The IT Security Attaché

So here I was caught up in another messaging discussion and the use of online mail services. I don’t mind having a discussion on mail security but when it comes to infrastructure people tend to think I over extend the value and need, do I?

~Brett A. Scudder~

Good day to you my readers,

I don’t know what it is but there is this discomfort in my stomach that’s not sitting well with me.

Anyway, i’m going to my doctor now and will be taking it easy today. Hopefully it will go to rest and leave me alone to move around more freely.

I hope all is well with you all and have a great day,

~Brett A. Scudder~

Good day to you,

Last year I started a series of online presentations that were geared towards IT Security education, training and awareness and they had their ups and downs. One thing that is sure is that the information needs to get out to the people but more importantly is to get the right info and resources out. While I invited people to the sessions they declined to attend only to come back with questions of a similar issue a week or two later. Many people today still don’t know how they are impacted by these security issues or how to address them. My online sessions provided critical information about such things in an effort to let people know that IT Security IS a people problem, NOT an industry one and so they must get educated and be aware of what the threats landscape looks like and where they fit into it.

So this year, 2010, we are taking it one step further and introduce a monthly online IT Security Panel discussion to help address some of the issues that are out there in the wild. My aim is that by doing this online we can/will attract a wider range of people in the comfort of their homes, workplaces and places of learning.

I have met and talked with a few security experts who will be joining us at different levels of the security space to help to make this valuable and resourceful. More details will be posted as the sessions are aligned with the panelists so stay tuned.

Thank you and have a great day,

~Brett A. Scudder~

Good day to you,

I cannot tell you how upset I was yesterday as my trip didn’t go as it should thus, I didn’t make it in on time for the meeting and my presentation. Amtrak had electrical and signal problems on their lines and 3 trains on the track before us waiting to be released past Metuchen. When they finally let us out of Penn station, we had been sitting there for an hour and then the trip was just slow, stopping every now and then and they even had the nerve to stop and let another train that was behind us go by. I was shocked when they did this but what can I say.

The only thing that made the trip less frustrating was one of the conductors who was professional and courteous enough to keep us posted and apologized for the delays. He kept us in the know and informed as things developed which eased the issues

Our scheduled 3pm train that was supposed to get in at 6:30pm didn’t get in till a little after 8. When I got to the venue it was too late and the meeting had wrapped up. We left Washington DC on the 10pm train and didn’t get to Penn station until 2am, ridiculous.

My apology to the National Information Security Group for missing the meeting and I will be rescheduling my presentation with Mr. Small for another date. I was truly disappointed.

Sincerely,

~Brett A. Scudder~

Hey guys,

So we (Brett, Security Attaché and TITSSN) are off to I-CON for a full weekend of activities, panel discussions, workshops and presentations and we are very excited about it. We will try to keep the blogs/tweets updated. One of the highlights for us is to meet Sam from Lord of the Rings as he’s one of our favorite characters and it is one of our most loved movies. Sean “Samwaise Gamgee” Astin is a special guest at the event this year. I can’t believe it was so long ago, LOTR sits in my head as if I just watched it. Wow, time does go by huh.

Sam from Lord of the Rings

There will be a showing of all three LOTR movies at the convention so you know we’re going to be all over that.

God I love the LOTR movies.

 So anyway, we will have limited access to email and voice but will respond if/when we can. If any readers of the blogs are at the event please reach out and say hi. We’d love to meet you too.

I just got an alert of a thunderstorm for the area so my travel time is now increased. Got to get going to get there in time for the Cyber-Crime panel discussion at the Marriot at 8:30pm.

Thank you and have a great day,

~The IT Security Attaché~

Good day to you,

It’s that time of the year again and I-CON is here in all its glory, fan filled excitement and awesomeness. TITSSN endorses the I-CON Science and Technology Conference which is in its 28^th year, and attracting over 6000 fans from across the country by supporting its need for getting the needed contents and information out to its attendees. This year’s event will be hosted at the campus of Suffolk County Community College in Brentwood Long Island and TITSSN will be there in full swing to address the IT Security Threats Landscape in various panel discussions, workshops and open sessions. Mr. David Carlos, CEO of David Carlos Managed Information Architects and I, the IT Security Attaché, will be representing TITSSN and covering topics such as:

Cyber-Crime (Fri, Marriott, 8:30pm)

How the world of Cyber-Criminals operate – the botnets, the spam, the hackers, etc. Motivations, methods, tools (try to avoid actually teaching people to be cyber-criminals).

