Are You Dealing with the “Dark Web”?

Admittedly, Dr. G (that’s me) knows very little about cybersecurity…and I know I am not alone! Most Americans have no idea what they’re doing online to place themselves and our country at risk. So I’ve been doing a little research on cybersecurity, and the folks at Cisco have been a wealth of resources and education (see below).

First, if you’re like me and know next to nothing (about cybersecurity), here’s a sweet one-and-a-half pager that outlines “The Four Pillars of Cybersecurity:”

Armed with that introductory knowledge, I dug into the white paper below. One of the phrases that stood out to me was this idea of the “Dark Web.” I first heard it in this white paper, which is focused on helping agencies prepare for the Comprehensive National Cybersecurity Initiative:

Of course, all of this background on the dangers associated with the Internet led me to wonder: “What’s the impact of social media and Americans – including government personnel – using all of these web-based tools. Well, there’s a resource for that question, too. See this podcast:

>>>>> PODCAST: Cisco Annual Security Report on Cybersecurity (9:19 min)

In it, Patrick Peterson, a Cisco research fellow and lead author of the report, discusses the implications of Web 2.0 on cybersecurity.

Finally, if you’re not yet content (or feel particularly motivated to learn more now that this information has scared the bejeezes out of you), here are bunch of virtual and real events that you might want to attend:

>>>>> EVENT: Mission 2011 – Improve Cyberspace Security
7:30 – 11:45am, October 21, 2010
Ronald Reagan Building, 1300 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, Washington, DC
Cisco and Federal Computer Week are placing you in touch with experts from government and industry to discuss a more deliberate and effective national cybersecurity strategy.

>>>>>

• WEBCAST: The Future of Cyber Security: The Identity Enabled Network
  Learn how to build security and intelligence into your agency’s network with policy-based, identity aware network access control. Safeguard against data leakage in support of regulatory requirements, simplify identity policy management, and enable role-based identity and controlled access to critical applications and resources.

>>>>> WEBCAST: The Secure Data Center
The virtual infrastructures created by server virtualization are blurring the lines between network, security, and server administrator responsibilities. Government agencies can integrate new and existing network security mechanisms to provide policy enforcement, maintain visibility, and support existing workflows in these new virtual environments.

Of course, we also have some great groups on GovLoop where you can talk about all of these issues:

>>>>> GROUP: Cybersecurity Issues

>>>>> GROUP: Federal Info Systems Security Educators’ Association (FISSEA)

>>>>> GROUP: Information Assurance Topics

>>>>> GROUP: Information Security Assessments

>>>>> TOPICS PAGE: Cyber Security