Although your thoughts are not completely off target as they relate to the need for this country to reemphasize technology skills, they are in fact irrelevant in the scope of cyber warfare. The number one issue currently in cyber warfare has nothing to do with how fast or well we right code as a nation. If every current college student in the US changed their major to computer science tomorrow it would have little or no effect on the current state of cyber security. The number one current vulnerability in technology is not anything Microsoft produces or any website developed by some organized cyber criminal unit in a third world country or the inflexibility and dumbing down of our technology. The number one current cyber vulnerability in this country is the millions and millions of users put in front of a computer with no understanding of the impact their stupidity has on the world.

At the current rate of growth of cyber crimes the world's ability to secure itself through technology will be surpassed in the next 4-5 years regardless of resources. The reason for this is that organized crime has now taken over the cyberwar. And they have 10's of MILLIONS of workers (some by choice and some not so much) that do nothing for 12-18 hours a day but figure out ways to get you to make a stupid choice. It is no longer just some group of college students from India trying to screw with people. It is now about money. As long as we have an inability to fix stupid we will in fact continue to loose the cyberwar. You can not program out or write code to make people smarter or to protect them from themselves. In fact the dumbing down of our technology that you reference is probably the only that has saved a complete melt down of our technology infrastructure on a number of occasions.

The best we can do is attempt to educate, monitor the damage, and try to respond when (not if) the issues arise. The new appointment of a person to try to change the tide of this crisis that understands the first step towards winning this war is to be able to tell where we need to put resources is a great first step! Support of this effort and organizations like the MS-ISAC is how we will reclaim the cyber landscape. Not by out programming the bad guys.

I find it interesting that you are such an expert on the subject of cyber security that just eight months ago you were not able to post your "review" of the GOP Convention because your website was under a DOS attack. So does being a victim make you an expert on a subject such that your opinion should carry any weight?

I also find it entertaining that Republicans (which upon researching your background you are obviously one of) didn't have any issues or disagreement with Bush and his bloated plan for managing terrorism, which failed miserably by they way. But the right wing haters come out of the woodwork every time the current President makes a decision to try to clean up the mess that the past administration has put us in.

They are interesting opinions you have shared, but not sure they have any value beyond the bits and bytes they represent....

Here here! My high school computer class taught us how to type or use Word and Excel. There weren't even limited entry classes for basic scripting, let alone real programming. Even at college I had to go out of my way to take every class that focused on these subjects and have still had to self educate to a great extent. It's an under valued and highly important skill which many more Americans need to be trained in.

If we go about our lives assuming that everything will always work and never need fixing, then what happens when something breaks?

I am one of your digital kids, Mr. Rushkoff. I read your books as a teenager while simultaneously doing all I could to teach myself about computers.

Now I'm an adult and in the military. I'm a computer person (to keep it short) and I've always felt that those around me are lacking something. There's very little understanding of what's going on. Most I work with just know the checklists for troubleshooting but lack general understanding of how things operate, and when the checklist is run through... They're lost.

The trouble with this is that these are the people who get assigned to positions that are securing our networks. Granted the top down approach has worked so far by keeping things regulated, so only one smart person at the top had to really do anything. After that it's just people maintaining systems. However, I do see the armchair general approach as you called it. A good example is my city's IT.

I've spoken with some friends that work within the city's IT department and I've gotten quite a bit of insight. Their security is currently terrible. They're gotten several viruses and social engineering training is nil. There's one CIO that dictates what needs to be done. When I asked my friend if they'd done any social engineering training, he stated that the CIO had read an article on it and got really worked up about it for 2 days and then quickly dropped it and moved onto something else. The trouble is that you put these business majors, or management majors that may have little to know experience with their boots on the ground and really can't effectively lead their people with the current approaches.

Yes, I agree our children do need more training in cyber skills. However, you have to start somewhere. This was never employed under the last President or valued for that matter. The new cyber czar hasn't even taken on his new job and you are already criticizing it as 'thoughtless' structuring. Hopefully, you will make your recommendations to the right folks in a productive manner.

IMO Rushkoff is correct in his analysis and in his suggestions about how to correct the situation. I'm an educator of 40 years and a long time computer user (since 1966). Currently I am in a position in which any help I look for gets me online with someone in India whose English is spotty, but whose computer skills are good. If I could understand them I could solve my problems.

