DOD mulls Internet disconnect (Re: The future of NAPs and IXPs)

Mon Apr 19 21:18:12 UTC 1999

>> providers to troubleshoot, etc.  The greater the dependence on
>> interconnection, the more hardened you want that interconnection environment.
>
>It's worth pointing out, as a sidebar to that, that the greater the
>dependence on interconnection, the more hardened it's _feasible_ to make
>that interconnection environment, assuming you've rolled your numbers
>right.  Staying on the proper side of that curve is important...

Don't fall into the trap of thinking you can harden anything enough.  The
Internet was built on the assumption diversity buys reliability better than
hardening.  To this day, it seems to be a hard thing to do in practice.  It
is much easier to adopt the bunker mentality, and try to protect it all
behind one big wall.  Which doesn't work much better in practice, but pays
consultants a lot better.

Normally, I wouldn't assume Lt. Generals understand technical matters
very well, prefering instead to listen to majors and below.  I have
no clue what the Lt. General is thinking changing .mil to .com will
do for security.

http://www.fcw.com/pubs/fcw/1999/0419/fcw-newsdod-4-19-99.html

I wonder if the Lt. General realizes the damage he may end up doing.
Some of us "outsiders" have long relied on information from the military
web sites to help us improve the design of our own infrastructures.  Which
in turn the government relies on to carry out its mission.  It is a fallicy
to think you can provide the information needed to protect the network to
just one or two "cleared" companies.  I'm not "cleared," yet I still need
provide information assurance services to my clients.  It would be a shame
if a hacker chopped three "zeros" off a defense spending bill. I thought
the government had figured there is more interdependence between all levels
after all its critical infrastructure studies in the last couple of years.

Sorry, I just had to vent.
-- 
Sean Donelan, Data Research Associates, Inc, St. Louis, MO
  Affiliation given for identification not representation