Military Technology (Fri, SCCC, 10pm)

General discussion of new developments in offense and defense for the military.  Ray guns, unmanned aircraft, robots, nanotech, psychological warfare, medical advances – and when some of these (more benign) things may be seen outside the military environment

Things That Make You Paranoid (Sat, Marriott, 11:30) Last year, this apparently started off with about 10 minutes of doomsday events and quickly morphed into privacy and security panel.  Description from last year: Protecting yourself in an increasing hostile technological environment. Why the OS sometimes doesn’t matter, new attack vectors (e.g. cell phones), other things to make you paranoid.

Privacy and Security (Sat, SCCC, 12:00)

Maintaining your privacy and the security of your personal information when everything is online.  Implications of Obama’s plans for electronic medical records.  The penalties and how they are and ARE NOT enforced for various violations.  The pros and cons of sharing/storing your medical and other information with services like Google Health.  Should you mind targeted marketing based on data web sites and loyalty programs generate?

The Security Illusion (Sat, SCCC, 5pm) How technology is used to provide a perception of security from terrorism and the technologies that exist that COULD ACTUALLY DO IT.

Supercomputing (Sat, SCCC, 6pm)

Overview and discussion of the various methods of building a supercomputer and how they work.

Security 101 (Sat, SCCC, 6pm) Conficker and the new world of security threats. Addressing today’s IT Security Threats Landscape and its effects on people

Will HAL Dream? (Sat, SCCC, 21:00)

General discussion of artificial intelligence – from SkyNet (Terminator) to the HAL9000 to Data (from Star Trek) – how close are we, will it take over the world, and how to stop it if it tries to.

Security 102 (Sun, SCCC, 1:30pm) Your biggest security concerns. Are they valid or just myths? Protecting your computers and network from those concerns.

NASA Today (Sun, SCCC, 14:00)

Discussion of NASA’s current publicly known goals, how they should be changed, improved, or re-prioritized.

Global Warming Myths and Facts (Sun, Marriott, 4pm) Discussion of global warming myths, facts, and (potentially) debate. 

Discussion could include perspectives that global warming is not happening and/or is actually progressing in a potentially “natural” way that would happen even without human activity.

This is a fun filled and educational event for the entire family and those who are serious games, anime, sci-fi, mystery and the works addicts. Different sessions, workshops, films, and activities take you through the day and into the early hours of the morning.

TITSSN would like to say a special thank you to Mr. Lee Wilbur, Director of Information Technology and Science and Technology Track Leader at I-CON and member of TITSSN for this opportunity to be a part of the event and accepting our contributions to it. We will continue to work with him and endorse the event in any way we can. Next year we will try to have more people representing the organization to help cover more IT/technology sessions.

For those who will be at CON, see you there.

More info about I-CON can be found on their website here http://iconsf.org.

Thank you very much and have a great day. We apprecilove your business and support and look forward to serving you more.

~Brett A. Scudder~

The IT Security Attaché | http://theitsecurityattache.com  | Blogs http://theitsecurityattache.com/blogs

President/CEO/Chairman/Founder/Security Architect

~TITSSN ~The IT Security Suite Network~ | http://titssn.net | TITSSN’s Blogs http://titssn.net/blogs

Brett.Scudder@titssn.net (877) 539-8614 / (718) 928-6516

We are Security – your Security – our Security – IT Security. Our Security is Safe and Secure.

A Managed Security Services/Value Added Resellers Provider (MSS/VAR-P)

My LinkedIn profile – http://www.linkedin.com/in/titssn | TITSSN’s IT Security Forum Board http://titssn.net/forum

Follow me on Twitter http://twitter.com/TITSSN | Facebook http://www.facebook.com/people/Brett-A-Scudder/1161704997

Hey guys,

Phil Lipkowitz, Director Channel Sales, Systems Business, North America for Microsemi Corporation, PowerDsine Systems accepted my invite to present to us on May 14^th 2009.

