The IT Security Attaché

The current state of our economic and global interconnectivity infrastructure relies heavily and in some cases solely on the adoption, use and services of technology today and for tomorrow. More and more we’re seeing the integration and use of technology in the home, school, places of learning and other institutions that confirms that our decency on these things are far from going away or over. Yet, unchecked, we’re still in a money making and financial gains mode when it comes to providing the education, awareness, knowledge of the convergence of technology and the World Wide Web for us as a people.

The ridiculous notion of our infrastructure being secured by over government or independent entities that limit partnerships and associations to only high levels, is a sure sign of the failure of the systems of security for tomorrow. Until and unless we unite in this fight against these issues and the growing trends by which they are being introduced, we will always be vulnerable by our weakest, untrained and not knowledgeable links (citizens, business, educators, advisors, technologists), . We are vulnerable through the process of omission, omitting those we think are not a critical part of the infrastructure or the need to help in securing it. The high costs of securing our infrastructure does not include user education and general awareness as a proactive move. It is only when something happens and the issues/problems are of a great magnitude/impact that we see the levels of attention and focus being put to it, then comes the irritating comments of if we had known or if we had acted sooner.

What will it take for us to give the needed attention and focus to these issues before they become problems?
When and where will we see the integration and coordination of all levels of society getting involved in this initiative?
Who can speak on all levels for all levels?

These are different times, different types of warfare, different types of attacks with more sophistication, more widespread impact and yet, still, we’re limiting the resources needed to endorse, support and finance these educational and awareness needs. We are falling behind in the fight to keep up with the demand of technology products and solutions because the hardware vendors mission to bring us the latest and greatest products with more feature rich functions, speed, storage and settings. This is one fight that by its very simplicity, involves our youths/children and those of early learning without even going outside their boundaries. The threats are looking for us, looking for vulnerabilities in our systems, looking for our private and personal information, looking for anything it can on and about us and our businesses, where we work and how we live.

Will you leave yourself vulnerable because you didn’t take the time to learn more about them or practice safe computing?
How do we address this on a global scale where the minds and concerns of our youths are addressed in regards to technology, privacy and securing them?
Who educates the educators and provides them with the needed resources to speak to the technology advancements being seen and felt in our society today within the classrooms?

Our youths are educating the educators, the parents and the more senior members of our society. While the adults and seniors are busy living their day to day lives, the youths have all this extra time on their hands to play with that makes that the perfect educational resource for tomorrow. Educating them about the internet and how technology integrates and affects our daily lives today and tomorrow will help them to be better netizens. There are too many unknowns into what is the most sophisticated and interconnected network every built and running.

We are too controlling over our youths without the right focus on these things. It is not about taking away the access or resources of the internet, it is about educating them more on its values, proper use and how to manage their online presence and identity. Social Networks, Social Media, personal and professional messaging ethic, etiquette, general internet usage and the Threats Landscape are all critical topics that should be integrated into our school systems curriculum today to allow these kinds of thoughts from an early age and stage of development. More funding and resources should be put into programs, groups, organizations that focus on these critical resources training for tomorrow. Our lower school educational systems are lacking the integration of technology, privacy, internet usage and protection training that suits our youths today. Youths are exposed and have access to these internet resources at home without proper education and awareness as to how to use and manage them until something happens and a life is taken  or at stake and further investigation reveals that he/she had a secret life online that was very troubled and now this.

This is where our educational institutions should be filling in the gap and providing the additional focus and attention on these things. Engaging local subject matter experts, vendors, developers and other technology leaders to come in and give real world experience and open discussion is a critical need for our youths. Let us engage the youths in open dialog on and about technology, IT Security, privacy and other concerns they may have. Let us open up those channels of communications so they can be better served and ready for the superhighway ride ahead.

Let us not waste time in helping to foster the needed understanding, education and awareness needed for our youths as they have and are actively engaged in using them every day. What better way to put this knowledge craving to use than by helping them along the way.

IT Security is a people problem, not an industry one. We are all at risk.

