Sunday, November 1, 2015

A Picture Is Worth Hundreds Of Ironies


Scott Walker recently attended the 3rd Annual Cybersecurity Seminar, a matter that he was rather proud of:
Governor Scott Walker joined cyber security experts today at Marquette University to discuss new cyber security challenges for the state of Wisconsin.  The theme for the 2015 Cyber Security Summit is Protect, Detect, Respond, and Recover.  Governor Walker also proclaimed October as Cyber Security Awareness Month in Wisconsin.

“We live in an increasingly mobile world where people are constantly connected to the internet through their mobile devices,” Governor Walker said.  “Last year, thousands of Wisconsin citizens were victims of cyber crimes, and law enforcement officials estimate this threat will only continue to grow.  Today’s summit is an important opportunity for us to focus on preparing and protecting all Wisconsinites from cyber attacks.”

The annual Cyber Security Summit brings together business, industry, government, and academic leaders to discuss how Wisconsin’s private and public sectors can work to combat ongoing cyber threats, especially as it relates to the state’s infrastructure.
It's rather ironic since just the very next day that we learned that Walker doesn't know squat about cybersecurity and had released the Social Security numbers and other confidential information of hundreds of Wisconsin veterans:
The Social Security numbers of Wisconsin veterans are being sent via email without encryption despite numerous federal laws and U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs regulations requiring personally identifiable information be password-protected.

It partly explains how a random Wisconsin veteran received an unsolicited email on April 1 with the Social Security numbers and disability claim information of hundreds of Wisconsin veterans. Since the Vietnam War, veterans' file numbers or disability claim numbers have been their Social Security numbers.

"I got up, was working at the computer and had an email from the Department of Veterans Affairs in Wisconsin. Not knowing what it was, I opened up the attachment and I panicked," the veteran said. "It was nine-digit numbers. There were no hyphens. It wasn't like 111-11-111. It was nine numbers straight."
Maybe it was that Walker was at this conference to discuss the pros and cons and convicts surrounding secret routers.

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