Security Requires Wisdom

CYBR650 Week 1

If we continue to develop our technology without wisdom or prudence, our servant may prove to be our executioner.  Omar Bradley

I’ve decided to change political parties this election season.  I’m pretty conservative in a lot of my viewpoints, but I’ve heard some good ideas presented by liberal politicians.  The problem is that the Republicans and Democrats are so busy trying to prevent the other side from getting their own way, they refuse to even consider reasonable discussion on practical matters.  For a while I thought the Green Party had some good ideas, but some of what they espouse was too socialist for me.  I also considered the Libertarian Party.  However, their focus on personal liberty seems a bit selfish or isolationist to me. 

So I declare my allegiance to the Centrist Party.  Centrists are traditional, but practical.  They balance individual rights with the greater good of all of society.  They hold the ideals of pragmatism over compromise.  The Centrists don’t have a candidate in the Presidential race that’s going on now, so I can’t vote for a declared Centrist, but I can choose a candidate who holds Centrist values.

So why all this talk about politics in a blog about security? 

Centrist ideals apply to the balancing act between freedom and security in politics, but they also apply to technology, the Internet and the Internet of Things.  We should embrace technology as it brings many benefits, but we have to do so with prudence and wisdom. 

The quote at the beginning of this post elegantly states that we have to use technology wisely, or we may end up destroyed by it.  We have to balance security and the freedom that technology brings.  In the ever escalating arms race of hackers vs. security practitioners, we need to balance protection with freedom.  Will there be casualties?  No doubt about it, but we have to be wise enough to build security into the Internet of Things and free enough to enjoy the benefits new technology brings.

Just as in our democracy we have to balance our personal liberties with the responsibility to our communities and fellow citizens, we can’t have perfect security and still travel around the world at will.  We can’t keep our airports and train stations completely terrorist free.  We can’t say no to all Muslims who want into our nation and we can’t throw the borders wide open.  We have to be wise in Centrist ways, not politicizing national security or Internet security, but seeking the greatest good for all.