Why Are So Many C-Level Executives Cyber Illiterate?

Co-authored by Tom Malatesta

What a couple of weeks in Washington, D.C. Chinese hacking, privacy issues, wire taps, questions about who did what to whom, shameless schtick, the IRS, the Justice Department, Benghazi, tornados in Oklahoma, political posturing. Now add from the May 22, 2013 Wall Street Journal article on CEOs and the Open Door to Hackers. Makes one ponder the question of security and privacy in the lifestyle of 2013.

So now we find out that the CEO in many cases is the biggest threat to corporate security. Aren't there any institutions that are functioning in a competent manner these days? The reason the dialogue, in all its capacities is important, is because so many higher ups in business and government, exempt themselves from common sense security rules.

Top-level folks have become targets of just about any miscreant because they are disconnected from reality when it comes to IT and security. Add to that structured snooping by one's own government and the question marks abound.

So what's all this have in common? There is no firewall for stupidity. Human stupidity and arrogance are the best friends of arrogant ineptness. We require leadership that gets it. It is a very competitive world. The adversaries are quite good. Why are we destroying ourselves?

Special privileges at any level are costing credibility in every corner of the government industry nexus. Politicians pander. The American media should be all over the issue. Political grandstanding helps no one.

Add to this mobile computing. More data. Is there really privacy? We all need to share information. We should not be stupid about how we do it. Can the leadership in this country please take some time to get it right?