Open Source Is Becoming a Military Necessity

The Street ^ | 17 August 2012 | Dana Blankenhorn

[ShadowAce]

One of the biggest lies told about open source is that it's insecure.

In letting just anyone use your code, that has to include the bad guys. They're bound to find a way to compromise it, the thinking goes.

But that's not the way it works in real life. Having every potential victim working on your neighborhood code watch turns out to deliver more security, not less.

Having everyone who might be the victim of an online break-in organized, finding bugs, writing and testing fixes, constantly improving security tools, works.

Don't believe me? Well, maybe you'll believe the National Security Agency or the Department of Homeland Security. The open source process works for them, too.

For a decade, one of the most popular intrusion prevention and detection systems has been Snort, created by Martin Roesch. But the company he built around that software, Sourcefire, only gives away the basic package. If you need extensions, if you want a more complete system, you have to pay. That code is controlled by Sourcefire.

There is nothing unusual in that. Many open-source businesses create free community and paid "enterprise" editions of their software. This is what Red Hat(RHT) is all about -- you can download Fedora Linux free or buy Red Hat Enterprise Linux. In both cases you get to see the code, but with the paid version you get the support needed to run it professionally.

But this model didn't work with Snort. The Department of Homeland Security, the military, and the NSA could not be "held hostage" to Sourcefire for improvements to the code, or for the specialized suite needed to protect the nation.

So the Department of Homeland Security got together with major contractors and formed their own open source project, the Open Information Security Foundation. OISF has its own intrusion system, called Suricata, whose syntax is based on Snort, so if you are accustomed to one you can use the other.

But Suricata will be a complete system, not just a "sniffer," as intrusion detection products are colloquially known. The whole Suricata suite will be open source. This process is now expanding, as I noted here at TheStreet.com on Monday.

In May, the National Security Agency co-hosted an Open Source Security Industry Day at a Johns Hopkins facility in Fort Meade, Md. As ZDNet's Steven J. Vaughan-Nichols reported, agency people described their needs for open source and urged suppliers to include open source in their offerings.

John Weathersby of the OSS-Institute, which is now affiliated with Georgia Tech in Atlanta, told me most of the day was devoted to small "breakout" sessions, where contractors answered hard, detailed questions put to them by key government customers. The affair wasn't just a series of sales pitches, he said. It was the first step in a negotiation.

Among the open source projects the NSA supports is Security Enhanced Linux (SE-Linux), for which it has developed an access control module called Flask, hosted at the University of Utah. Open source and security, in other words, do go together.

Open source can only provide tools. Procedures are also needed to assure that people maintain security. So the Cloud Security Alliance offers an integrated stack of such procedures, called the GRC Stack. GRC stands for Governance, Risk management and Compliance. This is maintained in an open process with the support of both contractors and software vendors.

Point is, open source and security do mix. They mix well. With more businesses moving toward cloud technology, much of it based on open source software, they are going to be doing a lot more mixing.

[Jim Robinson]

Thank you very much, houeto. Looks like we need $259 to turn the bar yellow. Will process it on your account momentarily. Thanks again and God bless!!

[onyx]

WOO-HOO! WOO-HOO!! WOO-HOO!!!

JIM JUST POSTED YOUR GENEROUS DONATIONS!!!!

Thank you very much, houeto!!

Just posted this to the FReepathon thread and we’re about $299 from the Yellow and more coming in now:

Woo hoo!!

And this just in:

$35.00 from California
$50.00 from Hawaii
$25.00 from Georgia
$50.00 from Texas
$25.00 from Illinois

Thank you all very much!!

FReepers are absolutely the greatest!!

Less than $300 to the YELLOW!! Then it’s down the homestretch to the GREEN!! We can do this.

