Archive for the ‘Potomac’ Category
Friday, February 10th, 2012
 Walter Isaacson's Steve Jobs also made it clear that while he was a visonary marketer, he wasn't much liked by many. The Washington Post says a lengthy F.B. I. report on Steve Jobs made when he was begin considered for a government position in President George H.W. Bush’s administration in 1991 paints a somewhat unflattering portrait of the late Apple founder and CEO.
The F.B.I. made the files public following a Freedom of Information Act request from the Post.
The report notes that “Several individuals questioned Mr. Job’s honesty stating that Mr. Jobs will twist the truth and distort reality in order to achieve his goals.”
Another described him as “shallow and callous to people in his personal relationships,” and mentioned his narcissism, but added, “he has far reaching vision and can vitalize plans and goals.”
A number of people interviewed said they thought Job’s was qualified for a job on the Bush Administration’s Export Council, even though they did not much like the man.
The report says people who knew Job’s questioned his lack of support for his daughter born out of wedlock and her mother.
The files also disclose Job’s college use of marijuana and LSD and reveal that Apple received a mysterious bomb threat at one time.
It seems fairly clear from the files that Jobs stopped his drug use years prior to the investigation and drank very little alcohol.
Despite their distaste for Jobs personally, nearly all the interviewed people thought he was qualified for the government position.
Tags: Apple Inc., biography of Steve Jobs, Jobs distorts reality, Steve Jobs F.B. I. file, Washington Post
Posted in Apple, Hardware, People, Washington, DC | No Comments »
Wednesday, February 8th, 2012
 More than half of Federal employees use at least one mobile device at work, CDW-G found, and many are using personal devices to accomplish work-related tasks. Nearly all Federal employees who use a mobile device for work believe the device makes them more productive, and the majority say increased mobility will improve citizen service.“Mobility is the ‘new normal’ for Federal employees”
The report, based on a survey of 414 Federal employees and IT staff, examines current trends in mobility, how agency IT professionals are managing mobile devices, and the steps they are taking to secure Federal data.
Mobility is no longer just a nice-to-have capability, CDW-G found: Nearly all 203 Federal IT professionals (99 percent) said they have deployed mobile devices to their agency workforce. What’s more, 62 percent of those IT professionals said their agencies allow employees to use personal devices for work.
“Mobility is the ‘new normal’ for Federal employees,” said Bob Kirby, vice president of federal government for CDW-G. “Employees increasingly expect to be able to work anywhere and at any time. Agencies responded first by deploying mobile devices, and now they are enabling use of personal devices. And the Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) trend is likely to continue, following the Obama administration’s November 2011 executive order that asked agencies to limit the number of IT devices they issue to employees, including mobile devices, in order to reduce costs.”
Agencies are providing a good security baseline for mobile device use, with the majority establishing mobile data security policies (85 percent) and requiring data security training for mobile device users (84 percent). However, CDW-G found that there is room for agencies to improve security measures in order to protect sensitive data. For example, while 82 percent of IT professionals said their agency deployed encryption for mobile devices, far fewer said their agency protects mobile devices with multi-factor authentication (54 percent), remote lock and wipe (45 percent), and data loss prevention software (39 percent).
“Federal employees – just like those in other industries – access a wide variety of data in the course of their jobs, from financial information to employee and taxpayer records to email and social networking accounts,” Kirby said. “Employees understand the need to keep private information just that – private. But as cyber threats become increasingly sophisticated, they need a full suite of security tools to help them.”
Mobile device management (MDM) – over-the-air distribution of applications, data and configuration settings for all types of mobile devices – can help agencies deploy and manage security tools across the mobile workforce, while reducing IT management costs. While 71 percent of Federal IT professionals say they include MDM in their security efforts, CDW-G found that most are not deploying a full suite of security tools to agency and personal devices via MDM, revealing an opportunity to improve agencies’ security posture.