Thank you and have a great day,
 
~Brett A. Scudder~

Good day to you,

Good day to you,

Hi all,

I’m sure this will excite a lot of people and I’m more excited than you are. I just received confirmation that we will be having some copies of Windows 7 to give away thanks to Mr. Doi who has always supported our initiatives and efforts. Thank you very much sir.

More details to come but yes, Windows 7 will be a part of the promotion and we now have to decide on where to add it. Hmm, we’ll see.

This is too exciting.

~Brett A. Scudder~

Good day to you,

~Brett A. Scudder~
President/CEO/Chairman/Founder/Security Architect
~TITSSN ~The IT Security Suite Network~ | http://titssn.net
We are Security – your Security – our Security – IT Security. Our Security is Safe and Secure.

Good day to you,

~Brett A. Scudder~

Good day to you,

~Brett A. Scudder~

ENGAGED, ENabling Greater Awareness, Growth and Educational Development, an initiative that takes our education, awareness, training and development programs to a whole new level and aggregates them under one brand name. Through ENGAGED, we work with businesses, schools, libraries, government institutions, non-profits, churches and other institutions to deliver the needed resources for addressing the IT Security Threats Landscape of today for tomorrow.

The initiative provides special benefits, training, networking, collaboration, incentives and complimentary consulting and guidance from the professionals who are servicing, supporting, creating, developing technical and systematic products and solutions for those in need of furthering their knowledge and education of and about how the IT Security Threats Landscape affects them. These come in the form of events, hands-on workshops, online presentations, one-on-one meetings, special giveaways/promotions and our social network with it vast resources and feature rich architecture.

We are constantly engaging in new ways of making this needed training, education and awareness initiative more resourceful, effective and successful and is always here to help and listen to the needs of the people.

If you’re in need of these services or resources then engage us to fulfill them for you.

Thank you and have a great day,

~Brett A. Scudder~

Good day to you,

We are in the final stages of the October ENGAGED special promotion launch which will kick off on the 15th with a series of value added educational and awareness events in our network. You must be an active member to win and so we encourage you to join in and start accumulating those points needed to win. The more points is the better your chances of winning the good stuff.

Here is a list of some of the products/solutions we’re giving away.

Sunbelt Software’s VIPRE® Antivirus + Antispyware
Symantec Internet Security 2010
Kaspersky Internet Suite 2010
PCTools Spyware Doctor and Registry Mechanic
ESET Smart Security 4 and ESET NOD32 Antivirus 4
Plus more to come by the 15th as we’re still waiting for confirmation from a few other vendors who have expressed interest.

Remember, you must be an active member to participate and win. Join us here http://titssn.org/signup.php.

Thank you and have a great day,

~Brett A. Scudder~

Good day to you,

We are never failing when it comes to the ingenuity, resources, value and professionalism and so we are adding three new segments to the network.

ThreatsMix – leveling the IT Security Threats Landscape for everyone to see where and how they fix into the matrix, the things that affects them, how it affects them and how they can be more protective and secure in today’s world of technology. ThreatsMix will provide a holistic look at providing better education and awareness about the threats and what is active in the wild while you’re actively under direct impact from them.

Where do you stand in the mix, are you  properly secured and are you ready for the next level?

The IT SecuriCity (Security City) is a city built by IT Security professionals, vendors enthusiast and advisors for people to come in and peruse the resources and values that we have to offer. This city will house the latest, greatest and most organized environment of technical and professional technology and IT Security resources as we go forward. Visit our city and check out the sights, views and resources that will be available.

Securious, the word speaks for itself as we have and will always take IT Security very serious and as such will be providing the highest levels of value and resources for all. This is Securious.

More details to come as we build on integrating these into our social network home.

Thank you and have a great day,

~Brett A. Scudder~

Good day to you,

Our ENGAGED promotion for October kicks off on the 15^th with many goodies and value for our members. You must be an active member of the network to benefit from the program and so start getting involved and building up your points. Points are critical to getting some of the special gifts and giveaways.

We’re working on the network and adding the giveaways into the gifts section so you can see what will be available until they are ready.

