Security Strategy, Plan, Budget

Cooperation and communication among private and public entities would need to improve to defend against a mass cyberattack on the nation's critical infrastructure, according to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS)findings from a February simulated cyberattack exercise.

Ask any IT expert for a cookie cutter approach to protect customer data and there might not be much of an answer. After all, hackers are just one group to worry about when looking to prevent the theft of customers' personal information. Company executives also must concern themselves with their own employees, as well as government legislators.

Users of AOL's ICQ instant messenger (IM) were warned this week of multiple vulnerabilities in their IM software.

Feds: Improve security Federal agencies worked against an August deadline to implement improved security controls designed to better protect the private information of U.S. citizens in the hands of government officials. A memo on the sweeping changes was sent out in late June by the White House's Office of Management and Budget. OMB said it will work with inspectors to ensure agencies are in compliance. "We intend to work with the general community to review these items to ensure we are properly safeguarding the information the American taxpayer has entrusted to us," OMB Deputy Director Clay Johnson III said in a memo.

Lancope, a network behavior analysis and response solutions provider, has named Adam Powers CTO. Previously director of technology at Lancope, makers of Stealth Watch, Powers will be responsible for leading development of the product, which combines behavior-based anomaly detection with network performance monitoring. www.lancope.com

How do you describe your job to average people? I provide consultation and advice to senior executives about risk to enable them to make the most appropriate business and/or clinical decision to achieve Kaiser Permanente (KP)'s business and clinical goals. I also work with our information technology leadership to embed risk management strategies and decisions into our service delivery process, technology solutions and products by creating an information management security strategy, developing a risk management program, and building a policy and information security standards framework.

Computer software giant CA announced late Monday that it will lay off 1,700 employees after the company reported a 64 percent fall in first-quarter net income.