High-Flying Schmidt

High-Flying Schmidt
George Smith, 2002-07-22

Unstoppable viruses, massive blackouts, hacked pacemakers? The government's number two cyber security guy wasn't this apocalyptic when he worked for Microsoft.

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High-Flying Schmidt 2002-07-22
Anonymous

You've got to remember: Fear and histrionics of this type generate budget within governmental organizations. Look at the amount of money generated by convincing the American people that the Soviets were sitting at the right hand of Satan. Truth is, we kicked their ass with a green and white piece ...

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High-Flying Schmidt 2002-07-22
Me (2 replies)

Well written. It's painfully obvious that Howard Schmidt's "articulate incompetence" is in full force. This author is right on. Howard was a legend in his time, and never expanded his knowledge. I had a chance to listen to one of his "canned" speaches a couple years ago. It was THE EXACT same l...

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High-Flying Schmidt 2002-07-23
impressed

it really WAS well written, wasn't it?? sent me scrambling to dictionary.com. a keyboard controlled tower bell? give that man a vocabulary award!...

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High-Flying Schmidt 2002-07-24
Anonymous

1) He can (and has explained Syn Flood attacks, as well as a number of other attacks). 2)Microsoft business units execs REFUSED to implement better security measures that he and his team recommended (to the IT organizations) they fell victim to a hack attack. Since security officers rarely have the...

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Benefit of the doubt, or Doubt the benefit 2002-07-22
!me (1 replies)

I?m willing to give Schmidt the benefit provided at some point he can actually state real live evidence that his predictions are coming true. Otherwise......

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Inexperienced fool and garbage hashing 2002-07-24
Anonymous (1 replies)

Beware, your toaster will turn against you? Hmmm...

For years we've heard the drivel of so called "security" experts with either no real experience or they have never managed the trenches lined with people that have experience. They just talk the talk and over blow everything in the name of the...

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Inexperienced fool and garbage hashing 2002-07-27
Anonymous

He was appointed by the President of the United States right after September 11th, seems like that is a reason to go to the government....

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High-Flying Schmidt 2002-07-22
you (1 replies)

It doesn't matter that he can't describe what occurs during a syn flood...

It only matters that:

1. He can raise money for his organization

2. Looks good to old people and makes old people (people in charge) feel good because they think one of their's actually understands security... What'...

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High-Flying Schmidt 2002-07-23
!!you (4 replies)

quote: What is a man, who has gained the world, but lost his soul...(I think it's from the bible...I'm not very religious).

Anyway, I guess I was hoping that there would be someone within Homeland Defense, or the Presidential Committe on Critical Information Infrastructure, or some other cool ...

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High-Flying Schmidt 2002-07-23
Anonymous (1 replies)

the problem is that they get fanatics who think that they know everything about computer systems, and networking. I say someone give him a virus, grab a new one, put it on his laptop (if he has one) and then tell him to write a defense for it. My money says that he can't.

For homeland securit...

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High-Flying Schmidt 2002-07-24
Anonymous

I would not bet a large sum of money on that!...

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High-Flying Schmidt 2002-07-23
Kroenen

quoting !!you:
"quote: What is a man, who has gained the world, but lost his soul..."

That does originate with the Bible... and you nearly quoted it correctly. The actual text runs something like this (depending on your version):

What does it profit a man if he gain the whole world, yet lose...

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High-Flying Schmidt 2002-07-25
Anonymous

And what is the real issue on Information Protection?...

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High-Flying Schmidt 2002-07-27
Anonymous

And it is your belief that no one at those offices have a clue based on comments from people here? You should base you comments on fact NOT some postings on a list like this. This guy used to arrest people for breaking into computers so there might be some inaccurate information being posted here....

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Schmidt's History 2002-07-23
Anonymous

Howard Schmidt is very poorly thought of throughout the actual computer security, network investigation, and computer forensic communities. He is a person who has apparently mastered much of the jargon and just enough concepts in order to produce massive amounts of bovine fecal material. This is p...

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High-Flying Schmidt 2002-07-23
Anonymous

Good article. The current round of so-called "security experts" and "white hat hackers" need to be exposed for what they are: money grubbing opportunists in a hard hit industry. What's more, their misinformation and misguided logic threatens the internet and our freedoms....

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Number 2 2002-07-23
Andy Wood

Well....does Palladium protect against Temporal Viral code? No? Back to the drawing board MS.

I can sit around all day make wild claims as well. But, in his defense, he does have an inside look at a company that will probably code the ability for such a virus to execute into a future rel...

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How about some ACTUAL REPORTAGE among the ridicule? 2002-07-23
Ungrounded Lightning Rod

Smith is so busy ridiculing Schmidt that he neglects to describe what "zero-day viruses" and "affinity worms" actually ARE (or to link to a non-opinion-piece article that does).

Are these new buzzphrases for something we've already seen? Are they some new exploits (perhaps of Microsoft-only bugs...

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High-Flying Schmidt 2002-07-23
Anonymous

First I'll let you that I'm a Linux bigot! Add to that if all this infrastructure is MS that would explain why nothing would work. ;-) But to be more honest the entire infrastructure shouldn't be just based on one OS (Microsoft, Linux or other, except maybe VMS ;-). Also shouldn't any control system...