CDW-G recommends that agencies:
- Evaluate and/or establish a BYOD policy
- Assess their MDM needs
- Audit their MDM tools to ensure they support the agency’s security goals
- Incorporate the personal devices employees use for work into the agency’s MDM strategy
The CDW-G Federal Mobility Report surveyed 203 Federal IT staff and 211 Federal employees. The margin of error for the total sample is ± 4.8 percent at a 95 percent confidence level.
For a copy of the complete CDW-G Federal Mobility Report, please visit http://www.cdwg.com/federalmobility.
Tags: mobile device use by federal employees, smartphones, tablets
Posted in Government/Defense, Hardware, Internet/New Media, Maryland, Potomac, smartphones, Studies, surveys, reports, Virginia, Washington, DC | No Comments »
Tuesday, February 7th, 2012
 Armistead Whitney, CEO, Preparis, one of 60 firms presenting at the upcoming Southeast Venture Conference. By Allan Maurer
When jets plowed into the World Trade Center towers on Sept. 11, 2001, Armistead Whitney, now CEO and founder of Preparis, was president of a New York City-based media firm.
Along with many other company executives based in the city on that fateful day, Whitney was faced with questions about how he and his 200 employees should react to the terrorist attacks.
“I was immediately faced with some critical issues,” he says. “What should I do to ensure my employees will be safe? How will my operations, revenue, shareholder value, and brand reputation make it through? I simply had no clue.”
He and his staff made it out of the city safely, but Whitney writes that he made it his mission to find out what he would do differently if faced with such a situation again. He met with leaders form emergency preparedness and response organizations, then with CEOs of companies of various sizes. Whitney wrote about how it all on the Preparis website.
Guidance on what to do
After considerable research, he started the Atlanta-based company Preparis Inc., a startup selling an SaaS-based platform that delivers expert information, response protocols, communications and training to help businesses meet unpredictable threats from terrorism, pandemics, and natural disasters.
Preparis is one of 60 innovative showcase firms that will present business plans to venture capitalists and angel investors representing billions in capital at the 6th Annual Southeast Venture Conference in Tysons Corner, VA, Feb. 29-March 1.
Companies face 21st century threats
In today’s world, terrorist attacks are only one threat among many that can disrupt global businesses, Whitney tells us. “Threats of the 21st century have become more complex, especially as companies outsource more. They have operations globally, in third world countries, and clients in places impacted by local troubles.”
Nowadays, then, a business has to face pandemics, cyber terrorism, nuclear meltdowns, natural disasters from hurricanes and floods to earthquakes and wild fires. Floods in Asia can hamper production of electronics parts made there from hard drives to tablets.
Yet, Whitney points out, the only preparations for meeting such disasterous business interruptions is “A plan that sits on s shelf. It can be challenging for that to be effective.”
While most larger Fortune 1000 firms do have plans in place – policies, procedures and teams, they want tech to automate it all, Whitney notes.
They need a way to automate plans
“They need a way for tech to automate it, bring it all together so that it can be accessed from any place on any device, how to protect the workforce from threats, response instructions if you receive a bomb threat, an anthrax letter.”
Technology can take those stale plans on a shelf and make living breathing programs, he says.
Downstream at smaller organizations such as a law firm, “We become their entire ecosystem with everything they need, even an emergency notification system (such as Virginia Tech installed following deadly shootings on its campus).
The Preparis system knows who do what with the product at each level and everyone from the CEO to employees can use it.
“We’ve sold to about every industry, Fortune 1000 companies, banks, attorneys. Every industry at every size has an appetite for it,” says Whitney.
In the past, most such disaster preparedness was done through consultants Preparis does it through its SaaS product that a company can download from the web and being using immediately. “We’re creating a new category,” Whitney says.
Dealing with cyber threats
Looking ahead, the company is getting into how to deal with cyber threat issues. “As new threats evolve – the pandemic fears of a few years ago for instance – we quickly add guidance for our clients.”
