Hosted by Paul Roberts, The Security Ledger podcast features interviews with leading minds in the area of cyber security, threats and attacks. The Security Ledger is an independent security news website that explores the intersection of cyber security with business, commerce, politics and everyday life. Security Ledger provides well-reported and context-rich news and opinion about computer security topics that matter in our IP-enabled homes, workplaces and daily lives.
In-brief: Russian hackers aren’t the biggest threat to the security and integrity of elections says Bev Harris of Black Box Voting. Instead, it’s a more common enemy: run of the mill political corruption, mostly at the local level. Also: Eric Hodge of CyberScout talks about the challenges of helping states secure their election systems. Problem number one: recalcitrant voting machine makers.
With DEFCON’s Voting Village in the rear view mirror, Security Ledger Editor in Chief Paul Roberts talks about the security of elections systems with two experts: Bev Harris, the founder of Black Box Voting, and Eric Hodge, the director of consulting at CyberScout, which is working with the Board of Elections in Kentucky and in other states to help secure elections systems.
In-brief: is it ever the case that things happen that “nobody saw coming”? Our guest on this week’s podcast would say “no.” He is Richard Clarke, a former National Coordinator for Security, Infrastructure Protection and Counter-terrorism for the United States and a veteran of four administrations, from President Ronald Reagan through to President George W. Bush. We talk about modern-day Cassandras: people who are warning about looming catastrophes, mostly in vain.
Policy makers may worry about so-called “Black Swan” events – low probability occurrences that ‘nobody saw coming.’ But is it ever the case that things happen that nobody saw coming? Our guest on this week’s podcast would say “no.” He is Richard Clarke, a former National Coordinator for Security, Infrastructure Protection and Counter-terrorism for the United States and a veteran of four administrations, from President Ronald Reagan through to President George W. Bush. In his new book, Warnings: Finding Cassandras to Stop Catastrophes, Richard and co-author R.P. Eddy interview people who warned fruitlessly about pending disasters like 9/11 and the Fukashima nuclear power plant, as well as those who are warning us today about threats that elected officials, government experts and policy makers are ignoring.
In-brief: A crippling cyber attack that could damage and destroy equipment needed to keep the lights on in major US cities is already possible. The only thing that’s lacking is a motive to carry out such an attack, according to our guest on this week’s podcast: Joe Weiss, a Managing Partner at Applied Control Solutions, LLC and a persistent, if lonely, voice calling for an overhaul of cyber security for the U.S. electric grid.
