Symantec CEO to Comdex: New security threats need new tack

IDG News Service - Taking on ever more sophisticated and aggressive cyberattacks requires a new approach and a lot of security software and services, John Thompson, chairman and CEO of Symantec Corp., said today in a keynote speech at Comdex.
The current practice of applying security updates after a software vulnerability has become known or after a virus has been reported won't cut it in tomorrow's world of superfast-spreading worms and viruses that will surface with increasing speed after a software flaw is published, Thompson said.
Soon computers will face "Warhol" threats that spread across the Internet and infect systems worldwide within 15 minutes, Thompson said, making reference to Andy Warhol's line about everyone experiencing 15 minutes of fame. In a few years, the Net will be hit by "flash" threats that can spread in just seconds, he said.
"These types of threats are fundamentally unstoppable by today's technologies. We will need proactive technologies that can protect and stop new attacks on the fly," Thompson said.
Even more than today, businesses will need multiple layers of security, starting with securing key applications and intelligence in the form of an alert system, Thompson said. "The best way is to know about threats and vulnerabilities before they occur," he said, pitching his company's security response and threat management services.
Thompson also criticized various antispam laws that have been passed in the U.S., saying that such legislation is "unmanageable" and gives Internet users "a false sense of hope." Instead, he called on Internet service providers and the industry to take technological measures to block mass mailers.
And for all those unemployed IT workers, Thomson suggested that security training could be an important career move. "We will have a shortfall of tens of thousands of security professionals in the next couple of years in the U.S.," he said.
One attendee at the Las Vegas trade show said Thompson's speech was disappointing. The Symantec chief discussed threats, but his speech lacked concrete advice, said George Hallahan of Integrated Datasystems, a computer sales and service company in Keene, N.H.