Comments on: Cyberattacks at federal agencies draw House scrutiny

As more is learned about intrusions reported on government computer systems last year, politicians question adequacy of fixes put in place.

[ajbright]

I believe the topics discussed will be

1/People are idiots for not applying patches
2/Microsoft are crap
3/Microsoft are great
4/Macs are great
5/Macs are crap
6/I hate Bill Gates
7/Linux will solve everything
8/Wild Conspiracy theories about GW and Homeland Security
9/Wild Conspiracy theories that are accidentally true about GW and Homeland Security
10/Lefties are gay
11/Righties are nazies

[n3td3v]

U.S Government Cyber Security

You'll never be able to secure your networks as long as state funded cyber attacks exist.

The threat isn't from individual bedroom hackers, its from government hackers who are being funded and directed by intelligence agencies the world over.

If U.S Government invest mission or billions in cyber security, other big nations (india?) have as much money to research ways to break in to U.S Government computers, no matter how sophisticated.

America can stop bedroom hackers for sure, but they aren't the real threat to national security are they, state funded cyber attacks are.

[n3td3v]

spelling error

"invest mission or billions."

its ment to say "invest millions or billions."

[Phillep_H]

Groups

Government hackers will certainly be a problem for other governments, but crime groups and the political/religious groups are more a threat to businesses and home users. Gov't looks for specific things, the others look for anyone vulnerable.

[wildchild_plasma_gyro]

The day God died

So anyway there they are the last 50 people on the planet in their super Nearly got to peta rich bunker that was built buy yet more idiots of god(boris).
So anyway boris finds that the food has run out and his best mate fred wants to eat him. "Don't you fear the raf of god" boris says "no" says fred "i fear you less than the other 48 in here who all voted you next". "but i spread the fish" boris says "we've fell for that enough times" fred says laughingly.
"But i set people free" Boris , "we're all honerery freemasions in here mate" shouts another bloke.
"I am the devine, my ansisters book was the true book" say boris "nah i hate eating paper" says fred.
Donk god gets eaten.

If you want to read chapter two why deciding who got eaten next looked nothing like a triangle.

Please pay
Lots of thought to yourself and whats in your way of achieveing your dreams and true integrity here on DIY earth.

[i_made_this]

They should darn well "draw scrutiny"...

...because in today's day and age, secure comm's aren't exactly brain surgery. They can even use Windows XP if they wish but Windows Internet Explorer is not well advised. Use Firefox plus Cypherix like a number of our other government agencies here and abroad do, as well as firms like IBM and Lockheed Martin, and they'll be just fine. Wouldn't it be nice if DHS actually kept up to date with CERT advisories? Or would that be too easy?

[Macsaresafer]

Let them use anything they like, but

make sure they know that if the get hacked, it's their jobs that get
hacked next. Do that, and Windows and IE will both disappear.

[MSSlayer]

You can spend trillions

On security tools and it will do nothing for two reasons:

People are apparently allowed to put sensitive data in laptops and thumb drives. This easily defeats all security.

Even worse is that people are stupid. Low tech social engineering can beat any security you want to throw at it. The governments and businesses need to stop hiring idiots who give out log in information to anyone who asks.

[Leria]

The social engineering thing is true

The social engineering things is true, though I am not sure about the laptops and thumbs drives things, not with the encryption tech of today.

As to the social engineering thing..... that is usually done by posing as a higher up in the company from some other branch or higher up in the government, and people are TRAINED to give out information on command to these people.

Now, in order to stop those social engineering things you have to do one of two or more things: tell people to NEVER give out, write down, etc. their information, especially passwords, or simply have everything on a central computer where people are allowed to change documents, but not take them home or download them to other computers.

[Leria]

The social engineering thing is true

The social engineering things is true, though I am not sure about the laptops and thumbs drives things, not with the encryption tech of today.

As to the social engineering thing..... that is usually done by posing as a higher up in the company from some other branch or higher up in the government, and people are TRAINED to give out information on command to these people.

Now, in order to stop those social engineering things you have to do one of two or more things: tell people to NEVER give out, write down, etc. their information, especially passwords, or simply have everything on a central computer where people are allowed to change documents, but not take them home or download them to other computers.