* Top 10 security issues for 2005, according to Unisys
Today, we’re continuing our look at the top 10 security issues for 2005 according to Unisys Chief Security Advisor Sunil Misra and his colleague Patrick O’Kane, chief architect of Unisys Identity and Access Management Practice. The full list can be found in last week’s newsletter (see link below) along with a further discussion of items 1 and 2. In today’s issue, we’ll examine predictions No. 6 and 7.
At No. 6, Unisys predicts that: “Enterprises will turn to proactive ‘defense-in-depth’ as business needs drive security.” Now you might be saying that you’ve always practiced “defense-in-depth,” but think about it for a moment – how often have you had to scrap security plans because the budget just wasn’t available to you? Unisys’ point is that the current regulatory climate (Sarbanes-Oxley, Basel II, HIPAA, the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act and other regulations) provides specific penalties for lax security. Your corporate executives – not just the authors of the malware that breaches your security – could go to jail. There’s nothing like the threat of jail time to focus the thoughts of management and help them organize their priorities.
No. 7 on the list I think is more wishful thinking than a real prediction. It’s “credit reporting agencies will become more involved in managing the consequences of identity theft.” Unisys’ O’Kane contends that if the credit reporting agencies don’t do this then the government will force them to. But as we’ve seen with the government’s fight on spam, telemarketing (the “do not call” list) and other so-called consumer-friendly activities, it’s the people with the deep pockets who get the protection of the law. The credit reporting agencies have very deep pockets. This one shouldn’t affect your enterprise (unless, of course, you’re in the credit reporting business).
Next time out we’ll look at the last three “predictions” which, to me, read more like a prescription for improving your security. Hurry back so you can decide for yourself.