In the recent “Trifecta” of an earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear meltdown in Japan, for instance, the Japanese government was telling its citizens it was ok to eat the food grown in Japan. But the Preparis product told its clients, “No, it is not ok to eat the food from Japan at this time.” Later tests showed that much food was contaminated with radioactivity.
“We also had a lot of our clients use the emergency messaging system when trying to find their employees.”
It must be doing something right. It has a 100 percent client renewal rate. How many software firms can say that?
The 20 employee company has raised $5 million in Series A funding. Whitney says the company is looking at a B round for growth.
“We signed a strategic alliance with Wells Fargo, which is bundling it with their products for their insurance customers. It’s a huge opportunity. Its the fourth largest insurance broker. We don’t need money for the product, but we need to hire more people to facilitate meeting increased demand for the product. That’s the main reason we would raise a B round.”
The company’s growth plan also includes mobile and social integration. Already clients can log in to the product with Facebook, Twitter, or LinkedIn names and passwords.
Tags: 11/11/2001, Armistead Whitney, Atlanta, business continuity, disaster preparation, emergency response software, Preparis, SaaS, SEVC, Southeast Venture Conference, threat preparation, Tysons Corner, VA
Posted in Cloud, entrepreneurship, Events, Internet/New Media, IT, LinkedIn, Mobile, smartphones, social media, TechLife, Telecommunications, Twitter, Virginia | 1 Comment »
Thursday, January 26th, 2012
 Despite the brouhaha last year over Netflix splitting its streaming and DVD rental services, effectively doubling the cost of having both, the company posted better than expected Q4 results this week.
Netflix needed the boost. It saw its stock price slide 60 percent after the price hike and a failed attempt to split itself into two companies last year.
But Netflix earned revenue of $876 million in Q4, compared with $596 million in the same period the year before, although net earnings actually dropped to $41 million or 73 cents a share compared with $47 million and 87 cents a share a year ago.
Despite a loss of 800,000 subscribers in Q3, the company saw Q4 subscriber numbers rise to 24.4 million, up from 23.7 million last year.
The company faces competition from Amazon, Hulu, and other streaming video sources.
We find Netflix particularly useful to watch those novelistic TV series, especially when they’re available to stream. We caught Downton Abbey, Spartacus, and a bevy of older BBC productions that way.
You can hear Marc Randolph, co-founder of Netflix, at the upcoming Southeastern Venture Conference, Tysons Corner, VA, Feb. 29-March 1.
Tags: Amazon, Dowton Abbey, Marc Randolph, Netflix, SEVC, Spartacus, streaming video
Posted in Events, Internet/New Media, video, Virginia, Washington, DC | Comments Off
Thursday, January 19th, 2012
 Speakers headed to the 6th Annual Southeast Venture Conference in Tysons Corner, VA, Feb. 29=March 1 Early, discounted regsitrations for the Southeast Venture Conference at Tysons Corner, VA, Feb. 29-March 1 end Friday, Jan. 20. This year the SEVC features Marc Randolph, co-founder of Netflix, Chuck Templeton, founder of OpenTable, Mark Heesen, president of the National Venture Capital Association, top venture capital firms and innovative tech startups.
Randolph is a leading Silicon Valley investor in addition to being co-founder and former CEO of Netflix. Randolph and Templeton are just two of the hundreds of leading venture investors and entrepreneurs headed to this year’s event.
VCS representing $50B in capital attending
Venture capital firms at the event represent $50 billion in investment money.
The 6th Annual Southeast Venture Conference also features presentations from more than 60 of the hottest Southeast and Mid-Atlantic high growth tech companies. Companies that presented at the 2011 SEVC had average revenues of $6 million.
Also on the agenda: Paul Lee, partner, Lightbank, Marshall Brain, founder of HowStuffWorks.com, Jalak Jobanputra, venture investor, New Venture Partners, Harry Weller, general partner, NEA, Sean Marsh, co-founder, Point Judith Capital, Robert Peterman, Toronto Stock Exchange, and Roland Reynolds, managing director, Industry Ventures.
