Looking Back at 2015

As we look back at 2015, we find ourselves thinking about a tumultuous year. IoT has finally hit center stage, with the potential to revolutionize our society, while at the same time setting the clock back in advancements in Information Security. Security companies continue to be absorbed into IT companies, a trend that started 5 years ago and just keeps on rolling. Mass shootings on the domestic front have increased the cry for more gun control, while ISIS has gained even more prominence, and is utilizing social media more than any terrorist organization before. Many of us find ourselves troubled and in deep thought as we still have two recent horrific events fresh in our minds, one in Paris, and one in our own backyard in San Bernardino. These physical attacks come in the midst of years of ongoing successful cyber-attacks, creating a world where both our personal and online safety are being assaulted. We must stand strong and united, and networking organizations such as ISSA-LA have a large role to play. ISSA-LA has hundreds of fellow professionals as a part of our community, and the more we share, the more we meet and talk together, the better we will all be prepared for the next attack. Sadly, for cyber-attacks, it is now not a matter of if, but a matter of when. For the more dramatic and scarier physical attacks, we must not think of compromising what and who we are, by allowing any reductions in our freedoms. We cannot lose our identity as a great country founded on the principles of FREEDOM. After 9-11, the Patriot Act was such a compromise. It led to the NSA surveillance activities, where all of us were spied upon by our own government. Obviously we find ourselves in a very difficult situation. If our loved ones were lost in one of these physical attacks, we would most likely be filled with rage and unbelievable sadness, and probably be willing to sacrifice individual freedoms to stay safer. In some areas of life, many Americans appear willing to accept additional hassles, with airline travel coming to mind. We must be careful not to become who we are protecting ourselves from.