‘Make sure door is locked’ cyber security drive pushed

By edison d. ong

“Information Security simply means getting your house in order and making sure the doors are locked, barred and sealed tight,” said organizers of the upcoming Information Security Conference and Exhibit dubbed “ManilaCo @911:Business@risk.” 

They said that in Cyberspace, there is nothing one can do about one’s attacker and aggressor, "Adding you can only do something about your information system, your procedures and your people."

To help companies and government ensure and secure their information systems from attack and unwanted intrusion, Amado Malacaman Jr., president of Information Systems Security Society of the Philippines (ISSSP) said ISSSP, in cooperation with the National Computer Center (NCC), is now organizing "ManilaCon@911:Busi-ness@Risk" security and ethical hacking exposition and convention. It is scheduled on September 9 - 11, 2004.

Early sponsors of this event include Computer Associates, Microsoft, Symantec and several security-concerned service providers.

The date 9 - 11 or September 11 is significant as this is the day in 2001 that people around the world realized that, when it comes to providing security, even the worst, the most unthinkable and improbable can happen, the organizer said.

"Security consciousness means preparing for the worst but hoping for the best," he remarked.

He mentioned that "At least 500 IT Professionals, Risk Managers, Auditors, COOs, CEOs, Security Admins/Officers, NSO/ISO Network/Systems Administrators, Programmers, Compliance Officers and soon to be Ethical Hackers will gather at the Grand Ballroom Hotel Intercontinental, Makati City to see, share and secure the IT community’s vision of an I.T. Secured Philippines."

The convention is on its third year and is held annually by the organizers as they believe that Filipinos should be vigilant and wary against any act of terrorism, including cyberterrorism and any form of economic sabotage through malicious intrusion by external hackers or disgruntled employees in private and government institutions.

The ISSSP chose September 11 as the event schedule not to celebrate the tragic event at New York’s World Trade Center three years ago but to inspire Filipinos on the need for security awareness in all aspect of business and governance.

"We, at ISSSP, believe that the best defense against hacking is to know our ‘enemies’ and be informed on how they stealthily move around. Thus, knowing who we are up against is the philosophy of success we are trying to adopt at "Manilacon@911:Business@Risk". Through this conference, the ISSSP aims to bring out allies rather than adversaries in the field of IT Security," he said.

On the September 9 to 11 conference, ISSSP addresses the issues of information security from the perspective of the owner, manager or security officer of a business or agency of government. It is designed to make people aware of the risks and vulnerabilities of their business or agency and what they can do to protect and ensure business continuity.

He noted many business executives believe that the matter of information security is better off in the hands of the technologists or IT professionals.

"What they do not realize is that the key success of any security system is the way it is managed from the start and from the top," he said.

Source: The Manila Bulletin Online

http://www.mb.com.ph/INFO2004071113794.html