government would safeguard privacy concerns. (The new office will include a privacy officer.)

Obama’s proposals had been widely expected and are based on the recommendations from a government-wide review of cybersecurity undertaken at his behest by Melissa Hathaway, a former Bush administration aide who he appointed as acting senior director for cyberspace earlier this year.

“I was encouraged see that the [Hathaway] report got presidential support today — that’s critical to the success of any program,” said Patricia Titus, the one-time chief information security officer at the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) who now holds a similar job at Unisys Corp.

The challenge for the Obama Administration is to actually implement the proposals in a meaningful way, Titus said. A lot will depend on the relationships the new cybersecurity coordinator can build and the kind of influence he or she can exert across government and the private sector, she said.

While centralizing authority for cybersecurity matters in the White House can have benefits, care needs to be taken to maintain a balance of power, she said. “We need to make sure that no one is pushing the red panic button without making sure there are other individuals in the decision-making process and at the appropriate levels to get input from,” she said.

Obama did a “great job” of summarizing the cybersecurity threats the nation faces and the approach that’s needed to resolve them, said Scott Charbo, former deputy undersecretary of the National Protection and Programs Directorate at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

Especially encouraging is the president’s focus on setting specific milestones and on ensuring accountability within government, said Charbo, who is currently director of cybersecurity at Accenture. Obama’s apparent plan to give the new cybersecurity coordinator a greater say in ensuring that federal agencies are investing adequate resources on cybersecurity is also a very positive step, he said. But successfully moving forward on a White House-led cybersecurity effort will require a “cultural transformation” by government agencies.

“I think everyone is anxious to understand who the cybersecurity coordinator will be,” Charbo said. “It needs to be someone who can listen to new ideas. It needs to be someone who is focused on outcomes and on metrics.”

Ensuring that all of the right players are at the table when developing a national cybersecurity strategy will be key, added Billy O’Brien, former White House director of cybersecurity and communications systems policy. O’Brien is now an analyst at Deloitte.

To date, government officials, defense organizations and the DHS have all been working on disparate missions when it comes to cybersecurity. Getting everyone working together can be a challenge, he said.

The mission of the intelligence community, for instance, is to intercept an attack using the cyber infrastructure; the DHS is supposed to protect critical infrastructure; the Department of Defense has defense-and-attack authority; and the White House has coordination authority. The question that will need to be asked is whether “all of the right players are at the table or if there is a need to add more,” O’Brien said.

Also key: figuring out how to ensure that the private sector is “holding up [its] end of the deal” when it comes to the critical infrastructure in private hands, he said.

Enrique Salem, the CEO of Symantec Corp. , said in a statement that the decision to re-establish a strong White House role for cybersecurity is “gratifying.” The last executive to have a cybersecurity role in the executive offices of the president was Richard Clarke, who was special advisor on cybersecurity to President George W. Bush when he retired in 2003.

In the six years since, cyber security oversight and involvement has moved from the White House to other government agencies, even as cyber attacks have grown to the point where they are now a “full-blown threat to national security and commerce,” Salem said.

“The coordination must come from the White House level to address the situation and to provide focus on the global nature of this problem,” he said.

Link: http://secunia.com/advisories/35274/

TITLE:
Xvid Multiple Vulnerabilities

SECUNIA ADVISORY ID:
SA35274

VERIFY ADVISORY:
http://secunia.com/advisories/35274/

DESCRIPTION:
Some vulnerabilities have been reported in Xvid, which can be exploited by malicious people to potentially compromise an application using the library.

The vulnerabilities are caused due to boundary errors within the “decoder_iframe()", “decoder_pframe()", and “decoder_bframe()”
functions in src/decoder.c. These can be exploited to potentially corrupt memory via specially crafted video files.

Successful exploitation may allow execution of arbitrary code.

The vulnerabilities are reported in versions prior to 1.2.2.

SOLUTION:
Update to version 1.2.2.

PROVIDED AND/OR DISCOVERED BY:
The vendor credits John McDonald and Christopher Valasek of IBM X-Force.

ORIGINAL ADVISORY:
Xvid:
http://www.xvid.org/News.64.0.html?&cHash=0170b4e439&tx_ttnews[backPid]=64&tx_ttnews[tt_news]=7
http://cvs.xvid.org/cvs/viewvc.cgi/xvidcore/src/decoder.c?r1=1.80&r2=1.81

———————————————————————-

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