Mr. David A. Cane This is Me

Education

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1. 1. digitalMass at Boston.com

   digitalmass.boston.com/interac - [Cached]

   Published on: 7/12/2001   Last Visited: 3/13/2002

   David Cane,, founder and CTO, Connected Corporation
   
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   We sat down with David Cane, founder and CTO of Framingham's Connected Corporation, and he answered the questions that you submitted about protecting the nation's network infrastructure.
   
   Following Network World's live webcast on the subject, we had the opportunity to hear Cane's views on the vulnerability of critical networks to cyberterrorism and other attacks, the importance of data protection and disaster recovery plans and the most important threats to America's network infrastructure.
   
   Question: With more and more companies using wireless networks I am surprised by the lack of security that they provide. Out of curiousity one night I downloaded a $39 "sniffer" that used the infrared port on my laptop to search out wireless networks. I was able to not only see the domains of several companies, but was amazed that how easy it would be to log into one. As I work in System Security, do you think that I should notify these companies of their backdoors, or just let be?
   ...
   David Cane: Choosing to alert companies about what you've found is a personal decision, so I can't recommend one way or another. But, you are doing a good thing by bringing the problem to light in this public forum. I think we'd all be surprised by just how open many corporate networks, wireless or not, still are today.
   
   Question: How are we going to stop hackers? -Kim
   
   Cane: Stopping hackers, like attempting to stop any illegal activity, is a very difficult and ongoing task. I don't believe we'll ever be able to stop all hacker activity, or the creation of new computer viruses and other harmful methods of computer intrusion/data destruction. I believe the answer lies in creating ways to limit the damage hackers or viruses can do, if and when they're able to break through security measures. Through a combination of better security and data protection technologies, and ongoing human vigilance, we'll make it continually more difficult for hackers to be successful in their attempts to destroy data and wreak digital havoc.
   
   Question: I've noticed on alot of the crime investigation shows that they get access to all kinds of private communication when a person may be under investigation. That shows very little privacy in what a person may show on the new information communication systems.
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   Cane: As we're all aware, there's much debate among our political leaders at the moment regarding the issues of overall security balanced against personal freedoms and privacy. Unfortunately, as we attempt to make the world a more secure place, for the sake of everyone's safety and security, we tend to lose some freedoms -- and we'll have to take additional steps to think and act in a more security conscious way. This is also true in the area of personal and corporate computing.
   
   Question: What happened to your web based service for consumers?
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   Cane: In addition to protecting data for hundreds of large well-known companies, Connected Corporation continues to offer a lower-cost web-based PC data protection service for home PC users and small home-based offices. In fact, we have tens of thousands of individual PCs regularly backing up all their data to our secure, mirrored data centers. If you're interested in learning more go to http://www.backupmystuff.com/ or http://www.connected.com/. Our solution works equally well for desktops and laptops.
   
   ...
   Cane: The tragic events late last year have made us all consider what's valuable –- in our personal and business lives. Since that time, a great number of companies have closely examined their operations and created disaster recovery plans that include comprehensive backup for critical systems and data.
   
   Question: How expensive is it for a company to move their information from paper to electronic filing?
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   Cane: I don't have specific numbers, but many companies have spent years and many millions of dollars attempting to move to the concept of a "paperless office." Most have failed in this effort. Instead, they've implemented a hybrid approach combining paper for newer, short-term and non-static records, and electronic documents for older, static or archival records. It's hard to say what new practices the Enron situation will force companies to implement. Whatever happens, corporations are more aware of the value of their data, documents and information than they've ever been. They're also beginning to think about how the value of that data relates to preserving shareholder value.
   
   Question:What are we doing on a national level to protect our government's networks?
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   Cane: The government is very active on the network infrastructure protection front. For reasons of national security, the government never discloses all of the details regarding its systems and security protocols. I believe that there is enough security and redundancy built into the government's computer systems to keep things operational even if attacked.
   
   ...
   Cane: Yes. I think hot-sites will become must haves for any large company that doesn't already have them in place. And, many smaller companies should begin adopting this operational resiliency practice as well.
   
   Question: Is the expansion of wireless networking going to have an ill-effect on protecting company information?
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   Cane: In the near-term wireless networking may provide hackers with an easier way into corporate networks and data. Over time, wireless security protocols will get better and hackers will have a harder time here as well.
   
   ...
   Cane: My biggest fear regarding computer-based security is that at some point we'll get lulled into thinking that we've created the perfect security mechanism and stop aggressively looking out for the "bad guys." History has shown that over time everything is surpassed or overcome. We should never let up in this regard and we should always have a line a defense in place prepared to deal with the problems created when hackers do win. This combination of awareness, security and recovery capabilities will always be the best defense against any attack.

2. 2. digitalMass at Boston.com

   digitalmass.boston.com/interac - [Cached]

   Published on: 7/10/2001   Last Visited: 3/8/2002

   About David Cane
   
   ...
   Taking part in the webcast will be David Cane, founder and CTO of Framingham's Connected Corporation. Following the live webcast, submit a question to digitalMASS for Mr. Cane, which will be answered and posted on Tuesday.
   
   The Discussion
   
   Businesses are increasingly aware of the damage caused by viruses, cyber-security breeches and lost productivity due to downed systems and PC information loss. Every CIO and IT professional should fully understand these issues and be prepared to address them within their own organizations.
   
   "America's information infrastructure includes more than just the network servers and the software used to protect them.
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   The PCs attached to our networks - and the data they contain -- are vital components of our business infrastructure and they must function effectively in order for companies to maximize their productivity," said Dave Cane, founder and CTO of Connected Corporation.
   
   Cane will join other industry leaders and to talk about protecting the nation's network infrastructure in a Webcast moderated by John Gallant, president and editorial director of Network World.

3. 3. digitalMass at Boston.com

   digitalmass.boston.com/interac - [Cached]

   Published on: 7/11/2001   Last Visited: 3/11/2002

   About David Cane Submit a question
   
   DigitalMASS has been given the opportunity to meet with industry leader David Cane, Chairman & CTO of Framingham's Connected Corp., to ask questions about protecting the nation's network infrastructure.
   
   We'd like to know what questions you have about this topic to include them in our Question and Answer session. Please fill out the form below to submit your question.
   
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