In your opinion, which company or person has had the biggest impact on the information security industry within the last 10 years, and why?
Brian Krebs has made a huge impact on the information security industry. His high-profile breaking stories on major data breaches have been a wake-up call to the mainstream media, to anyone involved in a management position, and to the general public. Also, he reports on new software vulnerabilities that may lead to data breaches. His acumen as a reporter has brought information security to the mainstream media as a topic for discussion. Now, non-technical people – some of whom are business owners – know about information security and how important it is, not only as to how it impacts a business and the financial risks involved but also personally in the form of identity theft and/or financial loss. The other benefit of Krebs’ reporting is that his style of writing works for all readers. The point I’m trying to make is that unless management folks have their heads in the sand, they too know about how these data breaches happen and what new software vulnerabilities are out there. In theory, the issues that Krebs reports on should have management folks questioning their security procedures and doing something about them to plug holes in their network. Unfortunately in practice, it doesn’t always work that way. Krebs is not directly responsible for changes in the infosec industry, but he has certainly helped them along.
Allan Pratt, InfoSecurity & CyberSecurity Strategist, @Tips4Tech
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