[SamAdams76]

I agree but I still will not engage the ABR people anymore. We are not going to change their minds by fighting them any more than they are going to change ours. I wish they would respect the truce that Jim Robinson put in place. As fellow conservatives, we should be able to discuss our opinions intelligently and in a civil manner. Only in that atmosphere will minds be changed. Otherwise, we will just dig in our heels and become enemies.

My personal opinion is that the numbers of ABR people are small enough to not have a decisive impact with the coming elections. I hope I am right.

[onyx]

Thank You Wonderful, Fabulous FReeper DONOR PATRIOTS!!!!

YOUR LOYAL SUPPORT IS TRULY & GREATLY APPRECIATED!


THANK YOU VERY MUCH, CALIFORNIA,GEORGIA, HAWAII, ILLINOIS & TEXAS FReepers!!!!

"Thank you all very much!!

FReepers are absolutely the greatest!!

Less than $300 to the YELLOW!!

Then it’s down the homestretch to the GREEN!!

We can do this."
~JIM
OPEN ALL NIGHT!!!

   2012 Q3 Scoreboard — ranked by total receipts   

Rank	Location	Receipts			Monthlies
		Total	#	Avg/Per	Total	#	Avg/Per
1	California	$6,596.00	173	$38.13	$1,095.00	78	$14.04
2	Texas	5,142.50	149	34.51	1,047.00	66	15.86
3	Pennsylvania	3,565.12	61	58.44	255.00	16	15.94
4	Florida	2,918.00	92	31.72	805.00	52	15.48
5	North Carolina	1,890.00	40	47.25	320.00	21	15.24
6	Ohio	1,658.00	41	40.44	265.00	23	11.52
7	Virginia	1,589.00	48	33.10	477.00	29	16.45
8	Colorado	1,476.50	35	42.19	295.00	16	18.44
9	New York	1,296.88	49	26.47	340.00	25	13.60
10	Georgia	1,182.00	35	33.77	300.00	20	15.00
11	Illinois	1,055.00	40	26.38	206.00	13	15.85
12	Maryland	1,000.00	37	27.03	307.50	18	17.08
13	Alabama	970.00	34	28.53	345.00	18	19.17
14	Missouri	900.00	35	25.71	235.00	15	15.67
15	New Jersey	865.00	16	54.06	98.33	5	19.67
16	Tennessee	851.00	32	26.59	200.00	18	11.11
17	Alaska	800.00	7	114.29	120.00	4	30.00
18	Washington	800.00	27	29.63	330.00	17	19.41
19	Mississippi	795.00	19	41.84	184.00	9	20.44
20	Arizona	790.00	34	23.24	320.00	19	16.84
21	Massachusetts	776.00	25	31.04	251.00	15	16.73
22	Nevada	736.00	19	38.74	110.00	8	13.75
23	Louisiana	668.00	16	41.75	143.00	9	15.89
24	Oklahoma	655.00	14	46.79	275.00	15	18.33
25	Minnesota	625.00	27	23.15	205.00	15	13.67
26	Australia	603.00	15	40.20	10.00	1	10.00
27	South Carolina	530.00	17	31.18	105.00	8	13.12
28	Wisconsin	517.00	17	30.41	187.00	11	17.00
29	New Mexico	510.00	12	42.50	50.00	4	12.50
30	Indiana	505.00	20	25.25	165.00	15	11.00
31	Oregon	450.00	17	26.47	130.00	8	16.25
32	Arkansas	435.00	13	33.46	100.00	7	14.29
33	Michigan	421.67	17	24.80	256.67	15	17.11
34	Utah	325.00	8	40.62	70.00	3	23.33
35	Hawaii	315.00	14	22.50	150.00	9	16.67
36	Delaware	302.00	9	33.56	16.00	2	8.00
37	United Kingdom	280.00	4	70.00	30.00	1	30.00
38	Maine	277.00	5	55.40	27.00	2	13.50
39	Kansas	270.00	16	16.88	130.00	11	11.82
40	Idaho	260.00	11	23.64	120.00	7	17.14
41	Montana	250.00	10	25.00	40.00	2	20.00
42	Kentucky	200.00	7	28.57	60.00	3	20.00
43	Connecticut	200.00	10	20.00	80.00	5	16.00
44	Sweden	200.00	1	200.00
45	Iowa	190.00	7	27.14	40.00	2	20.00
46	South Dakota	170.00	6	28.33	45.00	4	11.25
47	West Virginia	160.00	3	53.33	50.00	2	25.00
48	New Hampshire	145.00	6	24.17	113.50	5	22.70
49	Nebraska	115.00	5	23.00	65.00	5	13.00
50	Canada	95.00	5	19.00	40.00	4	10.00
51	Vermont	65.00	5	13.00	65.00	3	21.67
52	Armed Forces - Pacific	60.00	3	20.00	5.00	1	5.00
53	Thailand	50.00	2	25.00
54	Uruguay	50.00	1	50.00
55	Germany	34.00	3	11.33
56	Rhode Island	30.00	1	30.00	30.00	1	30.00
57	El Salvador	30.00	1	30.00
58	Puerto Rico	25.00	1	25.00
59	France	23.00	2	11.50
60	Norway	20.00	1	20.00	20.00	1	20.00
61	Wyoming	20.00	1	20.00	10.00	1	10.00
62	Albania	20.00	1	20.00
63	District of Columbia	10.00	1	10.00	10.00	1	10.00
64	Israel	3.80	1	3.80
65	New Zealand	3.00	1	3.00
66	Ireland	3.00	1	3.00
67	South Africa	3.00	1	3.00
Never Never Land		3,426.00	75	45.68	1,050.00	84	12.50
68 locations total		$51,201.47	1,462	$35.02	$11,799.00	772	$15.28

