Risk 101 and my new $500 Million Fortune- Goodbye Work! March 29, 2012
Posted by Chris Mark in Risk & Risk Management.Tags: Chris Mark, jackpot, lottery, mega millions, risk, risk management, security
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I have written a number of posts on risk and probability in the past. You can read them here. As I was on the phone with a good friend last night talking about buying our Mega Millions lottery tickets for the very first time, I was struck by how amusing the whole situation was. My wife and I were talking with our friends about a strategy to buy lottery tickets. I was talking about buying lottery tickets for the very first time! First, they don’t sell MegaMillions in Utah, and I have never played the lottery. Why? I recognize that the chances of winning are infinitesimally small. (~1 in 176 million) So what changed last night?
The MegaMillions lottery approached $500 million for the jackpot! Can you believe it? I am going to be $500 million richer in the next few days! I just feel it. I have the winning numbers! Odds be damned! Goodbye GlobalRiskInfo.com and hello life of luxury on my new super yacht Risky Business! (I even have it picked out and named) (more…)
BitDefender: “Anonymous is ‘good’ for security” – REALLY?! March 28, 2012
Posted by Chris Mark in InfoSec & Privacy, Laws and Leglslation, Risk & Risk Management.Tags: bitdefender, Chris Mark, cybersecurity, mark consulting group, PCI DSS, security, slutwalk
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A March 14th, 2012 article on ZDNetAsia sums up one of the major problems with security. Specifically, it is the victims that are consistently blamed for the crime and the belief (very arrogant, I might add) that companies simply don’t care about security and this is why they are victimized. According to the article:
“Alexandu Catalin Cosoi, chief security researcher at BitDefender, for one, said that hacktivist group Anonymous has been “good” for security. This is because even though it had disclosed people’s personal information publicly online, the security breaches it organized had a positive impact, he added. Now, more companies are willing to secure their networks and private data, which is good news, he stated.” (more…)
Now Data Thieves Steal…Credit Reports? March 27, 2012
Posted by Chris Mark in InfoSec & Privacy, Risk & Risk Management.Tags: Chris Mark, credit report, cybercrime, cybersecurity, identity theft, InfoSec, MSNBC, PCI DSS, privacy
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A great story on MSNBC outlines yet another method being used by data thieves to monetize private information. According to the story, data thieves are stealing credit reports and then reselling to identity thieves. The process works like this. A data thief steals credit reports from the credit reporting agencies. Depending upon the score (higher the better) the data thief then resells the report to an identity thief who uses the report to get credit in the user’s name. Because the credit report has so much information, it makes the process of assuming someone else identity very easy. Remember, full credit reports have social security number, banks, loans, mortgages and other information. Much of authentication being used today relies upon the additional personal questions such as: “which is a bank at which you have had an account?” Most of the sites hosting the stolen reports have an .su domain which was used for the Soviet Union. According to the report, the hackers brag about how easy it is to hack into certain sites such as: AnnualCreditReport.com or CreditReport.com. Depending upon the score on the report, each report can command as much as $80 (for higher scores) or have that amount for lower scores.
This adds yet another wrinkle for people to fear.
Risk 102: “Security Ain’t Safefy”; Putting Risk In Context March 26, 2012
Posted by Chris Mark in Industry News, InfoSec & Privacy, Risk & Risk Management, terrorism.Tags: airline safety, Chris Mark, cybersecurity, mark consulting group, risk, risk management, safety, security
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In reading through the volumes of blogs, and Linkedin comments on security and risk management a common theme appeared. When talking about risk management at it applies to security there appears to be a temptation to use the same models and methodologies as those used in safety risk management. Make no mistake, safety risk management is critical and both aspects may overlap from time to time. Whether analyzing auto accident risks, designing industrial equipment or other aspect, it is important to understand and analyze the risk of the activity. The difference lies in the catalyst for the events in question. (more…)
Risk 102- Lose “A” Match but Win “THE” Game March 23, 2012
Posted by Chris Mark in Risk & Risk Management, weapons and tactics.Tags: Chris Mark, decision, force recon, mark consulting group, recon marine, risk, risk management, security, USMC
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Risk management is about decisions. Given certain information, people then make decisions that they hope will minimize the risk of a particular outcome. This post is about risk and decisions.
Years ago I was a young Marine attending the USMC’s Amphibious Reconnaissance School (ARS). Upon successfully passing the school I would be conferred with the coveted Military Occupational Specialty (MOS) of 0321- Reconnaissance Marine. Recon Marines operate in very small teams conducting various reconnaissance missions to provide intelligence to the commander. The last phase of ARS training is known as “patrolling phase”. This is where all the students put their skills to use and run back to back patrols for a week while begin graded by the instructors.
During one of the final patrols we came upon a road known in military speak as a “linear danger area” and were considering a “two man bump” and other techniques to safely cross the danger area. After having not slept for the better part of a week my mind was a bit foggy. I asked the instructor: “SSGT, if we apply these techniques can we be confident that we will cross safely?” He looked at me and said: “Mark, you can do everything by the book and exactly right and still get your entire team killed. All you can do is make tactically sound decisions and hope for some luck.” Certainly without meaning to do so, this Marine Staff Sergeant articulated the idea of risk and risk management as well as any academic. (more…)
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