Internet Security Experts Say Potentially Big Holes In Cloud

LOS ANGELES, CA, June 30, 2011 (Press-News.org) In the light of a recent disclosure that "cloud" storage provider Dropbox failed to properly secure their customers' documents, hacking the cloud and cloud security were timely topics covered at the Los Angeles Chapter of the Information Systems Security Association (ISSA-LA) third annual Information Security Summit. The theme of this year's summit was The Growing Cyber Threat: Protect Your Business.

As companies are looking at the cloud to move more of their business operations online to potentially save on costs of running IT departments, the probability of cybercrime is increased since the computing operations are outsourced to companies that maintain huge data centers around the world.

"Hackers are spending substantial time and effort looking for ways to penetrate the cloud," said featured speaker Dr. Eugene Schultz, chief technology officer at Emagined Security. "There are some real Achilles' heels in the cloud infrastructure that are making big holes for the bad guys to get into. Because data from hundreds or thousands of companies can be stored on large cloud servers, hackers can gain control of huge stores of information through a single attack."

"This is open season for cybercrime and hackers," said ISSA-LA President Stan Stahl, Ph.D. "I'm pleased that we're able to serve the LA community with timely talks on cloud security, like the two Dr. Schultz presented at our Summit. The news that cloud storage provider Dropbox failed to properly secure their customers' documents is just one of many examples of how businesses must 'look before they leap' into the cloud. That's why we're grateful that there are information security 'gurus' like Dr. Schultz who so selflessly gave their time, their knowledge and their wisdom to helping the 'village secure the village'."

Twenty-two of the country's leading experts on Internet security spoke at the ISSA-LA Security Summit. The annual Summit is the only educational forum in Los Angeles specifically designed to encourage participation and interaction among all three vital information security constituencies: (1) business executives, senior business managers, and their trusted advisors; (2) technical IT personnel with responsibility for information systems and the data they contain; and (3) information security practitioners with responsibility for ensuring the security of sensitive information.

The Summit was held on June 15 at the University of California Los Angeles campus and was hosted by UCLA Extension.

About Information Systems Security Association (ISSA)
The Information Systems Security Association is a not-for-profit, international organization of information security professionals and practitioners. It provides educational forums, publications and peer interaction opportunities that enhance the knowledge, skill and professional growth of its members. The primary goal of ISSA is to promote management practices that will ensure availability, integrity and confidentiality of information resources. For more information please visit: http://www.issa-la.org .