Thank You Wonderful, Fabulous FReeper DONOR PATRIOTS!!!!

YOUR LOYAL SUPPORT IS TRULY & GREATLY APPRECIATED!


THANK YOU VERY MUCH, CALIFORNIA,GEORGIA, HAWAII, ILLINOIS & TEXAS FReepers!!!!

"Thank you all very much!!

FReepers are absolutely the greatest!!

Less than $300 to the YELLOW!!

Then it’s down the homestretch to the GREEN!!

We can do this."
~JIM
OPEN ALL NIGHT!!!

   2012 Q3 Scoreboard — ranked by total receipts   

Rank	Location	Receipts			Monthlies
		Total	#	Avg/Per	Total	#	Avg/Per
1	California	$6,596.00	173	$38.13	$1,095.00	78	$14.04
2	Texas	5,142.50	149	34.51	1,047.00	66	15.86
3	Pennsylvania	3,565.12	61	58.44	255.00	16	15.94
4	Florida	2,918.00	92	31.72	805.00	52	15.48
5	North Carolina	1,890.00	40	47.25	320.00	21	15.24
6	Ohio	1,658.00	41	40.44	265.00	23	11.52
7	Virginia	1,589.00	48	33.10	477.00	29	16.45
8	Colorado	1,476.50	35	42.19	295.00	16	18.44
9	New York	1,296.88	49	26.47	340.00	25	13.60
10	Georgia	1,182.00	35	33.77	300.00	20	15.00
11	Illinois	1,055.00	40	26.38	206.00	13	15.85
12	Maryland	1,000.00	37	27.03	307.50	18	17.08
13	Alabama	970.00	34	28.53	345.00	18	19.17
14	Missouri	900.00	35	25.71	235.00	15	15.67
15	New Jersey	865.00	16	54.06	98.33	5	19.67
16	Tennessee	851.00	32	26.59	200.00	18	11.11
17	Alaska	800.00	7	114.29	120.00	4	30.00
18	Washington	800.00	27	29.63	330.00	17	19.41
19	Mississippi	795.00	19	41.84	184.00	9	20.44
20	Arizona	790.00	34	23.24	320.00	19	16.84
21	Massachusetts	776.00	25	31.04	251.00	15	16.73
22	Nevada	736.00	19	38.74	110.00	8	13.75
23	Louisiana	668.00	16	41.75	143.00	9	15.89
24	Oklahoma	655.00	14	46.79	275.00	15	18.33
25	Minnesota	625.00	27	23.15	205.00	15	13.67
26	Australia	603.00	15	40.20	10.00	1	10.00
27	South Carolina	530.00	17	31.18	105.00	8	13.12
28	Wisconsin	517.00	17	30.41	187.00	11	17.00
29	New Mexico	510.00	12	42.50	50.00	4	12.50
30	Indiana	505.00	20	25.25	165.00	15	11.00
31	Oregon	450.00	17	26.47	130.00	8	16.25
32	Arkansas	435.00	13	33.46	100.00	7	14.29
33	Michigan	421.67	17	24.80	256.67	15	17.11
34	Utah	325.00	8	40.62	70.00	3	23.33
35	Hawaii	315.00	14	22.50	150.00	9	16.67
36	Delaware	302.00	9	33.56	16.00	2	8.00
37	United Kingdom	280.00	4	70.00	30.00	1	30.00
38	Maine	277.00	5	55.40	27.00	2	13.50
