I have been involved in (and thinking about) computer network information security since the early 80s. I’ve seen computer information security develop from BS7799 and the Rainbow series standards to the standards we are still using today such as ISO 27002, the NIST 800 series, PCI, etc. All of this guidance at its core is basically the same; employ strong access controls, monitor the system, employ configuration controls and all the other basics. These all seem like great security controls and I’m sure that we still need to use them. The conundrum is that all of this guidance has consistently failed to solve the problem, and not only hasn’t it solved it, the information security problem is getting worse!

I have been trying to understand why this is. Perhaps it’s too much new tech too fast, perhaps the problem itself is simply insoluble….or perhaps we have just been approaching the problem from the wrong angle all this time. After all, the height of futility has often been described as doing the same thing again and again and expecting a different outcome to result. So I decided to give the whole subject a fresh look. I took a cue from Marcus Aurelius and started with the basics: what is information security and why do we need it?

One of the first principles that occurred to me is just this: information security is a human problem, not a technological problem. Computers don’t have desires, they are not duplicitous, they are not evil and they are not aware. They are just tools. It is the humans that develop and use these tools that are exclusively responsible for information theft and corruption.

With that in mind, I suggest we embrace an information security standard based on human foible and weakness of character. I know that in the information security world we always pay lip service to the idea that we are paying attention to the human factor. But from what I see, that is all smoke and mirrors. What I really see is that we continue to throw machines and applications at the information security problem. “Oh, yes,” we say “this new adaptive security device or SIEM system or whatever new tool will protect our private information! I believe! Hallelujah!”

Good luck with that.

Nothing can replace the flexibility and intuition of a human mind. There are at best some schooled and semi-autonomous tools-and I emphasize the word TOOLS-that ape true intelligence. But in reality, they are only effective when combined with human input and oversight.

With all of this in mind, I suggest we look at the computer network security world from a purely human perspective. Expect people to do the worst, and then be elated when they rise above expectations. Plan your tactics with laziness, envy, spite, stupidity, inattention and all of our other bad characteristics in mind. Don’t spend a million dollars on the best current global information security device or service; spend FIVE million dollars on knowledgeable, canny and intelligent human employees.

I intend to write further about this subject and continue to explore the ways we can adjust our security controls and processes to better address the human factor and make inroads into better infosec. It will be interesting to see if it works!