However, I've had many US students who were able to understand computers and problem solving. Microsoft, Apple, IBM, Dell, etc are supporting computer education in the schools. They just can't do enough. In India they pick brighter students and have them spend hours per day studying Computers and English, instead of minutes per day.

We also need the Czar because we need adequate cyber laws and cyber lawmen. Remember, we didn't need the Highway Patrol to catch speeders until we had highways and cars good enought to speed and be used to commit crimes on and with.

"The best of our kids design video games; the Indians, Chinese, and Russians' kids write the code on which those games run."

Curious if this article is written from an Eastern Euro perspective,
with references to Russia, Soviets, Sputnik, etc.

That said,
isn't much of the world trying to steal American
computer technology, not the other way around?

Obviously American kids need a technology based curriculum,
and that day is coming.

Since it's very fashionable to question
American "knowhow" these days . . .

let's just say, the technology developed in the United States, from the computer, internet, and cell phone, is astounding, and used by much of the world.

The United States currently has space crafts on Mars.

The American drone technology uses unmanned space crafts that fly thousands of miles away, controlled by remote control in the U.S.

American made Boeing makes the best airplanes in the world.

Even with our current challenges, there is plenty to be
optimistic about this country,

and there are plenty of brilliant technologically creative minds in this country that are currently developing things most of us could only dream of.

Hahahahah, this is really funny. You think you can educate people to defend themselves against cyber attacks? Are you kidding? The People can't even defend themselves from crashing Stock Markets, which are cyber attacks of a different kind. What I would recommend is that Government defend The People from Government itself. In my own case that would include things like making sure that the local Police Force in the Village of Pelham Manor, NY not sleep with my wife, AFTER they have thrown me in jail for crimes that have NEVER occurred. If you really want to protect people from cyber attacks, tell them to sleep with their own wives and NOT with mine. Otherwise, I might have to come looking for them....if you know what I mean. It is a shame that the whole world has to lose all of it's money and it's 'society' because one Police Officer wants to throw me in jail for a crime which NEVER occurred, you know, so he can sleep with my wife.

I do hope he is enjoying the Depression that has been visited upon him and the whole world. We did give him a chance to come clean and tell the truth, and he refused. This should explain everything. You see cyber attacks only arrive at your door if there is some reason for it. Otherwise, why would anyone bother in the first place.

You don't think for a moment, that the "czar" is hired so he can possibly recruit "ethical hackers" who will be probably be given basic security problems to solve to see if they can do it and then if they pass the recruitment test, they will be hired to watch the attacks and block them.

Where did I see an add for such people. There some skills, which are assumed to be self taught, and reverse computer engineering is one of them.

If you want people to care about anything that doesn't excite them, then you have to reprogram them.

Most of these programs can be figured out, by reversing them. Most hackers, have little programs which show the code, to break the security of programs, I think that is how programming is learned in America.

So don't underestimate how many people know how to program. People just don't admit what they know because they expect to be demeaned and embarrassed as some form of addict by the thought police.

It is the same with accounting theory, a person will mock a person as, oh that is exciting. They don't realize that the people in SEC were outmatched because they did not bother to ask the important questions, in Madoff's case was How did he make his money. Then you go backwards. Auditing is alot like reverse engineering, auditing is used in IT security because that is how you figure out what was done or wasn't done just like financial auditing. As long as propriety rights, and encryption are allowed to overpower goals related to the public good, then I think we are doomed

And another issue is the English thing, what are words anyway? They program people all the time, and socially engineer them to give away their personal information in banks, when speaking out loud. How many tellers ask for personal information at a range where someone else can hear them. If you want to protect computers, then you have to know what you don't know, and not act like a snob, that you know everything, cause new tools are being created every day, and they have to be reversed engineered to exploit them.

While I agree with your assessment and predictions of the state of our technology preparedness, I think you totally miss the mark in terms of context.

I noticed that you offered no alternative idea for what the President should have done instead. Surely you do not believe it is the responsibility of the office of the president to dictate specific curriculum for our schools. Indeed, he is doing what a leader should do. Throughout his campaign and 5 months in office, he has repeatedly stressed the importance of our schools focusing more on math and science. Now he has made crystal clear that cybersecurity is of the utmost importance. These actions will influence both teachers and students. They, along with parents and mentors, bear most of the responsibility for changing the course we are on currently.