New this year
New this year is a pre-event networking platform, which will allow attendees to connect ahead of the event, increasing the opportunities to make it even more productive.
The Southeast Venture Conference is the premiere venture forum in the region and has sold out every year. Register here.
Tags: 2012, Ali Byrd, Bloomberg, Brian Rich, Catalyst Ventures, Chuck Templeton, Edison Ventures, Eric Bleeker, Harry Weller, Howstuffworks, Hummer Winblad Venture Partners, Jalak Jobanputra, Karin Klein, Lenard Marcus, Lightbank, Luke Burns, Marc Randolph, Mark Gorenberg, Mark Heesen, Marshall Brain, NEA, New Venture Partners, OpenTable, Paul Lee, Point Judith Capital, Robert Peterman, Roland Reynolds, Sean Marsh, SecondMarket, Southeast Venture Conference, The Motley Fool
Posted in entrepreneurship, Events, Maryland, Potomac, Virginia, Washington, DC | Comments Off
Friday, January 13th, 2012
 The tech and Internet communities have mounted a campaign to prevent passage of the SOPA bill. U.S. Representative Lamar Smith, (R-Texas) told Reuters Thursday that opposition to the controversial Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) has not deterred his determination to get the bill passed.
SOPA, widely opposed in the tech and Internet communities, faces a hearing in the House Jan. 18, when a group of security and tech experts will testify. Numerous large Internet sites and blogs plan a blackout the day of the hearings to increase awareness of the bill’s potential disruption of the Internet.
While intended to prevent rampant piracy and backed by the film and music industries, the bill is vaguely written. It is supposed to apply to foreign sites only, but its provisions, criticized by many, could allow copyright holders to have sites with alleged copyright violations blocked by ISPs, removed from search engines, or prevented from doing business via PayPal or other online payment services.
The bill has no protections against false accusations of copyright violation.
Boing Boing’s Cory Doctorow argues that the bill reflects ignorance on the part of lawmakers as to how the Internet actually works. — Allan Maurer
Business Insurance.org created this infographic on what the SOPA bill could do to business and innovation:
Tags: how SOPA could affect business & innovation, opposition to Stop Online Piracy Act, Rep. Lamar Smith, SOPA
Posted in Government/Defense, Internet/New Media, Legal, Tech Culture, TechLife, Washington, DC | Comments Off
Friday, January 6th, 2012
 TechMedia's 2011 Internet Summit event kept people connected via LinkedIn, Twitter and the TechJournal. Our next event is the Southeast Venture Conference in Tysons Corner, VA, Feb. 29-March1. Social media and mobile are rapidly changing business events, says Certain Inc., which sells cloud-based event management software.
We’ve certainly noticed the added-value that both mobile and social media bring to TechMedia’s digital conferences and other events.
Just following the Twitter stream at events often provides top take-away information and insights, while LinkedIn keeps attendees connected before and after the conferences.
Based on insight from visionary industry leaders, customers and partners, Certain has identified key shifts that it believes will shape the industry over the next 12 months.
“2012 will kick off a breakthrough for the industry that will revolutionize the value that attendees, meeting professionals and executive sponsors derive from events,” said Peter Micciche, CEO of Certain.
A tsunami of connectedness
“A tsunami of connectedness, driven by social, mobile and virtual, will ultimately enable the attendee engagement experience. Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitterare mainstream, making integrated event marketing the new normal for event professionals.
“This integration of digital solutions with event planning software will result in 2012 as the ‘year of the platform.’ Software-as-a-Service solutions are now seamlessly woven together into a comprehensive ecosystem architecture designed to meet, track and measure planner, marketer, sponsor and attendee needs.”
Certain’s top three predictions for 2012 are:
1. Traditional event planning will be massively disrupted by the widespread adoption of social media and mobile.
Social media and mobile will become core components of events — with or without the sanction of the organizers. This will create new and exciting opportunities for agile organizations that can adopt these technologies to create high-performance event interactions that lead to increased revenues and market share.