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High-Flying Schmidt - Odd Situation Here 2002-07-23
Anonymous

What I find incredibly funny is that this article, railing against this type of behavior, is posted on Security Focus. With a staff of ex-jailbird, weenie "reporters" posting regular columns that spread FUD on everything the government says, this type of article leaves us laughing. What next? A repo...

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High-Flying Schmidt 2002-07-23
Thomas A. Johnson, Dean (1 replies)

After reading your article on Howard Schmidt, I wish to point out that your characterization of him as a "computer security celebrity junketeer" is both erroneous and hurtful. Mr. Schmidt has dedicated an enormous number of hours to assisting law enforcement, national guard, military reserve units ...

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High-Flying Schmidt and High-Counting Johnson 2002-07-30
Dexter Eldritch

Well, it's obvious that Thomas A. Johnson isn't (hopefully)Dean of the School of Mathematics. 128,678 attacks in over five billion logs? That's a frequency of approximately one in forty thousand. Forty thousand LOGS, that is. Unless by "log" he means "log entry" and even that is a remarkably low...

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High-Flying Schmidt 2002-07-24
Anonymous (2 replies)

Your article is right on point. Howard Schmidt is often referred to by his former Microsoft staff as, "Mr. Smoke and Mirrors". He often refers to himself as the "father of computer forensics", yet he has no credentials, certifications, or work experience that substantiates this claim. A thorough r...

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High-Flying Schmidt 2002-07-26
Anonymous Corrector (1 replies)

Actually, Mr. Schmidt was a Special Agent for the Air Force Office of Special Investigations as well as a Chandler Police Officer (Arizona). So you are wrong.. He was a law enforcement officer. He is certainly NOT the father of Forensics and if he does claim that, he should be ashamed of himself f...

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High-Flying Schmidt 2002-07-27
Anonymous

I know the guy and never heard HIM say he was the father of computer forenics, but I have heard people say that about him. What I have heard him say was the he was one of the early "pioneers" in the field (1984-1986) time frame. Which I believe is accurate based on the training and R&D he was doin...

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High-Flying Schmidt 2002-07-27
Anonymous Univ of Phoenix Grad

I don't know where you got the information that Univ of Phoenix is a correspondence school, I spent a lot of nights and weekends going to UoP. It is a school that is fully accredited that is geared for people who might not been able to go on to college right after high school, maybe started a famil...

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Maybe he knows something we don't 2002-07-24
Anonymous (1 replies)

Maybe Schmidt knows something we all don't. I don't mean classified government information. I mean classified Microsoft information. Maybe he is more of aware of some of the potential security issues with MS OS/Apps than the rest of us.

After all - if an ex-MS staffer says 'beware the internet - ...

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Maybe he knows something we don't 2002-07-26
ex

good point...

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High-Flying Schmidt 2002-07-25
blacklight (1 replies)

Poor baby Schmidt! Between racking up of the frequent flier miles and harassing the stewardesses (or the stewards if his orientation goes the other way), where does this growing boy find the time to keep up with the technical knowledge? However, it doesn't look as if us security people are his inten...

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High-Flying Schmidt 2002-07-27
Anonymous (1 replies)

I cannot believe thet Security Focus would allow a posting that seeks to ridicule an individual on a hypothetical inference to an individuals sexual orientation, or that he is guilty of sexual harassment. I wonder if allowing postings like this could lead to a lawsuit. Wouldn't that be a big suprise...

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High-Flying Schmidt 2002-07-29
blacklight (1 replies)

I am sorry if you were offended by my reference to sexual harassment - The unfortunate fact is that there is such a thing as obnoxious passengers who harass the stewardesses (and stewards). I made that comment in a spirit of mischief with no malice intended - However, you know what the road to h...

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High-Flying Schmidt 2002-07-29
Anonymous

Lots of time on airplanes to read, no email, no cell phones and no distractions. ...

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High-Flying Schmidt 2002-07-26
Steve Robinson, VP ISSA, Los Angeles (3 replies)

While I am the Vice President of ISSA in Los Angeles, these comments are my own personal ones. And yes I have not only heard Howard Schmidt speak on a couple of occasions, met the man personally, but have friends that have known him since his days in the military. None of them would ever think to ca...

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High-Flying Schmidt 2002-07-29
blacklight

Your point is well taken.

Regards,

blacklight a.k.a "Child Molesting Terrorist"...

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High-Flying Schmidt 2002-07-30
Dexter Eldritch (1 replies)

There is a difference between "convey(ing) the need to keep security at the forefront of your boss's attention" and spouting nonsense.

"... pacemakers ... subject to outages and interruptions because in the future they're controlled via Internet," and "the power grid could fail catastrophically b...

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High-Flying Schmidt 2002-07-30
Anonymous

Perspective my firend, perspective...
How about a report on a FICTIONAL account NOT a prediction. Also you might want to study some on SCADA devices that run the power grid and there vulneribility based on connectivity to the internet. Just do a google search......

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High-Flying Schmidt 2002-07-30
brian.powell@hushmail.com

Hi Steve,

I think you mean 'syn-flood'.

Sorry to be picky, but as my physics lecturer used to say...

"If you want to understand things, give them a name - if you want to 'understand' a girl, DON'T get her name wrong!"

This misnomer places you below level three of 'the five ways to unders...

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