Well, this was startlingly easy to set up as my first ever blog.  Here we go...

Every so often, I check in with the National Security Council's website to see what they have to say.  The most recent posting opens with a sentence stating, "President Obama has declared that the 'cyber threat is one of the most serious economic and national security challenges we face as a nation' and that 'America's economic prosperity in the 21st century will depend on cybersecurity.'"  I agree with this sentence, but I want to focus on the second half since this covers an arena whith which I am most familiar due to my years in the finance sector.  

I spent the last decade and a half working for an online broker/dealer, where security of our systems was paramount to our success.  Not only did our tech department have to maintain a secure network, but those of us who used the network had to be mindful of our own security practices.  A slip might cause a loss to the company, but the damage it could do to one of our clients could be potentially catastrophic.  Or at the very least, the client might be faced with the annoying task of making sure their information is still secure in the event they are notified of a leak.  I had to deal with this a while back when my information at UNO was hacked.  It was a pain in the ass to go they and update my information and set up a watch on my bank account for unusual activity.  But these are the things that face us all -we don't even need to be a factor in the online business performed by companies becasue they deal with each other electronically.  For example, I might have an account with Company X who does online business with Corporation T, but T was hacked.  So once again, my information was compromised.  The last two examples are on an individual level, but if you take it up to the cooperate level, where an entire company suffers an invasion, it could be devastating.  Especially if one or more of the larger financial institutions in America is compromised.  

This posting focused on the personal and financial aspect of the President's statement, but the same concerns can be said for the security of our government and military assets as well.  Regardless of who you are, or who you do business with, cyber security plays a role in your life.  Even if you're the guy storing money under your mattress, at some point you are going to do business with someone who performs an online transaction.  

Taken from
http://www.whitehouse.gov/cybersecurity