Focus on Firewalls

by Cate Pilgrim

Over the next four years, the U.S. government is slated to give $10 billion in cyber security contracts to defense companies like Northrop Grumman and Lockheed Martin. This decision comes in the wake of a break-in to the Federal Aviation Administration where the personnel files of 45,000 FAA workers were compromised, as well as several high-risk hacks to high-profile public sites like Facebook and Twitter.

According to Daily Tech, President Obama has issued a 60-day review of federal cyber security, where the "plans, programs and activities" of U.S. cyber security efforts against both domestic and foreign attacks will be scrutinized and updated.

And cyber security may become an even greater concern as a result of the massive economic stimulus bill. Fast Company reports that the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act has earmarked billions of dollars of funding for the digitization of medical health records, and the construction of a computer-controlled "smart grid" to carry electricity. This digitization could potentially allow hackers to de-power entire states, or regions.

The break-in at the FAA isn't the first major security breach. In June 2008, the Chinese military hacked into the U.S. Defense Secretary’s computer system, and that two hackers working for the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) recently announced their plan to engineer cyber-dominance over the U.S. and other nations.

Despite the $10 billion in defense cyber spending and the 60-day review, at least one talented hacker thinks the Obama administration still isn’t getting it. Consider President Obama’s fierce devotion to his personal blackberry, says Kevin Mitnick.

Ten years ago, Kevin Mitnick was the most wanted computer criminal in U.S. history. He specialized in hacking and wire-tapping major cell phone companies, and after his 1995 arrest, Mitnick spent 8 months of his 4 year sentence in solitary confinement. He's got a reputation as a hacking genius-the best of the best; I heard him described as the Michael Phelps of computer hacking. Since his jumpsuit days, Mitnick has switched to the private sector and now operates as a computer security consultant and author. He's telling Obama not to mess around.

In an interview with FOXNEWS.com , Mitnick said Obama's blackberry presents a global target for hackers of all stripes. "You'd probably need to be pretty sophisticated, but there's people out there who are," Mitnick said. For 21st century America, better firewalls are not optional.