A group of high-level IT officials in the federal government has begun collaborating on configuration benchmarks that government agencies could be required to use in future purchases of hardware and software. The development of the benchmarks is at once an indication . . . . A group of high-level IT officials in the federal government has begun collaborating on configuration benchmarks that government agencies could be required to use in future purchases of hardware and software. The development of the benchmarks is at once an indication of the growing importance of security in Washington and of the government's intention to use its purchasing power as an agent of change inside the Beltway and in the vendor community. "Yes, I believe the government is getting better at this," said Alan Paller, research director at The SANS Institute, based in Bethesda, Md., who has spoken with many of the federal CIOs involved in this effort. "This doesn't solve the entire problem, but it helps going forward. I believe a great deal of money was thrown away on reports that could've been spent on solving the problem." The link for this article located at EWeek is no longer available. . Top-tier government tech leaders unite to establish safety standards for acquiring hardware and software.. Security Benchmarks,Federal IT Collaboration,Government Standards. . Anthony Pell
Several government and industry leaders this weekend criticized proposed legislation that calls on hardware makers to help protect Hollywood's interests, saying lawmakers should not decide the tech industry's "winners and losers." Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash.; Les Vadasz, president of Intel Capital; . . . . Several government and industry leaders this weekend criticized proposed legislation that calls on hardware makers to help protect Hollywood's interests, saying lawmakers should not decide the tech industry's "winners and losers." Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash.; Les Vadasz, president of Intel Capital; Mitch Kapor, chairman of the Open Source Applications Foundation; and Hilary Rosen, CEO of the Recording Industry Association of America, engaged in a lively, sometimes heated, debate on recently proposed government controls on digital media devices. They met Sunday in an opening panel discussion at PC Forum, an annual technology conference hosted by author and technology pundit Esther Dyson. The debate comes days after Sen. Ernest "Fritz" Hollings introduced a bill that would ultimately require computer and consumer electronics companies to build piracy-prevention software into their products. Called the Consumer Broadband and Digital Television Act--once known as the Security Systems Standards and Certification Act--the bill has some powerful lobbyists including Hollywood studios Walt Disney and 20th Century Fox. The link for this article located at ZDNet is no longer available. . Numerous officials condemned the suggested bill mandating that manufacturers integrate anti-piracy tools into their products.. Piracy Prevention, Digital Media Legislation, Hardware Compliance, Technology Debate. . LinuxSecurity.com Team
Get the latest Linux and open source security news straight to your inbox.