I just got the final word from Mr. Lipkowitz that they will be with us for our group meeting at Microsoft’s Briefing Center in NYC.

Microsemi’s Company Profile

http://www.microsemi.com/powerdsine/ 

Microsemi Corporation (Nasdaq:MSCC) is a semiconductor manufacturer specializing in system-engineered integrated circuits and high reliability semiconductors to support its steady growth and profitability.

A long-time supplier of high-reliability discrete components to military and aerospace customers, Microsemi has transformed itself into a global supplier of high performance analog, mixed-signal integrated circuits and high reliability discrete semiconductors that manage and regulate power, protect against transient voltage spikes, and transmit, receive and amplify electronic signals.

Microsemi serves premier companies in six broad markets: mobile/ connectivity, notebooks/ LCD TV/ display, medical, defense, and commercial air/space.

By working closely with other key suppliers as well as our customers ’ development teams, Microsemi is able to identify unique ways to influence future designs – beyond the scope of simple product enhancements. The resulting “system-engineered” solutions create must-have products with competitive barriers and higher margins.

Microsemi has established itself in a leadership position for managing power that lights color displays in automotive GPS systems, notebook computers, computer monitors and LCD TVs. It provides DC-DC solutions for the HDD and set top box markets. Its extensive product offering has enabled it to penetrate numerous end markets that have diversified the company revenues.

The company’s RF product offering is extensive ranging from WLAN power ampliers for a rapidly growing consumer market to high power PIN diodes for an evolving medical MRI market to bipolar transistors for radar and avionics applications.

Microsemi’s product offering of high power switching products has also differentiated itself by addressing strengthening solar inverter, medical, SMPS, and other industrial applications.

Research and development investment for Microsemi’s high margin growth market products is essential to continue driving growth from its core markets.

Incorporated in 1960, Microsemi has established a consistent history of profitable operation.

Registration is open here http://www.clicktoattend.com/?id=137206 and the meeting page will be available with details shortly.

Many thanks to Mr. Lipkowitz for accepting my invite/request and I look forward to the meeting.

~Brett A. Scudder~

IT Security Attaché

Hey guys,

I just got final confirmation from Mr. Evan Fromberg, Director of Sales, Channel Partners at Fortinet, that they will be presenting their new FortiOS version 4 to us at our local group meeting in NYC on April 9^th at 6pm. He and his engineer will be there to present the OS and answer our technical questions. Sweet, i’m excited.

FortiOS provides the foundation for the operation of all FortiGate appliances, from the core kernel functions to the security processing feature sets. FortiOS provides multiple layers of security for a variety of applications and content including Web, Email, FTP, IM/P2P, NNTP, and others. The main security features of FortiOS include Firewall, Virtual Private Networking (IPsec and SSL VPN), Antivirus, Intrusion Prevention, Web filtering, and Antispam.

With the release of FortiOS 4.0, Fortinet has redefined network security again by extending the scope of consolidated security and networking capabilities within FortiGate® multi-threat network security platforms. With over 40 new features, FortiOS 4.0 delivers on its mission to enable secure business communications while offering the best security, performance, and total cost of ownership possible.

New in FortiOS 4.0

WAN Optimization
WAN optimization provides acceleration for applications traversing slower network connections – which are typically WANs. The combination of multi-threat security, traffic optimization, and VPN technologies provides cleaned, accelerated, and secured communications.

Application Control
Application control uses our dynamic application identification engine that recognizes applications based on their behavior. By coupling application control policies with sophisticated security features, administrators can achieve comprehensive protection with granular and more meaningful policies.

Data Leakage Prevention (DLP)
DLP uses a sophisticated pattern-matching and regular-expression engine to identify then prevent the communication of sensitive information outside of the network perimeter. In addition, DLP technology also provides audit trails for data and files, which can aid in legislative compliance.