39	Kansas	270.00	16	16.88	130.00	11	11.82
40	Idaho	260.00	11	23.64	120.00	7	17.14
41	Montana	250.00	10	25.00	40.00	2	20.00
42	Kentucky	200.00	7	28.57	60.00	3	20.00
43	Connecticut	200.00	10	20.00	80.00	5	16.00
44	Sweden	200.00	1	200.00
45	Iowa	190.00	7	27.14	40.00	2	20.00
46	South Dakota	170.00	6	28.33	45.00	4	11.25
47	West Virginia	160.00	3	53.33	50.00	2	25.00
48	New Hampshire	145.00	6	24.17	113.50	5	22.70
49	Nebraska	115.00	5	23.00	65.00	5	13.00
50	Canada	95.00	5	19.00	40.00	4	10.00
51	Vermont	65.00	5	13.00	65.00	3	21.67
52	Armed Forces - Pacific	60.00	3	20.00	5.00	1	5.00
53	Thailand	50.00	2	25.00
54	Uruguay	50.00	1	50.00
55	Germany	34.00	3	11.33
56	Rhode Island	30.00	1	30.00	30.00	1	30.00
57	El Salvador	30.00	1	30.00
58	Puerto Rico	25.00	1	25.00
59	France	23.00	2	11.50
60	Norway	20.00	1	20.00	20.00	1	20.00
61	Wyoming	20.00	1	20.00	10.00	1	10.00
62	Albania	20.00	1	20.00
63	District of Columbia	10.00	1	10.00	10.00	1	10.00
64	Israel	3.80	1	3.80
65	New Zealand	3.00	1	3.00
66	Ireland	3.00	1	3.00
67	South Africa	3.00	1	3.00
Never Never Land		3,426.00	75	45.68	1,050.00	84	12.50
68 locations total		$51,201.47	1,462	$35.02	$11,799.00	772	$15.28

[Tennessee Nana]

For those who cannot bring themselves to vote for Romney...., I have to respect their opinion and their standing on principle, even if it might result in an Obama re-election should the election be very close
______________________________________________

Thank you...

Its unfortunate that some FReepers attack those of a different opinion as ObamaBots and mentally ill and members of DU...

Much of the activity in the threads is instigated by those who have determined to vote for Romney no matter what their reasoning...

I think if they left the others in peace and did not attack when a comment containing words identfiying Romney as less than acceptable is posted...

Personally I have been maligned for my own stand for Conservativism to the point that I have wondered I should ignore the nastiness or laugh it off or fight back...

I have found that much of the posts are from FReepers attempting to beat down and force silence on those who want to expose the terrible liberal record of Willard Mitt Romney ...

