Note: Bits & Bytes is a new reoccurring column featuring interesting figures in the security industry. The intent is to provide a quick interview that allows readers to learn more about the interview subject and their views of our industry. This edition features Mischel Kwon.
About Mischel: Mischel Kwon is an IT executive with more than 29 years of experience ranging from application design and development, network architecture and deployment, Information Assurance policy, audit and management, technical defensive security, large wireless system security, to building organizational and national level Computer Emergency/Incident Response/Readiness Teams. She currently serves as the President of Mischel Kwon Associates, a security consulting firm specializing in Technical Defensive Security, Security Operations and Information Assurance. Mischel was named the Director for the United States Computer Emergency Readiness Team (US-CERT) in June 2008 where she spearheaded the organization responsible for analyzing and reducing cyber threats and vulnerabilities in federal networks, disseminating cyber threat warning information and coordinating national incident response activities.
Interview discussion with Mischel Kwon:
1. When you were the Director of US-CERT what would keep you up at night?
- The list is too long to print! I didn’t sleep the entire time (at least it felt that way).
2. Describe the concept of “Continuous Monitoring” in one sentence:
- A way to use compliance to stop bad things from happening.
3. What books / publications about security would you recommend?
- “ Dragon Bytes: Chinese Information-war Theory and Practice from 1995-2003” by Timothy L. Thomas and “Analyzing Computer Security: A Threat / Vulnerability / Countermeasure Approach” by Charles and Shari Lawrence Pfleeger
4. Who was/is the important person in your career?
- Mike Jacobs – Former Director of Information Assurance at the National Security Agency
5. You’re an adjunct Professor at GWU. What is the most important lesson you try to teach to your students?
- If you’re technical you need to understand policy. And if you’re policy you need to understand technical.
6. If you were an IT superhero what would your superpower be?
- To be able to control budgets with a single wave of my wand.
7. Complete this sentence: If I wasn’t in IT / security field I would be…..
- A chef.
Seth Geftic is also a contributing author for the RSA blog.
I will be happy if the RSA buzz does revolve aunord the things you've listed, especially in that order- but I fear the cloud and cybersecurity hype may continue to overshadow the fundamentals. Don't get me wrong, cloud and cybersecurity are important, but much of what is labeled with those names is simply a failure of the same security fundamentals that have been often been overlooked in traditional security.
- Alma, March 4, 2012 at 6:20 amThanks for the comment. I agree that buzz and hype, while good for marketing purposes, often overshadow the real issues. Often problems can be attributed to simple things like a lack of security hygiene. I think that is why Continuous Monitoring can be an actual difference maker. It forces organizations to constantly looking at the basics and make sure they are doing what is required.
- Seth Geftic, March 7, 2012 at 1:53 pm