We’re very excited about this so please join us http://titssn.org/signup.php

Thank you and have a great day,

~Brett A. Scudder~

Good day to you,

Today I got confirmation from Sunbelt Software’s CEO Alex Eckelberry that he will contribute his Vipre solution to the promotion. On behalf of the network I would like to say many thanks to him for sharing the vision and supporting the cause. I am sure the lucky winners will be most secured and protected by it.

Thank you sir and we will surely put them to good use.

Have a great day,

~Brett A. Scudder~

Good day to you Mr. President,

It is good to see that you are taking a stance in the IT Security issues of today but the most fundamental problem we face is the concept that it is an industry or corporate problem. IT Security is a people problem and until we start seeing it that way our approach to the issues will always fail. The availability of information and resources to mitigate these issues needs to be centrally available and disseminated effectively across the board in an unbiased manner.

No man stands alone in this cyberwarfare, we must unify the effort to strengthen all links/angles as all are affected, no exceptions.

The problems of the technology space exist across all levels in personal, business and professional use. All are impacted by these issues and when a corporation is hacked and the data stolen, in most cases the end users are the ones that suffer because it is their personal info that ends up in the hands of the hackers or thieves.

I love the fact that you are a technology/gadget minded person as you’re aware of what they entail and how vulnerable we can be through them. I’m sure you would like to see these issues by more feature/resource rich securely and so we both share the same goals, security for all and across all levels.

How about helping us create better education and awareness initiatives like our ENGAGED. We need these levels of training, education, awareness and development at the lower school levels as well. Provide the funding needed to expand on the security users’ group communities and driving the availability of information and resources.

Let us work together on these initiatives and get over the power struggle issues.

We look forward to working with you and your administration sir.

Thank you and have a great day,

~Brett A. Scudder~

Good day to you,

On May 1^st 2009, TITSSN answered the call of providing a converged resource to address the needed online training, education, awareness and resources of the technology and security issues and challenges facing us today for tomorrow. As leaders in this field we understand the challenges being faced in dealing with the day to day management, learning and happenings of these threats and their impacts. While countries, companies and organizations are falling victims to these attacks, industries are suffering through the loss of revenue, privacy and productivity, and people are feeling and seeing the real effects of the real world we live in where the internet brings us together as a global connected network filled with valuable resources and resistance is futile, it is everywhere and is not going away.

We are still not seeing enough being done to educate people across the board and make them aware of these issues and their true impacts and so we’re taking the network to a higher level towards this initiative.

IT Security is a people problem, not an industry one and as such must be addressed effectively and accordingly.

So it is for this reason that we choose to build a social community to address these things together and to provide the training, education and awareness by the people who can speak of and about them at all levels, those who develop them, those who sell and support them, those who are out in the field fighting the good fight to prevent, mitigate and stop the growing rates of infections and compromises and those who want to learn more about being safer and secure together in one place. This is a work in progress and as we grow, so we’ll learn and so we’ll adjust to the need for changes. This is what we do on a daily basis as TITSSN continues to deliver its messages of security education, training and awareness now for a more secure future. We will be moving our operations into the social network immediately to help enhance the collaborative values, resources and functionalities.

The IT Security Suite Network’s Technology / IT Security Social Network is a place where people come together to create a vibrant, resourceful, strategic and secure social atmosphere of networking, training, education, awareness and collaboration for, on and about technology and securing them.

We invite you to participate in the full functions and features of our network as we build on it to enhance its values and mission for the future. We ask that you share the word with your associates, friends, peers and everyone that is interested in the world of security and being more comfortable and secure in it. This network is specifically geared towards technology, IT Security and everything in and about it.

The focus of this social network is to build greater education, awareness and provide the services and support needed to maintain the secure presence and stability of all infrastructures (homes, businesses (all sizes and types), schools, churches, etc) for all. Everyone is affected at all levels and so we must cultivate an open concerted atmosphere to address issues effectively.  We look forward to your participation in this effort as a leader, contributor, reader, advisor or just a member wanting to learn more. Please adhere to the policies and rules of the network so that all may find a common group to collaborate in.

The networks address is http://titssn.org.

