Dan Geer Keynote: Data and Open Source Security

Security. What is security? Dan Geer defined it best. Keynoting at the Recorded Future User Network (RFUN) Conference in Washington, D.C. Geer said:

Security is about the absence of surprises that can’t be mitigated. As such, security that is well thought is security that changes the probability of surprise while foregoing as little as possible.

Throughout his talk, Geer spoke about the importance of data-centric security, preemptive data protection, and why intelligence is essential. He set the stage by staying:

To be entirely clear, this essay is written by someone as his own opinion and not on behalf of anyone else. It is written without the supposed benefits of insider information; I hold no Clearance but am instead informed solely by way of open source intelligence. This path may be poised to grow easier; if the chief benefit of having a Clearance is to be able to see into the future a little further than those without one, then it must follow that as the pace of change accelerates the difference between how far can you see with a Clearance versus how far can you see without one will shrink. This meeting is essentially about precisely that.

Geer’s speech merits close reading for any information security professional. We encourage you to read the full text of his address here.