Hackers and Spending Sprees

In the realm of risk, unmanaged possibilities become probabilities: These data breaches and thefts are due to a lagging business culture. As CIO, I'm always looking for ways to help my team, business teams, and ad hoc measures of various vendors, contractors and internal team members. A book that is required reading is "I.T. WARS: Managing the Business-Technology Weave in the New Millennium."
We keep a few copies kicking around - it would be a bit much to expect outside agencies to purchase it on our say-so. But, particularly when entertaining bids for projects and in the face of challenging change, we ask potential solutions partners to review relevant parts of the book, and it ensures that these agencies understand our values and practices.
The author, David Scott, has an interview here that is a great exposure: http://businessforum.com/DScott_02.html
The book came to us as a tip from one of our interns who attended a course at University of Wisconsin, where the book is in use. It has helped us to understand that, while various systems of security are important, no system can overcome laxity, ignorance, or deliberate intent to harm. The real crux of the matter is education and training to the organization as a whole ??? and a recurring schedule of training ??? in building a sustained culture and awareness; an efficient prism through which every activity is viewed from a security perspective prior to action.
I like to pass along things that work, in the hope that good ideas continue to make their way to me.

to Monique - you ask if Newsweek people SAW Palin shopping! She doesn't deny shopping - only said the clothes would get donated. Golly Gee, Get real. The only thing "they" deny is that low level staffers charged stuff for her (presumably when the main credit line was tapped). The truth will come out. The thing we can count on is infighting within the NeoGOP - they won't tell anything that's not true, though they'll withhold facts if they wasnt Palin in 2012 - - you Betcha!

The response is typical - dodge and evade. $150K was really spent, and there's no reason for staffers to lie about charges on their cards. Caribou Barbie shows herself as self-centered. The truth will be known AFTER an audit. Palin/aides blame the media for trash talk, but Palin gives them too much to talk about - nightly comedy shows and SNL pick it up too - Palin thinks everyone is wrong except herself.

An angry aide characterized the shopping spree as "Wasilla hillbillies looting Neiman Marcus from coast to coast," and said the truth will eventually come out when the Republican Party audits its books.

A Palin aide said: "Governor Palin was not directing staffers to put anything on their personal credit cards, and anything that staffers put on their credit cards has been reimbursed, like an expense. Nasty and false accusations following a defeat say more about the person who made them than they do about Governor Palin."

Gee, Palin looks to be over qualified to be a Republican VP. She has the graft, theft, corruption, humiliation, and stupidity part down pat. Must have learned it from Convicted Felon, Ted Steven and Gee W. Bush.

Gee, she seems over-qualified to be a Republican Senator from Alaska. She has the graft, fraud and corruption part down so well. Did Ted Stevens teach her all this directly?

oh my goodness, this has been such an amazing read so far, sorry not to dive into the heated debate, but wow! this really humanizes everyone involved... well, with some exceptions. There is this really beautiful display of emotion and ego crashing together. Thanks Newsweek!

This so-called "rising star" of the GOP (what is left of it) tumbled right out of the sky just after she stepped off that "PLAIN" in Wasilla! Huge threat? Um...don't consider someone who thinks Africa is a country threatens anyone dear, not anymore! You'll have to wish upon another rising star.

It's the rants that really turned me off of McCain in the first place. I totally respected and admired him.....until the GOP took over. After the primaries his campaign had an air of a bunch of pretentious boys sitting around and trying to decide how to win the game. That's what it was to them...a game to won. There wasn't a lot of inspiring or from the gut convictions displayed. McCain was used and taken over by the GOP campaign and you and tell now with all the throwing of folks from the same team under the bus tactics. McCain made me cry at his closing speech. That was the McCain that they should have let run for president......they generated a silly fraternity machine that I felt left out of. Obama didn't appear to be taken over by his staffers.

It's the rants that really turned me off of McCain in the first place. I totally respected and admired him.....until the GOP took over. After the primaries his campaign had an air of a bunch of pretentious boys sitting around and trying to decide how to win the game. That's what it was to them...a game to won. There wasn't a lot of inspiring or from the gut convictions displayed. McCain was used and taken over by the GOP campaign and you and tell now with all the throwing of folks from the same team under the bus tactics. McCain made me cry at his closing speech. That was the McCain that they should have let run for president......they generated a silly fraternity machine that I felt left out of. Obama didn't appear to be taken over by his staffers.

i take offense to that "hate-filled libs" non-sense. One of my very best friends is a Rep and i feel bad that her delusions about Sarah Palin didn't pull through, but i certainly do not hate her, nor anyone else that believes in Republican values. i don't know if the article is true or not, but I did find the comment about the "Wasilla Hillbillies" hilarious!

God forbid Newsweek do any research into this drivel. As usual, they print gossip, and it will come back to bite them in the ***. All of the hate-filled Libs out there? Buying it hook, line, and sinker.

This does not surprise me one bit. I mean this is the woman who apparently does not know that Africa is a continent. Yikes. Check out this debate about Palin on this brand spanking new site called YOUSPAR.com. You get to debate other users in real-time in a structured debate. Pretty darn cool. Good luck with the site.
http://www.youspar.com/Politics/Did%20Sarah%20Palin%20Cost%20McCain%20The%20Election?

Anyone who thinks that Palin was not a drag on the McCain campaign has got to be kidding themselves. I don't know if this postmortem will impact her future with the GOP? Probably not. People in this country have a short attention span and are more concerned with star power than intellect and skill. I mean can someone tell me how a college educated woman could not know for certain the number of continents or that Africa is indeed a continent and not a country. Ay yay yay. Check out this debate on YOUSPAR.com. This is a brand spanking new site where user debate in real-time. Pretty cool.
http://www.youspar.com/Politics/Did%20Sarah%20Palin%20Cost%20McCain%20The%20Election?

How are we going to keep Palin out of the Senate? The Alaskans reelected Stevens after his conviction.