cybersecurity – Opinions

Feb. 18, George Finney, Chief Security Officer at SMU Dallas, for a piece helping fellow cybersecurity leaders navigate the huge number of products and services available to them to thwart cyberattacks. Published in Enterprise Security Magazine: http://bit.ly/2P9jSkF

When I was 12, my stepmom introduced me to the acronym for the phrase, Keep It Simple, Stupid, or KISS. She wasn’t a wicked stepmother, but my initial reaction was to be offended. Who are you calling stupid? Little did I know that the phrase was actually coined by the lead engineer, Kelly Johnson, at the Lockheed Martin Skunkworks lab.

Johnson’s idea was that all their designs should be simple enough for a soldier in combat to fix with only limited training and basic tools. It was this principle that helped in the development of the SR-71 Blackbird project, one of the greatest feats of engineering of all time. . .

Continue reading “Keep It Simple, Stupid: Less is Sometimes More When Preventing Security Breaches”

Cyber Security Buzzwords - Cyber Attack - With Blue Numbers In B

Feb. 14, Frederick R. Chang (and co-author Steven B. Lipner), professor and chair of the Department of Computer Science at SMU Dallas, for a piece advocating for greater cybersecurity safeguards in software and systems. Published in Inside Sources: http://bit.ly/2SPK1G9

Cyber-insecurity is our new normal. Over the last decade we’ve suffered an alarming increase in the frequency and severity of cybersecurity threats and attacks. It’s estimated that by 2021 the cost of cybercrime will reach $6 trillion annually worldwide. The sooner we accept this and redouble our efforts to thwart breaches on the range of digital devices and platforms we use, the sooner we’ll make strides.

That’s why it is important to elevate one particular vulnerability that gives cyber attackers opportunity: the way we engineer systems and software. . .

Continue reading “Let’s Start Designing More Secure Software and Systems”