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Current cyber defenses called inadequateMar 13, 2013 (Dayton Daily News - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- Current cyber defenses are inadequate to protect the nation's computer networks from attacks by Chinese military hackers and other advanced persistent threats, a top information security expert said Wednesday to area information technology leaders. "This is becoming a pressing national security issue," said Bob Butler, a keynote speaker at the 10th annual Ohio Information Security Conference at the Sinclair Ponitz Center in Dayton. Butler, a former U.S. deputy assistant secretary of defense for cyber and space policy, is chief security officer and senior vice president of IO, a Phoenix-based data center services firm with an office in Miamisburg. Butler said area information security officials need to better understand the risks of their network vulnerabilities and close seams to "make it harder for our adversaries as they continue to exploit us." He shared a number of attack counter-measures used by government agencies and large companies. The event was intended to inform area IT professionals about what they should be doing to protect their companies or organizations, said Ann Gallaher, chief operating officer of Technology First, the regional IT trade association that hosted the conference. A Microsoft Security Intelligence Report presentation provided insights into where cyber criminals are going, how effective they have been and "how effective you are in defending against that," said Aaron McCray, a senior security consultant for Standard Register Co. "Ultimately, it is all about protecting that data, whether it is your data or the customer's data," McCray said. ___ (c)2013 the Dayton Daily News (Dayton, Ohio) Visit the Dayton Daily News (Dayton, Ohio) at www.daytondailynews.com Distributed by MCT Information Services |