BVEW Bindview Development Corp (MM)

Review of the State of Information Security in 2005 and New Digital Confidence Index Demonstrate Need for Increased Government Leadership ARLINGTON, Va., Dec. 13 /PRNewswire/ -- The Cyber Security Industry Alliance (CSIA), the only advocacy group dedicated to ensuring the privacy, reliability and integrity of information systems, today called on the federal government to assert greater leadership in the protection of our information infrastructure in 2006. Its release of the "National Agenda for Information Security in 2006" identifies 13 specific actions required to improve information security for consumers, industry and governments globally. As part of the Agenda, CSIA also provides a report of the government's limited progress in information security in 2005 and releases a new "Digital Confidence Index" that reflects the public's lack of confidence in our nation's critical infrastructure. "Over the past year, the government has taken limited steps to improve the state of information security in our country, such as increased Congressional leadership on issues of spyware and identify theft, and the creation of a new Assistant Secretary for Cyber Security and Telecommunications position within the Department of Homeland Security," said Paul Kurtz, executive director of CSIA. "However, this is simply not enough. Currently, there is little strategic direction or leadership from the executive branch in the area of information security. Ensuring the resiliency and integrity of our information infrastructure and protecting the privacy of our citizens should be higher on the priority list for our government." Review of the State of Information Security in the U.S. in 2005 One year ago, CSIA urged the Administration and Congress to ensure follow- through on the President's National Strategy to Secure Cyberspace by acting on 12 critical recommendations to protect the nation against cyber threats. The recommendations were made in three key areas: raising the profile of cyber security; encouraging information sharing, threat analysis and contingency; and improving education, research and development. Today, CSIA graded the progress of federal agencies on their follow-through on those 12 recommendations. Overall, the Administration and Congress scored a grade of D or below on 7 of the 12 recommendations and earned a grade of C on four others. The government was commended for the Senate Foreign Relations Committee recommendation that the Council of Europe's Convention on Cybercrime be ratified by the U.S. Senate. For more information on CSIA's Information Security Report, please visit: http://www.csialliance.org/StateofCyberSecurity2006/Information_Security_Repor t.PDF Launch of a New Digital Confidence Index To better understand consumers' concerns regarding information security, CSIA today announced its first Digital Confidence Index (DCI). Taken over time, the DCI will allow CSIA to measure how economic, government or natural events impact the confidence of Americans in the networks that touch their lives. The index benchmarks the confidence of U.S. citizens in the nation's information infrastructure in six areas: finance, health data, telecommunications, Internet, consumer data and power grids. The research study found an underlying concern about the nation's digital infrastructure, which is reflected in a DCI ranking of 58 on a 100-point scale. Americans are neither overly confident about the security of their networks nor are they panicked. Rather, an underlying anxiety reveals itself in the lack of willingness on the part of respondents to shop online, with 48 percent of Internet users reporting that they avoid making purchases on the Internet because they are afraid their financial information may be compromised. CSIA also found that while consumers certainly do not believe information security should be the government's highest priority, Americans are more than twice as likely to believe that the government needs to make protecting our information systems and networks a higher priority (65 percent) as they are to believe that government is placing the right emphasis on this effort (29 percent). "A score of 58 on the DCI is less than a passing grade. The effect of a loss of confidence in the networks Americans rely on every day for business transactions, electricity, personal and business communications and even health services will be felt over time if not addressed," said James Lewis, Senior Fellow and Director of the Technology and Public Policy Program for the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). More information on the DCI and other research findings can be found at https://www.csialliance.org/StateofCyberSecurity2006/National_Survey_121305.PD F Pineda Consulting conducted the survey of 1,151 adults (margin of error: 3 percent) in November 2005. A Government Call to Action for 2006 In its new "National Agenda for Information Security in 2006," CSIA calls on the Administration and Congress to implement the following 13 recommendations to help improve the privacy, reliability and integrity of information: Privacy & Security for Consumers * Pass a national data breach notification bill * Pass a national spyware protection bill Security & Resiliency of Information Infrastructure * Ensure cyber security protection be applied to healthcare infrastructure * Promote information security governance in the private sector * Direct a federal agency to track costs associated with cyber attacks * Secure Digital Control Systems * Improve quality of software cyber security by strengthening NIAP certification Federal Information Assurance Initiatives * Fill new cyber security post in Department of Homeland Security * Ratify the Council of Europe's Convention on Cybercrime * Increase R&D funding for cyber security * Complete HSPD-12 initiative for government-wide authentication * Ensure continuity of government operations with telework * Include information security planning in transition to IPv6 The full Agenda can be found at https://www.csialliance.org/StateofCyberSecurity2006/Information_Security_Repo rt.PDF "The purpose of our National Agenda for Information Security is not to dwell on past events or direct blame on any one institution. Rather, we wanted to assess where we are today in terms of protecting the integrity of the information infrastructure so that we can determine which steps need to be taken to make improvements," said Kurtz. "To that end, we urge the government to take action on the 13 critical steps identified by the information security industry that we believe will help to immediately strengthen our information systems and begin to raise the confidence of our citizens in our networks." About the Cyber Security Industry Alliance CSIA is the only advocacy group dedicated to ensuring the privacy, reliability and integrity of information systems through public policy, technology, education and awareness. The organization is led by CEOs from the world's top security providers, who offer the technical expertise, depth and focus to encourage a better understanding of security issues. It is the belief of the CSIA that a comprehensive approach to ensuring the security of information systems is fundamental to global protection and economic stability. To learn more about the CSIA, please visit our Web site at http://www.csialliance.org/ or call +1-703-894-2742. Members of the CSIA include Application Security, Inc.; BindView Corp. (NASDAQ:BVEW); Check Point Software Technologies Ltd. (NASDAQ:CHKP); Citadel Security Software Inc. (NASDAQ:CDSS); Citrix Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:CTXS); CA, Inc. (NYSE:CA); Entrust, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENTU); Internet Security Systems Inc. (NASDAQ:ISSX); iPass Inc. (NASDAQ:IPAS); Juniper Networks, Inc. (NASDAQ:JNPR); McAfee, Inc. (NYSE:MFE); PGP Corporation; Qualys, Inc.; RSA Security Inc. (NASDAQ:RSAS); Secure Computing Corporation (NASDAQ:SCUR); Surety, Inc.; Symantec Corporation (NASDAQ:SYMC); TechGuard Security, LLC; Visa International and Vontu, Inc. DATASOURCE: Cyber Security Industry Alliance CONTACT: Stacy Simpson of Merritt Group, Office: +1-703-390-1528, Mobile: +1-703-926-1963, for CSIA Web site: http://www.csialliance.org/

Copyright