“Experts Around Every Corner; Part Deux” -Safes, Security, Expertise and Ignorance July 16, 2012
Posted by Chris Mark in Uncategorized.Tags: cybersecurity, expertise, information security, mark consulting group, risk management, safes, security, will rogers
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“There is nothing so stupid as an educated man. If you get him off the thing he was educated in.” – Will Rogers
This weekend I was reading a major news source and I was struck by an article on Safes. As I have a gun safe, and other safes, I thought it would be interesting to read. I have written posts before on expertise (Experts in every room). Various ‘expert’s are interviewed in the article. One in particular stood out. He said: “People need to wake up. They think they are protecting themselves, but they may actually be putting themselves at more risk,” As this was a very pointed statement (People need to wake up!)…I immediately thought that my own strategy of securing my valuables was mis directed. I continued reading to see who this expert was…He then said: “Sure you want to have some cash at home, but more than a little feels unsafe,” (I have added the bold)…the expert was a man named Michael Cresh…what is his job? You are probably thinking police officer, security expert, safe expert, or something similar. You would be mistaken. He is a Certified Financial Planner. If I were asking for financial planning, this is the person that I would turn to. If I am considering the purchase of a safe, I can safely say (pun intended) I could not care less what a CFP has to say unless he has some other level of expertise. His statement belie his ‘expertise’ and demonstrate he has little understanding of physical security or risk analysis as it pertains to physical security. (…feels unsafe).
When considering a security professional that proclaims expertise, take a very close look. Whether maritime security, information security, personal security, or any other area of security there are more than a few self proclaimed experts walking the halls.
Last year I wrote a paper for companies to use when evaluating expertise in the maritime security industry. While focused on maritime security it is relevant to all areas of expertise. You can read the article here.
“Facta Non Verba”- Controversial Study Details Islamic Extremist Objectives July 11, 2012
Posted by Chris Mark in Uncategorized.Tags: al qaeda, Al shababb, ASU, CSC, Islamic Extremism, James Arlandsen, Qur'an, risk, security, terrorism
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The Arizona State University Center for Strategic Communication (CSC) released a controversial report this week that analyzes extremist writings and provides an opinion on the goals of extremists. As one of my favorite past times is beating up on “research” I will do the same here.
The study analyzed over 2,000 extremist writings from Al Qeada, Al Shababb and others. According to the report CSC says: “We conclude that verses extremists cite from the Qur’an do not suggest an aggressive offensive foe seeking domination and conquest of unbelievers, as is commonly assumed. Instead they deal with themes of victimization, dishonor, and retribution. This shows close integration with the rhetorical vision of Islamist extremists” (emphasis added). The first issue is that the study simply looks at “verses cited” from the Qur’an without delving into the more esoteric aspects of communication. It should be noted that writings by Al Qeada are propaganda. Propoganda is defined as: “…a form of communication that is aimed at influencing the attitude of a community toward some cause or position. Propaganda is usually repeated and dispersed over a wide variety of media in order to create the chosen result in audience attitudes.” Reading propoganda alone without analyzing the context or actions is dangerous. History is filled with relevant examples that don’t need repeating in this post. While the “verses cited” may not suggest an aggressive offensive foe, the actions certainly do. Between 2004 and 2000 Al Qeada claimed 313 attacks killing over 3,000 people. I may be a bit sensitive but an average of 6.5 attacks per month killing an average of 62.5 people per month for 4 years certainly seems to suggest an aggressive offensive foe. (more…)
COMTEC 2012 – Chris Mark Training on PCI & Payment Card Security July 6, 2012
Posted by Chris Mark in Industry News, Uncategorized.Tags: Chris Mark, COMTECH, mark consulting group, PCI, PCI DSS, security, TouchNet
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2012 is the year for COMTEC once again and the fine folks at TouchNet have invited me to conduct a training on Payment Card Security & PCI DSS at their October COMTEC event. COMTEC is a great event for TouchNet’s clients. The name comes from Commerce and Technology.. The session will be titled:
PCI Training: Full Cycle Compliance – Crisis – Recovery
“During this unique pre-conference workshop, you’ll investigate the full spectrum of PCI compliance and readiness. Attendees will better understand everything PCI, from the basics of PCI compliance to planning for the real-world impact of a breach and what to do in its aftermath.”
It is always positive to see that in 2012 there are still organizations that are taking a leadership role to educate their own customers on the importance of information security.
Laws & the US Constitution…a Primer ;) June 28, 2012
Posted by Chris Mark in Uncategorized.Tags: Constitution, house of represenatives, I'm just a bill, ObamaCare, schoolhouse rocks, senate, Stole Valor
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Today the US Supreme Court ruled on two laws that have been a major source of debate. I have already had two knock down arguments on Facebook over these findings. In light of this, and the fact that we are approaching the 4th of July, I am going to take a moment to interject some levity into the debate.
The Supreme Court upheld the law commonly known as ObamaCare and struck down as the Stolen Valor Act as unconstitutional. As we have foreign readers…here is a primer to the US Government..the Congress (comprised of the House of Representatives and Senate) in conjunction with the President of the US introduce Bills. (more…)
“Liberty must at all hazards be supported.”- Thomas Jefferson, 1765 June 28, 2012
Posted by Chris Mark in Uncategorized.Tags: 13 Colonies, 4th of July, concord, Declaration of Independence, King George, lexington, mark consulting group, Revolutionary War, war of independence
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With the coming US presidential elections, I am going to intermix the normal blog posts with some US history and political thoughts. The 4th of July in Park City, Utah (where we live) is a time of parties, fun and parades. I am always a bit dismayed when I casually ask people what the 4th is celebrating. While it is called ‘Independence Day’ there are a number of people who don’t appear to recognize the origins or the purpose of the 4th of July. Wow!..In a nutshell, Independence Day is a celebration of “our violently breaking free from the bonds of the shackles of our imperialistic British oppressors”…OK..that may simply be colorful way I describe it to my British friends to get them riled up but it is indeed a celebration of our ‘independence’ from British rule.
The revolution had been brewing for years with King George imposing oppressive taxes and other laws. “No Taxation without Representation” (an Irish phrase) was adopted by the colonists and adapted in 1765 when local politician James Otis famously said: “Taxation without representation is tyranny”. (more…)
Global Security, Privacy, & Risk Management 