Cybersecurity Chief Resigns

Doc Ruby writes "AP is reporting that 'The government's cybersecurity chief has abruptly resigned after one year with the Department of Homeland Security, confiding to industry colleagues his frustration over what he considers a lack of attention paid to computer security issues within the agency. Amit Yoran, a former software executive from Symantec Corp., informed the White House about his plans to quit as director of the National Cyber Security Division and made his resignation effective at the end of Thursday, effectively giving a single's day notice of his intentions to leave.' Yoran is the third cybersecurity chief in a row, after Richard Clarke and Howard Schmidt, to quit the Bush administration citing organizational inability to do his job. Maybe the job can't be done." In a possibly related story, individuals take cybersecurity lightly: Ant writes "This story says that consumers have a casual approach toward cybersecurity and fail to grasp the pervasiveness of online threats, according to a study released Thursday. More than a third of the 493 PC users surveyed by the nonprofit National Cyber Security Alliance (NCSA) said they had a greater chance of winning the lottery or being struck by lightning than of being hit by malicious code."

He quit Because

[Anonymous Coward]

He heard that peoplesoft is hiring [yahoo.com].

What else he said.

[caluml]

'The government's cybersecurity chief has abruptly resigned after one year with the Department of Homeland Security, confiding to industry colleagues his frustration over what he considers a lack of attention paid to computer security issues within the agency.

He was also heard to say "linux is teh l33t and m$ feerz their mad penguin sk1llz".

my lucky day

[maxchaote]

More than a third of the 493 PC users surveyed by the nonprofit National Cyber Security Alliance (NCSA) said they had a greater chance of winning the lottery or being struck by lightning than of being hit by malicious code.

Time to go buy a ticket...

Re:I just don't believe it!

[TomorrowPlusX]

While I'd like to mod you insightful, I have to sacrifice that right, because I have to tell you something:

Your idea of a dumb terminal to TheHun just MADE MY GODDAMN DAY. Somebody, give this man a patent!

That's all,

TomorrowPlusX

being "hit"

[justforaday]

More than a third of the 493 PC users surveyed...said they had a greater chance of winning the lottery or being struck by lightning than of being hit by malicious code.

It should be noted that these people are probably thinking of being "hit" in the physical sense of the word...

Re:Drop "Cyber" Already!!!

[Amiga Lover]

If there is one marketing term I despise more than any other, it's "cyber". Well that and putting the letter "e" or "i" in front of terms.


You might like to spare some loathing for http://www.eCyber.com/ and http://www.iCyber.com/ then :)

The real solution

[CrazyJim1]

They should outsource this National Cyber Security job to India.

God spoke to me:
www.geocities.com/James_Sager_PA

Re:Lightning is like a virus

[EvilTwinSkippy]

If they were real PC users you would have at least 986 answers from 386 people surveyed.

Of course the first answer is always "I didn't do anything."

Re:Intractable Problem?

[Brandybuck]

As long as paper-engineers and golf-club-wielding PHBs are entrusted with decision making, I see no chance for improvement.

I hit the icing on the cake Wednesday. My company rolled out a PGP solution for Outlook. Good, right? Wrong! The policy is to write down your passphrase on a paper, give it to IT, who will then store your passphrase for safekeeping in case you lose it.

!!!

Re:Drop "Cyber" Already!!!

[irokitt]

The "Director of Terrorist pwnage" just quit today, citing impossible attitudes towards his job...

Re:Lightning is like a virus

[EvilTwinSkippy]

I had a new install of XP for a client become infected in 3 minutes, over a dialup line.

No choice one that one though. I was trying to download the patch to prevent XP from becoming infected in 3 minutes by connecting it to the internet...

Re:no Digital Pearl Harbors

[EvilTwinSkippy]

Of course this regime would respond to a Digital Pearl Harbor by invading Mexico.

Re:I just don't believe it!

[Anonymous Coward]

One of my friends (an older lady)

Mrs. Robinson, I believe you're trying to seduce me...

Re:I just don't believe it!

[garcia]

If those people don't know Internet Protocol from Intellectual Property we should fire their asses rather than let them drive every competant person they can away from the job.

Hah, yeah, that'll work in a country where there is an extremely high approval rating for an individual that can't pronounce half the words he had prepared for and looks like a helpless 8th grader defending his position in his first debate.

Re:So symptomatic of all politics

[EvilTwinSkippy]

Just ask Odessius. Oh wait, he's a Complex Greek Hero...

Re:I just don't believe it!

[Mr Guy]

No fucking way, people remember the name of a performer from the Super Bowl after it was banged into their heads on every media outlet for two months straight?

This may be a crazy theory, but possibly it's because there was a nipple involved.

Re:I just don't believe it!

[humuhumunukunukuapu']

i think a 'sticky terminal' may be more apropos

Re:I just don't believe it!

[SeaFox]

If it doesn't work they want to call up their ISP and have them fix it

Even if the problem has nothing to do with the internet.

Uncharacteristic error by the Administration

[Anonymous Coward]

See, the reason they keep losing cybersecurity chiefs is because they keep appointing people who understand the technology. If they would follow their usual practice of appointing some putz [fcc.gov] who is clueless about the technology but is politically well connected, they wouldn't be getting the resignations.