How did you get involved in cyber-security? I was taking a shower around the time when the Michelangelo virus was occurring ) and I started to envision what would happen if you had several viruses and they were really planned? That was the genesis of how to model an information warfare army.
How real is the threat of cyber-warfare? The militarisation of a lot of this stuff has already occurred. You have some perception problems with the media. For example, the Nato site was attacked but that's meaningless - as is the Palestinians and the Israelis defacing each other's sites. What astounds me is that solving that problem technically is child's play yet none of them are bothering to do it. It's basically just graffiti.
Is the virus becoming mightier than the sword? I think that the most sophisticated stuff they'll use early on will be the DEW weapons in order to remove critical infrastructure capabilities from a command-and-control standpoint. That can be done with non-kinetic weapons _without any bloodshed!
Are home computers at risk of cyber-terrorism? Only as unwitting participants. When I was at my accountant's he asked me to look at his computer. The security of his machine was atrocious! All of his files were accessible through open Telnet, open FTP or <A HREF="http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/H/HTTP.html" TARGET="_NEWopen http. It is worth making sure you use good anti-virus software and update it daily _ anything less is stupid. I use Norton SystemWorks. Also ensure you've got a personal firewall - www.zonelabs.com is free.
Should our emails be private? If you're really paranoid go crypto! The only way to get around encryption is to go after the "keys". A good security tip is to never load Visual Basic or if you're using IE don't use Outlook ) - I use Eudora so that there's no cross-pollination problems between the two. If you use IE and Outlook and leave VBS on - you're in a whole world of hurt!
Will our beloved net freedoms be curtailed? If you're doing nothing wrong then you've nothing to hide. Surveillance is about more than just the internet. It's about a lot of what's called INW - indications and warnings. If I started using cryptography everyday I'd quickly find myself on the "he uses crypto list"!
Favourite sites? www.drudgereport.com and www.securityfocus.com
Visit: www.infowar.com or download a Pdf version of Information Warfare at: www.interpactinc.com/iwar.html
