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BlueWolf's Howl
« Port Security | Bluewolf's Howl | Asleep at the Front »June 29, 2012
DICE!!
When you get your first taste of the Internet, you often marvel at how close distant places become. It seems like the world is at your fingertips. Then you get used to it. But every once in a while, you are reminded - people and places are not as distant as they used to be...
Over 10 years ago (when I was a military contractor), I stumbled across an old VHS tape in a box of miscellaneous items in the Security Officer's office. The tape happened to be a briefing for DoD (Department of Defense) personnel on Counter Espionage. It looked interesting and I took it home to watch. I was hooked - this guy (Ray Semko) is an AWESOME speaker. The things he pointed out made you think. And the way he presented it made you remember it and revisit those things in your mind over and over.
At the time, it was pertinent - I worked on a military base and OpSec briefings were regular and required. But there was more in that presentation. He really drove home the idea that this was not just tied to the military and classified documents. This related to industry just as well as it did to the military. If we're bankrupt because our companies are spending $$$ on R&D and all that research is being stolen and given to foreign companies... Not really a profit-making scenario, is it? And bankrupt businesses lower our security posture. Can you say financial collapse? Isn't that why we gave bailouts a few years ago - to prevent that?
One of the examples was a short clip of an interview with France's President Mitterrand who explained, "In war, France and the U.S. are allies. However, in business, we are competitors." That stuck with me. So did the idea of all those companies that spend $$$ on research - only to have it stolen and used by competitors. Another memorable idea is when he tells you right out - if someone starts being sweet on you and they're absolutely gorgeous...and you think you've gotten "lucky"...no, you haven't. Because it's NOT YOU that's interesting - it's the information that you know that's so interesting.
So - from time to time - I think about the DICE Briefing that was so memorable. And a few years ago, I looked him up on the Internet. Of course, being a military-oriented topic, you couldn't just click a button and get yourself a DVD of his presentation. Really? If I remember correctly, and it was quite some time ago, you had to order it through your official DoD channels or something like that. Since I was currently employed in the civilian workspace, I was out of luck.
But the ideas he presented stuck with me. And for whatever reason, the other day I looked him up again. His web site has grown! I noticed that he also has a LinkedIn account. So I tried to connect. And, I was honest - I did not know Ray Semko. Hmmm - so I got a page that told me to not bother people I don't know. Okay - why do they bother having that button? Apparently you have to find some connection. And, of course, we belong to a common group - which allowed me to finally send a request to connect. He accepted and now I am connected to him on LinkedIn. OMG. Who woulda thunk?
In addition to that, there are a number of video clips on D*I*C*E TV that are really good. And D*I*C*E now stands for Defensive Information to Counter Everything - because it's really more than just counter espionage, it's counter everything (because everything matters). There are also DICE Radio downloadable podcasts available on his site. The best of all is that there IS an open 2-day course for Security Professionals. I highly recommend it.
Posted by BlueWolf on June 29, 2012 08:55 PM