Features include:

Real-time chats

Blogging

Audio/Video/Text IM

Discussion groups

Polls

Events calendar

Products/Solutions recommendations

Featured products, people, service providers

Our own publications (recommendations, best practices, guides, reports, findings and educational info)

And much more.

Discussions and groups that are up and running:

Application Security – developing secure applications and standards

Breach Notification Laws – country/state laws

Business to Business IT Security “BtBITS” – businesses protecting each other’s interests

Cloud Computing/Security – Issues, concerns, development, education and awareness

Computer Forensics – Data and Network

Cybersecurity – myths, issues, concerns, development, education and awareness

CyberWar – on, about, awareness, information, collaboration

Data Security – securing the data/information

DCITSUG – Washington DC IT Security Users Group

Emergency Security Response Program “ESRP”

Endpoint Security – What are they, why they are vulnerable and how to protect them

Hacking Unleashed – Ethical/Unethical – the world of hacking

I-CON Science and Technology Conference

Identity Theft – prevention, support and solutions

Incident Response – What happens when something goes wrong/bad?

IT/Security things/issues that make you paranoid

IT Security Best Practices – General

IT Security Facts and Myths

IT Security Leaders

IT Security Requests and Support

IT Security Service Providers ~ITSSP~

IT Security Training and Development – General

IT Security in our educational institutions – curriculum upgrade

Microsoft Small Business Server Security – Securing the server and components

Mobile Security – securing the mobile users/devices and they data they host

Managed Security Services Providers “MSSP”

NYeWin – New York Enterprise Windows Users Group

NYITSUG – New York IT Security Users Group

NYSBS – New York Small Business Server Users Group

Online Security – Securing your online experience

OWASP – Open Web Application Security Project

PAITSUG – Pennsylvania IT Security Users Group

PC Security at home

Perimeter Security – securing the perimeter

Physical Security – a critical part of your security model

Ready Rockaway – Disaster/Emergency Preparedness

Small Business IT Security – securing the small businesses

SPEAK – Security Professionals Engaged in Advanced Knowledge

Social Networkers United – the future belongs to us

Social Networking – security, trends, myths and best practices

TITSSN’s Adopt an Institution Program – ~AaIP~

TITSSN’s Code of Honor – Advocates for the future of professional Messaging

TITSSN’s Code of Honor – Advocates for the future of IT Security Education and Awareness

TITSSN’s ENGAGED ~ENabling Greater Awareness, Growth and Educational Development~

TITSSN’s General Network Members

TITSSN’s IT Security Community Outreach Program ~COP~

TITSSN’s IT Security Scholarship Program ~ITSSP~

TITSSN’s Secure Medical Protection Program ~SMPP~

TITSSN’s Secure Mobile Professionals Network ~SMPN~

TITSSN’s Secure Minds Initiative

TITSSN’s Small Medium Business IT Security Summit ~SMBITSS~

TITSSN’s Windows 7/Vista SP2/Windows Server 2008 SP2 Testing and Development Group

The Compliance Suite (Regulatory/Non Regulatory)

The Framsyn Initiative

The IT Security Threats Landscape ~TITSTL~

The Privacy Suite – it’s all about privacy

Viral Outbreaks – containment, response, prevention

Viral, Spyware, Malware Detection and Removal – the growing trends

Voices of IT Security

Wireless Security

Government Security Mandates, Protocols, Policies and Response

US – CERT – United States Computer Emergency Readiness Team

US – CIA – Central Intelligence Agency

US – DHS – Department of Homeland Security

US – FBI – Federal Bureau of Investigation

US – NSA – National Security Agency

These are just a few of the topics, issues and groups that are available as we start off on this journey together and when you join us, you too can add to what is there if there is something of interest that is missing.

We look forward to your support and we know this will be of great value for you.

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

Hi all,

I am conducting a private ENGAGED Live Meeting session with the TITSSN members from 7-8pm today and will not be accessible until after.

Thank you very much and have a great day.