The industry will evolve quickly from simple and personal experience usage of Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter, to the more strategic ability to support “continuing the conversations” post-event and year round. Because of the increase in popularity of social media and mobile devices, planners will need to focus on harnessing the attention of attendees by finding ways to leverage thesemarketing tools.
Social media disrupting tradtional speaker formats
Social media will also disrupt the traditional format of speaker presentations. Instead of pushing information and talking “at” participants, speakers will find new methods of creating conversations with and amongst attendees long before the live session begins, and facilitating and supporting two-way, real-time interaction and evaluation after the event closes.
In 2012, speakers and planners who do not embrace social media as a means to fully engage and support all participants risk the potential of attendees dominating the buzz around their events, and miss an excellent opportunity to gain real-time feedback and to deepen their understanding of participant needs.
2. 2012 will be the “year of the platform”
Single use mobile and virtual applications are short-lived. Over the next year, leading enterprise software vendors will introduce new platform-as-a-service offerings.
Event planners will discover that in order to meet industry demands, technology must be integrated into a holistic, consolidated approach that is best expressed through a single event management platform covering logistics and digital solutions for all aspects of the event ecosystem. This framework best suits the growing demands for all event participants via a one-stop digital shop from which they can access event details and engage and connect with other participants via social media, mobile, and virtual.
Single purpose mobile and virtual applications will get acquired or become obsolete as leading vendors raise the bar for platform application integration. The industry will witness a natural evolution of products and only those companies that best adapt to the advancing technology landscape will emerge as the fittest.
3. All roads lead to 1:1 business activity
1:1 meetings will become the norm for events and tradeshows. The year 2012 will overwhelmingly point to the importance of productivity derived from facilitating one-to-one, quality relationships at events. Attendees will increasingly leverage technology to network and build business relationships, maximizing the Return on Investment (ROI) from the eventsthey attend.
Opportunities for networking and relationship building will become key determinants in the value of a particular event, and mobile technology will play an integral part in fostering those connections. Event organizers can best meet the demand for rich 1:1 participant experiences by providing strategic, matched appointments and a platform for communication between attendees before, during and after events.
Next-generation appointment matching solutions, tightly integrated with SaaS event planning and CRM platforms, will leverage social media capabilities and mobile to connect individuals based on their interests resulting in the optimal value from face-to-face meetings.
For more information about and opinions from Certain, visit the Certain Blog at: http://blog.certain.com/.
Tags: Certain Inc., event planning, Internet Summit, LinkedIn, social media and mobile changing event planning, Southeast Venture Conference, twitter
Posted in Events, Internet/New Media, LinkedIn, Mobile, smartphones, social media, Tech Culture, TechLife, Telecommunications, Twitter, Virginia | 2 Comments »
Thursday, December 8th, 2011
 LivingSocial, the DC-based daily deal site that is the second largest player in the space after Groupon, has raised $176 million in new funding, according to a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.
JP Morgan, Lightspeed Ventures and Amazon.com participated in this round, which Venture Beat reports is the first tranche of a $400 million raise.
The company has raised a total of $808 million. It has spent about $353 million to acquire SocialMedia.com, TicketMonster and Urban Escapes.
It delayed a planned $1 billion initial public offering of stock earlier this year.
LivingSocial presented at TechMedia’s 2009 Southeast Venture Conference (SEVC). The next SEVC is coming up in Tysons Corner, Va, Feb. 29-March 1.
For an overview of the daily deals space in 2011 see this infographic.
Apple job announcement hints at changes to Siri
After testing a number of smartphones and tablets, we’re convinced that voice control of these devices is the way to go. Typing on virtual keyboards may get better like all manual skills as one practices, but it’s never going to be an ideal way to use electronic devices.
