“Old Ironsides & The War of 1812” – 200 Years Ago Today August 20, 2012
Posted by Chris Mark in Uncategorized.Tags: barbary, HMS Guerriere, old ironshides, USS constitution, war of 1812
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Many Americans would likely be surprised to learn that the US has a ship built in 1797 that is still in active service. The USS Constitution, known as “Old Ironsides”, was launched in 1797 and fought in numerous battles and wars including the First Barbary Wars and the War of 1812. Here is a previous post I wrote about the Barbary Wars.
August 19th, 2012 marks the 200th anniversary of one the battle that gave the ship her nickname. In 1812 the Constitution waged a fierce battle with the HMS Guerriere in which the Constitution was victorious and the the HMS Guerriere, too badly damaged to bring into port, was burned at sea.
“Wanna Bet?..Yup…Straight8 I wanna CombatBet!”…Now You Are Asking What the Hell? August 15, 2012
Posted by Chris Mark in Uncategorized.Tags: challenge coin, combatbet, free fall, jason swarr, Marine, MFF, Recon, security, straight8
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So I just had an opportunity to catch up with an old Marine buddy named Jason. Jason owns Straight8 Photography. He is a retired
Recon Marine and was an instructor with me at the Basic Reconnaissance Course in late 1990’s. As I am talking, he mentions that his wife owns CombatBet. I couldn’t believe it! CombatBet is the “new” challenge coin. For those unfamiliar, ‘challenge coins” have been around for years and are coins carried by people in units that identify their membership etc. (too much history to explain). Long and short, it sucks to carry 10 coins to hand out. They are also expensive and not super customizable. I have been handed a half dozen of these over the last couple of years and didn’t know who was behind them! If you are looking for either a great photo or some kick ass poker chips, you have to take a spin by Straight8 Photography or CombatBet.com…BTW…if the pic looks familiar it is Jason with his daughter and was in the scrolling credits of Act of Valor…courtesy of Straight8…
“Ruh Roh!…Google did it again!” – Admits it did not delete ‘streetview data’. July 27, 2012
Posted by Chris Mark in Uncategorized.Tags: google, google streetview, ICO, Maritime Security, MSNBC, streetview
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I what can only be described as an absolute shock (catch my sardonic humor?)…Google has now admitted that it did not delete “… all the personal data, such as emails, its Street View cars collected in Britain and other countries in 2010.”
According to MSNBC:
“The failure to comply with a promise to delete all the data was notified to Britain’s Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), which said the fact that the data still existed appeared to breach an undertaking signed by Google in November 2010. (more…)
“Does an F1 Car = F1 Racer? OR Does a Bullet = Sniper?” NO – Expertise ain’t about technology July 19, 2012
Posted by Chris Mark in Uncategorized.Tags: allison barrie, DARPA, Foxnews, mark consulting group, security, sniper, weapons, Xacto
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I was reading a story today on Foxnews titled: “could guided bullets turn an average joe into a sniper?” The article is written by a former ballerina turned “defense specialist” (I didn’t make that up). I have written about this subject before in “The Carpenter Not The Hammer Builds the House”. In short, her article suggests that new, more accurate bullets could turn an “average joe” into a sniper. The referenced article on bullets demonstrates several major flaws in thinking about security or defense. First, it quotes a “specialist” who has no specialized knowledge of the subject gained through actual experience. I am not doubting that Ms. Barrie has read some great books and attended great lectures but the fact remains that without real world experience, it is difficult to understand how she is qualified to speak on the subject at hand. We see this in many areas of security from information to physical and so on. The second issue is one I see every day. It is the mistaken belief that the technology makes the expert. It discounts the knowledge, training and practice required to use the ‘tool’ with effect. If I were to buy a Formula 1 racecar would I suddenly be considered a ‘racer’? A more accurate rifle does not make a sniper…it simply makes a sniper more accurate. Within information security we see the same flawed logic. Companies believe that by purchasing the latest and greatest technology they can replace expertise gained through years of work ‘in the trenches’. A leading application layer firewall is only as effective as the person deploying, configuring and managing the device. The moral of the story? Technology makes experts more effective they do not create or establish expertise. BTW: the picture is a Canadian Sea Marshal Tactical Team (CSMTT) sniper on a ship.
“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.
Global Security, Privacy, & Risk Management 