[Infowarrior] - Air Force to get "cyber sidearms"

[Richard Forno]

"Cyber sidearms?"    Dear gods, I can't believe this was actually used in an
official statement by someone charged with information protection.

Are we reduced to coining new pithy phrases to describe traditional
information security tools?  As if by doing so they'll become any more
effective, or effectively-used?  (don't answer that)

I wonder....if a screen-capture program = a cyber sidearm, does that mean
that an antivirus program is a cyber nightstick?  The possibilities for
pithy-but-meaningless nomenclature is endless, no?
 
Excuse me while I grumble in private for a bit.  :(

-rf


------ Forwarded Message

Air Force to get "cyber sidearms"
http://www.fcw.com/online/news/150483-1.html

By Sebastian Sprenger
October 11, 2007

The Air Force will soon give service members working on networks a new
tool to help detect cyberattacks, service officials said.

The cyber sidearm is intended to be a simple way for service members to
quickly alert others to potential security breaches, said Lt. Gen.
Robert Elder, commander of the 8th Air Force.

The tool could be a small piece of software installed on Air Force
computers or it could be a simple mechanism for taking a screenshot and
relaying it to security experts, said Maj. Gen. William Lord, who will
soon take command of the Air Forces provisional Cyber Command.

In an interview this week, Lord said service officials have not made a
final decision about which technology they will use for the program.

Elder said service leaders will stage fake threats to practice using the
cyber sidearm. Service members will receive points when they use the
tool appropriately and lose points when they fail to act on a simulated
threat, he said during a panel discussion in Washington last week
sponsored by the Air Force Association.

The cyber sidearm program is part of a broader effort to defend Air
Force networks against intruders. Service officials have also begun
auditing crucial software to identify security risks, Elder said.