Now, Apple has posted jobs for two iOS engineers to help develop an API for Siri, the voice personal assistant on the iPhone 4S. The API would extend the applications users could run with voice commands.
The jobs are for a junior engineer and a senior engineer and the postings explain what Apple wants from them.
New xxx domain names selling fast
ICM Registry sold more than 55,000 xxx domain names in a matter of hours, with a total of 159,000 plus sold by noon yesterday.
Many of the domain names will not be adult sites, but rather were registered by non-adult firms to prevent adult sites from sullying their brands.
Amazon launches $6M fund for indie Kindle authors
Amazon has started a new fund called KDP select, with $500,000 available for December to encourage authors to publish works exclusive on the Kindle for 90 days.
Russ Grandinetti, vice president of Kindle Content said,“By choosing KDP Select, independent authors and publishers have an opportunity to make money in a whole new way and reach the growing audience of Amazon Prime members, for KDP Select authors, and we hope to add more such tools over time.”
After the 90 days, the books will then go to the Kindle Owners Lending Library, which allows users to check out books for free, although Amazon will pay authors a fee. The Kindle lending library has stirred up some controversy among authors’ groups and publishers, but that’s nothing new for Amazon.
All this comes on the heels of Amazon’s quite successful launch of its 7-inch tablet, the Kindle Fire, which reports say may already be second to the iPad in tablet sales. We wonder if that will continue to hold true as other inexpensive tablets hit the market, such as the new one announced by MIPPS Technology.
Tags: $99 tablet, Amazon, Apple job posts reveal Siri direction, daily deals sites, Groupon, KDP Select, Kindle Owners Library, LIvingSocial, MIPPS, SEC, smartphones, tablets, venture capital raise, voice operated devices, xxx domain names selling fast
Posted in Events, infographic, Internet/New Media, IPOs, IT, Money, Potomac, Washington, DC | Comments Off
Tuesday, December 6th, 2011
 Over the past few years, research from Pricewaterhouse Coopers has indicated that three areas of the US – Boston, New York, and Silicon Valley – dominate the venture capital scene, but Los Angeles, Northwest/Seattle, Midwest/Chicago, Texas, and the D.C. Metro area are closing in as new hot spots, according to new research.
Last week, Boston venture capital firm OpenView Partners released its latest research report on geographical and sector trends for technology companies in the expansion stage. The research conducted by OpenView Labs focused on identifying areas outside of the big three that have secured venture capital in the first half of 2011.
According to the team’s research Los Angeles, Northwest/Seattle, Midwest/Chicago, Texas, and D.C. Metro area are all on the verge of becoming hot spots for receiving venture capital. As young companies continue to secure funding away from the traditional hot spots, each of these areas has worked to carve their own niche in the investment landscape.
The report features commentary from venture capitalists including Howard Morgan of First Round Capital, Chris Girgenti of New World Ventures, Greg Gottesman of Madrona Venture Partners, and George Roberts of OpenView Partners.
“Recently a CEO told me he was turned down for capital because he company isn’t location in Silicon Valley. That story saddened me because OpenView would never make such a statement; we go to them, rather than telling a company to come to us,” said George Roberts.
The research revealed the following:
- 50 deals in the D.C Metro area totaling $189.3 million in investment
- 75 deals in the Midwest totaling $455.3 million in venture capital (all data current through Q2 201)
- Investments total $479.9 million in the software sector and $376.5 million in media and entertainment sector across the 5 areas analyzed in the study
The full report.
Mid-Atlantic and DC area entrepreneurs looking for a way to connect with top venture capitalists might want to consider attending the upcoming Southeast Venture Conference at Tysons Corner, VA, Feb. 29-March 1.
