Chris Mark in May 2014 TransactionWorld Magazine May 4, 2014
Posted by Chris Mark in Uncategorized.Tags: AT&T, Breach, Chris Mark, Data, data compromise, information, mastercard, PCI, Practice Director, QSA, security, visa
add a comment
You can Chris Mark’s (my) latest article in May, 2014’s edition of TransactionWorld Magazine. Titled “5 Common Security Practices that Put You At Risk” This particular article is about how common errors companies make in security and compliance and how to reduce the risk of compromise. By now we all recognize that 100% security can never be achieved. By following well established security practices you can can minimize the risk to which your organization is exposed.
Chris Mark speaking at BPO Event on PCI April 27, 2014
Posted by Chris Mark in Uncategorized.Tags: AT&T, BPO, Chris Mark, Compensating Controls, Fines, PCI, Practice Director
add a comment
Last year I was privileged to speak at a BPO event in New Jersey. I didn’t realize it would be recorded and published by AT&T. They made me look much smarter and more handsome than I am! (If only they could shave a few pounds and add some hair!)…
Chris Mark in AT&T Network Exchange Blog February 20, 2014
Posted by Chris Mark in Uncategorized.Tags: AT&T, Chris Mark, cybersecurity, DSS, Exchange Blog, information, PCI, security
add a comment
As the AT&T PCI National Practice Director, I write and blog on numerous topics that I hope are of interest to those who have to protect data. Aside from the GlobalRiskInfo blog here I also publish some blog posts on the AT&T Network Exchange Blog. Please take a spin through. Also, there are a very large number of great writers on the AT&T Network Exchange Blog. Take some time and look through the other authors…
CyberEspionage (Again)…The Counter Terrorist Magazine February 19, 2014
Posted by Chris Mark in Uncategorized.Tags: AT&T, Chris Mark, cybercrime, cyberespionage, cybersecurity, PCI DSS, risk management, security
add a comment
In light of the continuing attacks against companies by Eastern European organized criminal groups, I thought it appropriate to remind everyone that state sponsored attacks are still a major issue. Here is a link to an article I wrote in The Counter Terrorist Magazine on the topic of CyberEspionage. “The economics of cyber-theft is simple: Stealing technology is far easier and cheaper than doing original research and development. It is also far less risky to the spy than historic cloak and dagger economic espionage.”
DARPA Counter Sniper Technology – 1996 “Bullet Ears”- Saving lives today… February 18, 2014
Posted by Chris Mark in Uncategorized.Tags: AT&T, BBN, Boomerage, Chris Mark, DARPA, Force, Marine, Reconnaissance, Scout Sniper, Steve Reichert, USMC
add a comment
While I was serving as a Reconnaissance Marine in 1996, I was asked if I was interested in an opportunity to work with the Defense Advanced Research Project Agency (DARPA) on some counter sniper technology that was being developed? Since I was also a Marine Scout/Sniper with combat experience as a sniper, I was told I was a good fit. I jumped at the opportunity to make some per diem, and screw around at Ft. Benning during the Summer Olympics, which were being held in Atltanta (about an hour away).
There were numerous systems and we spent our days shooting, trying to beat the 
systems, writing reports on our findings, and talking trash with all of the bearded PhD engineers who built the cool toys that we could break. It was immensely fun. In 1996, the technology was in its infancy and the computer processing power was not yet well enough defined to make the systems very effective. There was one system that we evaluated that struck a chord with the snipers. It was based upon a series of sensors that ‘heard’ the supersonic crack of the bullet as it passed between the sensors. It would use basic time differences and triangulate the position of the shot and, using basic trigonometry, it could calculate where the shot originated, the caliber, and other factors. Ultimately we gave it good reviews and the DARPA representative code named it “Bullet Ears” (yeah..I am not making this up)..
Today I was reading an article by Steve Reichert (the Marine Sniper with the Mile long shot and three kills with one shot) titled DARPA’s XM3 Sniper Rifle. In the article, it references a sniper detection system named ‘Boomerange’ by Raytheon’s BBN Systems. Imagine my surprise when I checked out the system and realized it was the actual finished version of “Bullet Ears” we had tested almost 20 years ago!…It has been deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan…Wow. To think it has actually saved lives. That is very cool to think that a technology we tested in 1996 is saving lives in 2014…
Global Security, Privacy, & Risk Management 