SSL Inspection
SSL inspection ensures protection from malware infection that is camouflaged by secured protocols, allowing the FortiGate to decrypt the data passing through the SSL-encrypted connection. Once decrypted, the data can be passed to FortiOS security engines for inspection.

More info on the new OS here http://www.fortinet.com/products/fortios/.

Registration is open here http://www.clicktoattend.com/invitation.aspx?code=137146 and the meeting page will be available with details shortly.

Many thanks to Mr. Fromberg for accepting my invite/request and I look forward to the meeting.

~Brett A. Scudder~

IT Security Attaché

Good day to you,

So it’s another day in the box and now i’m looking at either hiring a few people or just cloning myself. So much to do, so much need, so much to lead/plan on, feeling quite happy and comfortable with myself.

Today I plan to finish up two project plans and get a few people involved. I have to start working on the office and restructuring it for opening up to training and development sessions over the next few months. I’m also opening up my security operations to the general public so they can see some of the technology and things we have going on here. I have a few vendors who are asking me to test and show off a few products and solutions so they will come in handy as well.

I have a few voicemails so will check on those today. I didn’t see any known or important numbers so this must be new connections which are always a good thing. Will reply and then cut the lines again. One never realize how much of an intrusion the ringing of a phone is until you turn it off for a day and feel the peace and calm it does for you. Wow, such subtle serenity is priceless. Bring on the IM, emails and txt messages.

So, do I clone myself or just try and find a few good people to help me with all this work I have on my plate, hmm, I ponder.

Anyway, it’s back to work and I hope I can finish up by tomorrow (which looks very much possible).

I am in need of someone with good web graphics designing skills in Flash to help me with the SecuriCity. There are a few things I want to do with it that i’m not skilled on. We’ll see what happens.

BTW. I have a Facebook fan page here http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-IT-Security-Attache/38575323030?ref=mf for those who are on that network and would like to follow my work.

Have a great day and I thank you for your support here on my blogs and for my organization.

~Brett A. Scudder~

The IT Security Attaché

Hi all

So it’s that time of the year again and the promotions and marketing have been underway for our MESS ~Mobility/Endpoint Security Summit~ coming up on May 19^th 2009 at the Microsoft Briefing Center in NYC. This year we will be getting a look at the upcoming Windows Mobile v.6.5 and 7 and some of the hot new gadgets and devices out there. With the new Netbooks and Smartphone’s a hot item on the streets we’ll be doing a feature and possible giveaways at the event.

Of course we will be having a special guest speaker and Mr. Ernie “Ghostbuster” Hudson has confirmed that he will be with us again this year. He happens to be filming a new movie in NYC at the same time so that’s even better for us. So exciting.

You won’t know unless you attend so hey, reserve your seats as soon as they become available. Registration opens on April 19^th.. Seats are limited to 250 people on a first come first serve basis so you know the deal.

Anyway, I have to start phase two of the event planning and marketing so look forward to seeing more info and updates on MESS over the coming weeks. Here is the event page http://titssn.net/mess.

The countdown begins NOW……….

Thank you and have a great day,

~Brett A. Scudder~

The IT Security Attaché

Good day to you,

I will be out of the office conducting a hands-on workshop on Windows 7 at our local Microsoft office in NYC. I will have limited access to messaging and will return call/messages upon my return.

Thank you and have a great day,

~Brett A. Scudder~

Hi all,

Here we are about to start the 2009 CRN Channel Champions Awards event at the Sheraton in New Orleans and it’s simply awesome.

There are so many awesome people from the industry here that it is just amazing. We had an awesome day and now we’re settling down to kick off the awards event.

Talk about doing it in style. The ambiance is just breath taking. I will try and capture a few images from my camera so I can share them with you guys. Today we had the HP and Dell World Premiere presentations and that shed some good light on the future of technology from these two great vendors.

So while i’m sitting here waiting for the start of the event I just wanted to post an update and some info about it. Talk about the power of mobility.

I love my mobile HTC Touch Pro device.

Gotta go.

The IT Security Attaché reporting from XChange 2009 in New Orleans.