Tags: Boston, cities becoming venture capital magnets, Los Angeles, Midwest/Chicago, New York, Northwest/Seattle, OpenView Partenrs, Pricwaterhouscoopers, Silicon Valley, Texas, venture capital hot spots
Posted in Money, Potomac, Studies, surveys, reports, Tech Culture, venture capital report, Washington, DC | Comments Off
Tuesday, November 29th, 2011
 David Maimon Computer security experts have long pointed out that human beings are often the weak link allowing cyber attacks to succeed. Now, researchers at the Maryland Cybersecurity Center have reaffirmed that security measures must aim at users, not just attackers. ”Users expose the network to attacks,” one said.
In a unique collaboration, an engineer and a criminologist at the University of Maryland, College Park, are applying criminological concepts and research methods in the study of cybercrime, leading to recommendations for IT managers to use in the prevention of cyber attacks on their networks.
Michel Cukier, associate professor of reliability engineering at the A. James Clark School of Engineering and Institute for Systems Research, and David Maimon, assistant professor of criminology and criminal justice in the College of Behavioral and Social Sciences, are studying cyberattacks from two different angles – that of the user and that of the attacker. Both are members of the Maryland Cybersecurity Center.
Their work is the first look at the relationship between computer-network activity patterns and computer-focused crime trends.
“We believe that criminological insights in the study of cybercrime are important, since they may support the development of concrete security policies that consider not only the technical element of cybercrime but also the human component,” Maimon said.
In one study that focused on the victims of cyberattacks, the researchers analyzed data made available by the university’s Office of Information Technology, which included instances of computer exploits, illegal computer port scans and Denial of Service (DoS) attacks.
Applying criminological rationale proposed by the “Routine Activities Perspective,” Maimon and Cukier analyzed computer focused crime trends between the years 2007-2009 against the university network.
According to this perspective, which is designed to understand criminal victimization trends, successful criminal incidents are the consequence of the convergence in space and time of motivated offenders, suitable victims, and the absence of capable guardians.
The researchers hypothesized that the campus would be more likely to be cyberattacked during business hours than during down times like after midnight and on weekends. Their study of the campus data confirmed their theories.
“Our analysis demonstrates that computer-focused crimes are more frequent during times of day that computer users are using their networked computers to engage in their daily working and studying routines,” Maimon said.
“Users expose the network to attacks,” Cukier said. Simply by browsing sites on the Web, Internet users make their computers’ IP addresses and ports visible to possible attackers. So, “the users’ behavior does reflect on the entire organization’s security.”
Maimon, a sociologist, takes the study a step further.
“Your computer network’s social composition will determine where your attacks come from,” he said. In a similar vein, “the kinds of places you go influence the types of attacks you get. Our study demonstrates that, indeed, network users are clearly linked to observed network attacks and that efficient security solutions should include the human element.”
Cukier adds, “The study shows that the human aspect needs to be included in security studies, where humans are already referred as the ‘weakest link.’”
Cukier and Maimon said the results of their research point to the following potential solutions:
- Increased education and awareness of the risks associated with computer-assisted and computer-focused crimes among network users could prevent future attacks;
- Further defense strategies should rely on predictions regarding the sources of attacks, based on the network users’ social backgrounds and online routines.
“Michel and David’s research exemplifies the interdisciplinary and comprehensive approach of the Maryland Cybersecurity Center,” noted Michael Hicks, director of the Maryland Cybersecurity Center.
“Resources are not unlimited, so true solutions must consider the motivations of the actors, both attackers and defenders, as well as the technological means to thwart an attack. Michel, an engineer, and David, a criminologist, are considering both sides of this equation, with the potential for game-changing results.”
More Information:
Maryland Cybersecurity Center: www.cyber.umd.edu
Michel Cukier Profile Page: www.enme.umd.edu/facstaff/fac-profiles/cukier.html
David Maimon Profile Page: www.ccjs.umd.edu/faculty/faculty.asp?p=209
Tags: College Park, criminologist studies cybercrime, cybercrime study, David Maimon, Maryland Cybersecurity Center, MD, Michel Cukier, security must focus on users
Posted in Internet/New Media, IT, Maryland, Potomac, Security, Studies, surveys, reports, University Tech | Comments Off
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