Internet: Shut it down!

Treat End Users Like the Dummies They Are
Amoroso of AT&T believes that the fundamental security problem is that during the past decade, and quite unintentionally, the network’s intelligence has migrated to the edge. “We’re all sys admins,” he says. And millions of end users holding sway over their security settings translates to millions of potential dumb configurations, boneheaded double-clicks and unintentional security lapses. Accidents happen, and bad guys take advantage of the fact that not all end users are created equal in terms of security.
After all, Amoroso argues, do you control power distribution around your house, or do you just plug stuff in?
He thinks AT&T can make a ton of money off this idea: Return control to the network providers (like his own company’s phone system in the 1970s, he says, a time when Ma Bell controlled everything, including the technology’s interface), and let the providers charge you for doing all of the filtering, traffic analytics, worm detection and incident response. “That’s my solution,” Amoroso says. “Create a service. Make money.”
How To Save The Internet – SECURITY – CIO Magazine Mar 15, 2005

Comments are closed.