In another time I would hope the reluctant “RomneyBots” would have recoiled at the very suggestion that they might willing vote for a liberal such as Romney and then also go as far as mock those who refuse to...

I dont remeber a time in the last 40 years when the Republicans have not come together behind the winner of the primary and gladly joined in an all out effort to get the GOP candidate elected..

A month ago a local woman complained to me that she could not get enough people to work in Romney’s campaign and she didnt know why. I did suggest to her a change of candidates might help greatly to which she looked astonished..

I dont know of another election year when that same woman didnt have more than enough willing hands and all the local needs covered..

Nobody seems to like Romney in our area...for the first time pastors have taken to begging their congregations to vote in November...the choice being, I am told “the Godless or the Mormon”

So if the opposition get a bit enthusiastic for your taste, just understand...they are fervent in their Conservativism and rejection of the liberal Romney...

and they are not alone in their warfare...the RomneyBots and others are equally as guilty of spam...and accusations...

BTW I dont call anyone a RomneyBot until they attack my stubborn forever stand...

I feel sorry for those who feel they have no choice but to vote for Romney, but theres no excuse for namecalling...

I will not be voting for Willard Mitt Romney...

My NO is forever...

[MEG33]

I agree..There’s no point in flinging insults. I let the insults go and move on to my passionate belief that Obama must go.

[Tunehead54]

Happy now? Feel better? Interesting thread hijacked by the man himself and his FRaisers. (Glad you're still here ...;-)

Click here

[houeto]

[onyx]

WOO-HOO! WOO-HOO!! WOO-HOO!!!

JIM JUST POSTED YOUR GENEROUS DONATIONS!!!!

And houeto’s very generous donation takes to the YELLOW!!

Woo hoo!!

and this just in:

$259.00 from Mississippi
$40.00 from California

Thank you very much, Mississippi and California!!

Congratulations, FReepers!!

Thank you all very much!!

Woo hoo!! Less than $8.5k to go!!

[Jim Robinson]

Thank you very much, umgud. That can probably be arranged. Our permanent donation link is currently just a text link in the keyword area. Perhaps I can make a small unobtrusive banner.

[Jim Robinson]

Thank you very much, tillacum!! God bless.

[MEG33]

Thank you so muuch..and the roses are gorgeous.

ON TO GREEN!

[The Duke]

What I don't understand is what the advantages are to moving an organization's date "to the cloud" where hands unknown have access to it.

The advantage is that it's cool and trendy - kinda like doing performance-sensitive processing with interpreted languages.

[Jim Robinson]

Thank you very much, jdsteel!! God bless.

[onyx]

THANK YOU VERY, VERY MUCH, DEAREST windcliff!

God bless and keep you and everyone you love.

YOU ROCK!!!!

[onyx]

THANK YOU VERY, VERY MUCH, DEAREST tillacum!

God bless and keep you and everyone you love.

SNAILMAIL DONORS ROCK!!!

[onyx]

THANK YOU VERY, VERY MUCH, DEAREST SamAdams!!!

God bless and keep you and everyone you love.

MONTHLY DONORS ROCK JIM'S WORLD!

[onyx]

THANK YOU VERY, VERY MUCH, jdsteel!!!

God bless and keep you and everyone you love.

WE ARE THE RESISTANCE!

[onyx]

THANK YOU VERY, VERY MUCH, Liberty Valance!

God bless and keep you and everyone you love,

AND GOD BLESS TEXAS!

[onyx]

WOO-HOO! WOO-HOO!! WOO-HOO!!!

JIM JUST POSTED YOUR GENEROUS DONATIONS!!!!

The sun never sets on Free Republic!!

Woo hoo!!

And this just in:

$200.00 from Colorado
$5.00 from Texas
$50.00 from California

Thank you all very much!!

Less than $8.3k to the GREEN!! We can do this.

OPEN ALL NIGHT!!