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In the case of Edward Snowden, we have a situation where a lone operative obtains
authorization to access sensitive data and procedures that the National Security Agency did
not want to be public knowledge. Whether Edward Snowden’s reasons for leaking this
classified information is politically motived or morally responsible, we saw a
demonstration of a classic security breach.
In today’s field of information technology, not enough emphasis is focus on security. This
is self-evident and somewhat ironic for a spy agency such as the NSA to not be duly
diligent in ensuring security measures be taken to the extreme.
As technology is evolving and changing, there is a networking movement gear towards
consolidating vast amounts of data and resources on cloud servers and virtualized
infrastructure. Although this model in itself is cost effective and flexible, it presents the
risk how easy it is to access data.
The National Security Agency in the future can prevent such comprising level of attack by
asking a few questions of their IT security. They should structure and decide who has what
kind of access to data and the network. What specific security clearance should contractors
possess? What roles monitor record usage? What steps are in place to prevent a lone wolf
from accessing and recording information?
According to Eric Chiu, a co-founder of HyTrust, a cloud security automation company
and venture capitalist, “…organizations need to take a far more strategic approach to
security than they ever have before. We all want advances in the network infrastructure,
since each technological breakthrough enables greater productivity. However, innovation
without adequate security defeats the very purpose of progress. With the right strategy,
technology and enforcement, we can have both” (Chiu).
