Government IT security strategies weak to the bones

The report comes on the heels of publicly embarrasing hacks against a number of US government department websites, including the New York Police Department.
According to Benjamin Teh, Fortinet's regional director for Asia South and Hong Kong, the approach to IT security of government departments should not be any different from those undertaken in the private sector. Hacking has become sophisticated and motives more sinister. These changes warrant a more holistic approach to IT security that encompasses what experts call blended threat landscape. Obama's use of a Blackberry has also meant that governments need to stay alert beyond their physical parameters.
How can governments address this blended threatscape?
Benjamin Teh
Benjamin Teh: The blended threatscape can be addressed by deploying a consolidated, multi-layered security approach which handles network security from a holistic viewpoint that provides both network and content-level protection. Because consolidated security combines key security functionality into a single device, it is easier to manage, requires lower CAPEX and OPEX investments, and represents a more elegant approach to fighting the threatscape versus pricey, patchy point solutions. This high value proposition may be of particular interest to governments, especially in today’s economy.
Can you provide a state of the security environment in the government sector of Asia?Benjamin Teh: We’d prefer not to comment on the security of any particular governments. However, we are seeing a heightened interest among many Asian governments in fighting cyber activity and keeping their networks safe. Generally, we do advise governments to adopt more of the open system, like Obama is currently doing, collaborating with industry experts and vendors to bring about positive changes with regards to US cyber security strategy.
Is the recent spate of news related to lost data or hacking a result of failure on the governments to provide adequate safely measures to protect confidential data?
Benjamin Teh: The recent security breaches are probably the result of both a hacking community growing in sophistication as well as governments trying to keep up with in the cyber security game. This scenario is further reinforced by US President Obama’s recent revelation that his own presidential campaign online has been hacked. Cybercrime is an evolving animal, so governments, like carriers and enterprises are also evolving to put in adequate safety measures to protect confidential data. In short, the blended threatscape we face today is unprecedented and requires constant monitoring.
Research suggests that hackers look for the lowest hanging fruits when targeting potential victims. What does this suggest about the level of security sophistication available on government websites and networks?
Benjamin Teh: If the recent Obama administration campaign hacking incident is any indication, then most governments around the world today can use more help in better securing their networks. But this scenario is widespread and certainly not relegated to just government networks -- even one of the most world’s most advanced technology tools today, the Google search engine, had its results tampered with by the recent Gumblar web attack, which has infiltrated more than 3,000 websites of late. To further accentuate this situation, I’d like to cite US Senator Jay Rockefeller, who was quoted: “We need to act now - the time to combat cyber terror was yesterday.”