Harris Corporation's Dale Meyerrose Calls on Technical Community to Help Educate Consumers About Security Risks in Cyberspace

WASHINGTON, March 15 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- While nearly all of us today are users of cyberspace, only a few of us truly understand the risks that accompany every keystroke.  That's the reason technologists must find more direct and productive ways of discussing cyber and its associated security issues, said Retired Major General Dale Meyerrose (USAF), vice president and general manager for Cyberspace Solutions at Harris Corporation (NYSE: HRS).

"During the past decade, cyberspace access and use have become ubiquitous assets in our society, but the way that we discuss cyber hasn't changed," said Meyerrose.  "The general user has become more knowledgeable about cyberspace, but is still not fully aware of its dangers.  Every individual who touches cyberspace is a user, consumer, threat, vulnerability, defender and attacker at the same time – irrespective of intent or capability."

Meyerrose made the comments during a keynote address at the recent Global Cybersecurity Policy conference at the Stevens Institute of Technology in Washington, DC.  One goal of the conference is to promote a public dialogue about cyberspace in support of the 2009 White House Cyberspace Policy Review committee's recommendation for a national public awareness and education campaign to promote cybersecurity.

According to Meyerrose, the rapid move of cyber into the general population has created a shift in defining and addressing the risks posed by today's interconnected world.  In office settings, for example, network security has changed drastically because of consumer-imposed demands.

"First, information-on-demand capabilities created new expectations about the availability of information," he explained.  "Browsers and data search engines, while not new, soared in importance.  Second, the social networking phenomenon meant that workers often had more capable and agile information technology at home than they had in the office.  In turn, they have become dissatisfied with the limitations of workplace networks, and often risk bypassing or ignoring security tools such as virus protectors and spam filters to get the information they seek.  As technologists, we must change the cyber dialogue to make consumers aware that cyber has no territorial boundaries.  There is no inside and outside of the office building or complex.  Cyber and network security are intertwined with basic information sharing and computing."

Meyerrose was the first chief information officer of the Intelligence Community.  Today, he is a strong advocate of the need to make cyberspace a trusted domain for both private and government sectors. He believes that priorities for cyber may soon parallel those of the nation's defense and intelligence missions.  

More information about the Global Cybersecurity Policy conference is available at http://www.stevens.edu/cyberpolicy/

A world leader in cyber, Harris has been using state-of-the-art technology assessment techniques and architecture engineering for decades to define and operate secure networks supporting nationally critical programs.  Harris currently supports three of the nation's largest secure networks, including the FAA Telecommunications Infrastructure, the National Reconnaissance Office network, and the Navy Marine Corps Intranet.  The company's technology countermeasures and monitoring capabilities proactively safeguard vital information assets supporting the missions of U.S. military, intelligence, transportation and commerce customers.  

About Harris Corporation

Harris is an international communications and information technology company serving government and commercial markets in more than 150 countries.  Headquartered in Melbourne, Florida, the company has approximately $5 billion of annual revenue and more than 15,000 employees — including nearly 7,000 engineers and scientists.  Harris is dedicated to developing best-in-class assured communications® products, systems, and services.  Additional information about Harris Corporation is available at www.harris.com.

SOURCE Harris Corporation