[pchelpers] News:Cybersecurity's New Guard

Friday March 21, 8:21 PM
Rod Beckstrm may seem like an unconventional choice to be the nation's
top cybersecurity watchdog. On Mar. 20, the Bush Administration named
Beckstrm head of the National Cyber Security Center, an interagency
group quietly created by a national security directive signed by
President Bush in January. 

Beckstrm, 47, is a Silicon Valley entrepreneur, a former derivatives
trader, and a champion of conflict resolution in Africa. He's better
known as the founder of business collaboration software provider
Twiki.net and as an author specializing in the agility of decentralized
organizations than for connections inside the Beltway or expertise in
cybersecurity. 

Is he really the best choice for defending U.S. computer networks from
cyberattacks? Does Beckstrm have the bona fides to secure the
government's computer systems, which have been penetrated with
regularity in recent years, and against which the government has failed
to orchestrate a coordinated, centralized response? Absolutely, say some
network security professionals and insiders at the Pentagon, the
National Security Agency, and the White House. 

Decentralization Expertise
Who better to come against the splintered, decentralized bands of
hackers and cybercriminals who pose the biggest threat to computing
systems than an expert in, well, decentralization? Beckstrm highlights
the benefits of not having a traditionally hierarchical, identifiable,
and centralized organizational structure in The Starfish and the Spider:
The Unstoppable Power of Leaderless Organizations, a book he co-authored
in 2006. 

For one, leaderless groups are more nimble. They can be more creative.
Think of the creation and organic growth of Craigslist, Wikipedia, and
even terrorist cells. Then there are hackers, whose ability to mask
identities, navigate the unregulated wilds of the Internet, and insert
malware where chief information officers least expect it gives them
disproportionate power and reach. Whether in the marketplace or the
battlefield, the advantage goes to those who are harder to identify and
locate, and who lack a clear headquarters or chain of command. 

"Decentralization has been lying dormant for thousands of years," wrote
Beckstrm and co-author Ori Brafman. "But the advent of the Internet has
unleashed this force, knocking down traditional businesses, altering
entire industries, affecting how we relate to one another, and
influencing world politics." 

Beckstrm and co-author Brafman add: "The absence of structure,
leadership, and formal organization, once considered a weakness, has
become a major asset. Seemingly chaotic groups have challenged and
defeated established institutions. The rules of the game have changed."

More here:
http://sg.biz.yahoo.com/080321/68/4fdav.html
-- 
John Durham
Site http://modecideas.com
Server hosted on Ubuntu 4.10
Good advice is like good paint. It only works when applied.



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