Page 8 - index

1220) and be consonant with critical infrastructure’s historic emphasis on safety, reliability and
availability.

Next, the continued insistence on viewing cybersecurity as the plot of a thriller featuring zero
sum combat between anthropomorphized electronic adversaries is, at best, counterproductive.
Cyber isn’t about electronic duels and dogfights, it’s about understanding that, like air, space
and sea, cyber is an inherently hostile environment in which we must operate. In such an
environment, risks cannot be eliminated, but they can be understood and mitigated. Effective
risk mitigation starts with identifying risks inherent to the operational requirements at the
requirements phase. Additionally, security and other non-functional requirements must be
understood as being of comparable importance to functional requirements.

Systems engineering, as practiced by the critical infrastructure and defense communities among
others, is the single most effective tool for both identifying risk and understanding how solutions
affect the severity and likelihood of risk realization. These communities, far from being out of
touch with security requirements, may provide the fundamental insights that allow us to turn the
cybersecurity page.

About the Author

As President and General Manager of Kaspersky Government Security
Solutions, Inc. Adam Firestone is responsible for providing world class
cybersecurity intelligence and systems engineering services as well as
innovative product solutions to meet the needs of government, government
contractor and national critical infrastructure organizations.

Adam leverages more than 20 years of experience in the defense, intelligence
and government contracting industries. Prior to joining Kaspersky Government
Security Solutions, Inc. in 2013, Adam led the defense and federal subsidiary
of a global middleware company where he was responsible for understanding and crafting
advanced technology solutions for the challenges faced by military, intelligence and government
organizations. Adam is a former United States Army officer, and also possesses a legal
background, holding a Juris Doctorate degree, and having practiced law in New York.

8 Cyber Warnings E-Magazine – March 2015 Edition
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