Then there is the business aspect... I have been an IT professional since the late 70's, and have experienced the outsourcing issue as a manager - when I was told by my superior that I had to accept a group of contractors from India - solely because their price per hour was less than a quarter of what we had been paying their American counterparts. In general, I was very pleased with their work - but no more so than the Americans who had worked for me previously. I don't know the answer to this issue. We are all guilty of trying to save a buck when we can, aren't we???

In regards to your comment about cybersoldiers, I would just say this: a war is not won by a general alone, or by soldiers alone - but by everyone working in concert.

I wouldn't count our kids out.

Within the next generation current modes of computer programming, archaic programming languages and the incredibly inefficient lack of hardware standards will be revolutionized.

Chinese and Russian kids are learning to build cotton gins and steam engines.

Our kids are learning to design and build rockets and RADAR.

Professor,
If you were trying to get attention by rubbing on the President's name for attention, you succeeded but exposed yourself as a radical, ignorant and ungrateful person.

I think the title and your article miss the point.

The creation of this new office is the first step addressing a problem that left alone can become a plague to the American people. It made even someone like you say something.
The notion of Czar is to implement tactics and strategies that will eliminate a treat or problem.
Did you want a detailed national security plan published to satisfy your impatience?

Your whole blah blah about America greatness in technology is a myth.
America is without a doubt a the Greatest Marketer. America also is a great place where people of all backgrounds come to make great things.

Almost everything that made America great was invented and developed by aliens educated in foreign colleges. Tina Brown and Huffington are a good example.

From the nuclear bomb to the Ipod, tell me: who invented the Automobile, USB, CD DVD, Computer etc... A quick reference to wikipedia will not hurt.
When you buy electronics and technology, foreign products come on top most of the time.
( Linux and Mysql database being just the latest examples)
America benefited from inclusion. There are many technological wonders oversees that America only dreams about.

Radicals like you just come out ranting and creating an unease towards people who help America maintain its status.
People like you only incite war with vague insinuations. Point out a company and present your chef d'accusation.

Now, I wonder how much hate you spread in the classroom.

Deltablue
Political Neutral not Independent. Sworn enemy of bigots and extremists.

@deltablue

Are you pulling our leg or are you serious?

Do you really have disdain for America, or are you
just trying to get a rise out of us.

Why such a hater ?

If you're not joking,
I'm just guessing here . . .
perhaps you're a bitter Eastern European, maybe
Russian who hasn't gotten over the fall of the
iron curtain.

Remember, America landed on the moon first.

American space crafts on Mars = 2.
Russian space crafts on Mars = 0.

You're right, Americans are so pathetic.

Oh yah !
Boeing makes the best airplanes in the world as well.

Don't forget the internet, created by the U.S.
Cell phones created in the U.S. . . . should we go on . . .

I think you were pulling our leg, you really love America.

Sophie,
What did I say that shows disdain for America?
Why do you only see Russians as our rivals. French did send a probe to Mars as well. Better cheaper. An Englishman, Tim Berners-Lee invented the www.
Airbus planes don't kill passengers when they crash. The Gov gave contracts to Airbus under Bush bypassing Boeing that has a bunch of foreign designers and engineers.

GSM also come from the French( Groupe Spécial Mobile).
Tmoblie is German, Vodafone has a big chunk of Verizon etc...

If we go on I will show you the great contributions of other countries to our Greatness. But I seldom hear people talk about aliens with respect.

To sell a book that professor ignores what the president is doing to promote and advance quality education and upgrade our infrastructure.
As I said the title of his article is very misleading and counter productive. Intellectually dishonest to say the least.

Deltablue
Politically Neutral not Independent. Strong oppenent of phony professors.


FYI I am not Russian.

I'm an American, and believe in the Constitutionally defined rights and protection for Americans. I'm not a separationist, and as an educator I've found that intelligence doesn't know anything about the gender, religion, race or philosophies espoused by the carrier.

America must be doing something right, though, since we're the one of the few countries that needs help keeping people from sneaking in. Also, having visited over 20 other countries, and having worked in 7 other countries, I can report that most of them have English as no worse than their second language. (We in America should do the same).

My American students are quite capable of competing worldwide. I think we need more emphasis on the responsibility of the student and their parents for their learning and less emphasis on non-academic pursuits such as athletics, for one.

Students in other countries spend much more time in study of academic subjects than do American students.