~Brett A. Scudder~

Good day to you,

I’m off to our monthly group meeting at Microsoft with guest vendor Fortinet. I will also be officially launching the ENGAGED and SecurMentor initiatives tonight. Very exciting. More details to come.

http://titssn.net/nyitsa-ug-april-9th-09-meeting.htm

I will be at Microsoft from 6-9pm and will check on things when I get back.

~Brett A. Scudder~

The IT Security Attaché

TITSSN has always been a network of, for and about the community and we have always tried to find ways of working within it to make it the most valuable and successful experience ever for our members. In working with our communities in and outside of IT, we have found similar issues that reflected upon the need for creating a more resourceful and aggregated system that would put people, processes and things together, making it a more seamless integration for all. Our education and awareness training and development initiatives built on these findings so that we would address the issues on a more personal level as a team. The extensive experience and qualifications of the network members in their areas of business provides invaluable impact on what we see, hear, say and how we react to them.

It is for this reason that we are enacting a new initiative to aggregate all these issues, programs and initiatives under one umbrella that I believe will fix these problems, ENGAGED. ENGAGED, ENabling Greater Awareness, Growth and Educational Development, is an initiative that will take our education, awareness, training and development initiatives to a whole new level. Through ENGAGED we’re working with businesses, schools, libraries, churches and other institutions to deliver the needed resources for addressing the IT Security Threats Landscape of today for tomorrow.

As a network of technical professionals, consultants, specialists, VARs and business executives, the ENGAGED initiative will add the much needed collaboration between the organization members. One such enhancement will be a bi-weekly Live Meetings via Microsoft’s Live Meeting service to help with the adoption, training and development of its members on new and existing products and solutions in the security space. This will add the needed value of increased training on specialized products and services provided by the network. Our integration of working with the vendors directly will allow the additional benefit of having their high level technical people in the session to help with the understanding of the products and any problems and support we may need. TITSSN believes that it is through the proper training, understanding and knowledge of these products that we will be successful in supporting, deploying and managing them, and so we’re adding more value through the use of live meetings.

On Monday April 20^th, TITSSN will enhance the ENGAGED initiative by starting an IT Security Training and Development course for the youths in our local schools through their local office in Arverne NY. This course will be geared towards working with the youths of today who are growing up to be our professionals of tomorrow to give them a better look and feel of the space and what to expect from it. We are working with the local schools in the community to select a number of students who will participate in this course and get the needed exposure to today’s IT Security Threats Landscape ~ITSTL~ and how they can be valuable resources in making it better for tomorrow. This training course will not be the end all, be all for them as we plan on helping them throughout their professional development as mentors in the space. The initiative does not want them learning and forgetting and so future involvement on different levels will follow after the course is completed. Certifications will be awarded to each student that completes the course and passes a final hands-on test.

The training and development course will introduce them to the world of IT Security and all the factors that are in and around it. They will have hands-on access to the latest and greatest security hardware and software products ranging from Biometrics, IDS/IPS, UTM “Unified Threat Management” devices, anti-virus, anti-malware, firewalls and general IT products that are available today across the various operating system environments. This is an extension of our Secure Minds Initiative where we are trying to get the integration of IT Security into the school’s curriculum to enhance the preparedness of this needed area of specialty for the future. We need the realization of IT Security as a people problem to be one that resonates across all borders and cultures. We are on the brink of a global network catastrophe if this realization is not understood.

Through ENGAGED, we have negotiated special vendor pricing and offers to help get the needed security products and solutions out to the general public. As this have been a major issue for many, we are always working on ways in which to bring the networks power to use in negotiating special programs, offerings and incentives from the vendors for our initiatives. A part of our Secure Minds Initiative is to provide security products and solutions to the schools and this will help to make that more readily available through special programs we are hosting there. We are reaching out to our local government resources to funds this initiative through grants and other financial resources in an effort to minimize the costs and offer the products freely when and where we can.

To the business community, ENGAGED provides the needed sales, support and training and development to better prepare you, your company and employees to deal with the issues of the IT Security Threats Landscape. Leveraging our network and resources will be beneficial for you as we provide in-house training and development workshops to further build on this. As your local technology/security professionals, you can reach out to the network to find a resource in your area that can and will work with you. We have customized solutions that will work for you and your company no matter the size or location, if we’re needed, we’ll make it there.

With so many resources now being forced online even from the government levels, using the internet and its resource is now a mandatory issues as local offices and resources are being cut as this new online presence becomes more useful. That being said, the use of the internet and its resources has increased significantly over the past year as social networking and other social media have played a key role in this new age of collaboration and networking. The future belongs to networkers and if you’re not a part of the new trend one tends to feel left out when asked if they are on a popular network like Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn.

The present economic crisis adds a dire need for this engagement as more people are using the internet resources for job hunting and finding new homes to live. This is just the start of a change that will never go back to what it used to be, the internet is here to stay and is more than what it used to be 2 years ago.

TITSSN activates the ENGAGED initiative on April 1^st 2009 with a series of kick off events for the month. On April 9^th at TITSSN’s monthly meeting at the Microsoft Briefing Center in NYC, president/chairman/security attaché Mr. Brett A. Scudder will officially present the initiative to the organization and outlining a few additional aspects of it and how it will be executed. He will also cover the members ENGAGED aspects as well. Registration is open and available here http://www.clicktoattend.com/?id=137146.

On Monday April 13^th from 3-5pm, TITSSN will host a local reception at our office at 331 Beach 70^th St, Arverne, NY, 11692 to highlight some of the technologies that will be a part of the initiative. This is a RSVP/registration event. Interested persons are asked to register here http://www.clicktoattend.com/?id=137140.

The first ENGAGED members Live Meeting session will be on Wednesday April 22^nd from 7-9pm and the info will be sent to active members.

As food and refreshments will be provided at our local meetings and events and we need to ensure that we have enough to cover our guests so registration for these events is a must.

Thank you very much and have a great day.

TITSSN ~The IT Security Suite Network~

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

Good day to you,

So here I am at it again since 5am. putting my thoughts, ideas, plans and concepts into fruition and getting ready to release TITSSN v.2010. As the flow of emails, IMs and text messages come in I feel such a sense of comfort as I work because I have control over how to address them and when based on severity, criticality or need. The sound of no phones ringing is a divine blessing thanks to a low call volume and the understanding of those I work with that email is my primary form of communication so they reach out to me there first.

I’ve got my music playing and running 6 systems all of which are doing different things in my master planning so i’m all set. So today I will continue to work inside the box in an effort to finish what i’ve set on my schedule. I will be releasing the ENGAGED initiative info today so look out for that.

Today is our oldest son’s birthday and after school we’re going to hang out for a while and we’re having his party this weekend. It will be fun.

By the way, anyone not yet looking at Windows 7, you better get to it now while you can. It’s an awesome OS.

Until the next update, have a great day,

~The IT Security Attaché~

Good day to you,

This week will be a crazy one for me and I am trying to stay on top of the things I have to do. So for the next day or two I will cut the phone lines and will only be accessible via email, IM and text messaging. I have to work on TITSSN v.2010, my new ENGAGED initiative, the MESS, The Security City, The Community Coalition and the new Ready Rockaway Disaster/Emergency Preparedness infrastructures and that’s a handful. So, if I appear a bit “unreachable” it is for these reasons.

I’m having a challenge with the development of the SecuriCity and I am now looking for a graphics designer who is good with flash and the works. I need to city to be lighted at nights and my designing skills don’t extend that far . Anyway, it’s still an awesome design and i’m trying to make my April 1^st launch.

I missed my system refresh cycle this month and so i’ll have to push that back for next month as there’s so much to do before the new month comes. I have to find a new pass phrase and change all online accounts and infos before April 1st.

All these things will be centralized on my attaché website and i’ll have to update that as well.

Sounds like a lot doesn’t it?

It really isn’t once you get a hang of it.

So, please feel free to reach out to me if needed via the mediums I mentioned as I will be crawling into my lil box and working within it for the next day or so. Lots of fun, goodies and resources coming so it’s all good and i’m very excited.

I’ll be tweeting all the way so you know the deal.

Have a great day,

The IT Security Attaché