Close
  • Latest News
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Video
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
Read Down
Sign in
Close
Welcome!Log into your account
Forgot your password?
Read Down
Password recovery
Recover your password
Close
Search
Logo
Logo
  • Latest News
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Video
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
More
    Home Cybersecurity
    • Cybersecurity

    Google Exec Says It’s Time to Stop Playing Whack-a-Mole with Security

    Written by

    Sean Michael Kerner
    Published August 8, 2018
    Share
    Facebook
    Twitter
    Linkedin

      eWEEK content and product recommendations are editorially independent. We may make money when you click on links to our partners. Learn More.

      LAS VEGAS—The opening keynote for Black Hat USA on Aug. 7 had a strong message, there is a better way to do security than simply fixing one bug at a time.

      Jeff Moss, founder of Black Hat said that modern cyber-security technologies tend to favor offense and the time has now come to change the momentum in favor of defense, which is theme that was echoed by Parisa Tabriz, director of engineering at Google.

      “We have to stop playing whack-a-mole and we have to be more ambitious, strategic and collaborative in our approach to defense,” Tabriz said. 

      Tabriz helps to oversee security efforts at Google including managing the Project Zero research team which reports vulnerabilities and works with vendors to help fix flaws. She said that there have been lots of times in her career where she felt like she was working a real world version of the whack-a-mole arcade game where a plastic mole pops up and the player has to hit it with a hammer. Tabriz said that she is annoyed when she sees media reports on software vulnerabilities that the industry has known about but just haven’t had time to address.

      “Computer security is increasingly the security of the world and we have to do more to solve problems,” Tabriz said. “It’s up to us.”

      Recommendations

      Tabriz didn’t just come to Black Hat to tell attendees that things have to improve; she also came with a three-step process for how to improve the state of cyber-security.

      The first step advocated by Tabriz is to tackle root causes of security vulnerabilities rather than just fix surface issues. Next, she suggests that organizations need to be more intentional in their cyber-security investments and pick milestones that can be achieved. Finally she suggests that it’s important to build a coalition of champions and supporters to help ensure the success of security efforts.

      “We can’t be satisfied with only isolated fixes,” Tabriz said.

      To that end she suggests that whenever a bug is found developers should dig deep to understand why the bug occurred. That can lead to an understanding on why a certain type of defect testing is or isn’t being done. Tabriz suggested that by asking deeper questions about why bugs occur, it’s possible to highlight the structural and organizational root causes that have to change.

      Shorten bug disclosure deadlines

      One of the methods used by Google to improve security has been in tightening up the disclosure period for vulnerabilities. Tabriz said that over the past four years, Google Project Zero has found more than 1,400 vulnerabilities across different targets.

      Project Zero has a 90-day disclosure policy that gives software vendors 90 days from the time a bug is privately reported until the time Google publicly discloses the issue. Tabriz said that the deadline-driven approach to disclosure has caused some short term pain for organizations, but it has helped to improve industry responses overall.

      “Sticking to deadlines has resulted in vendors rallying and investing in making structural changes both technically and at an organization level—that wasn’t happening previously,” Tabriz said. 

      According to Tabriz, vendors now routinely have faster responses to Google Project Zero. In one case, she said that a major vendor doubled the number of security updates it releases each year while another large vendor improved their patch response time by as much as 40 percent.

      “In total, 98 percent of issues reported by Project Zero are fixed within 90 days,” she said.

      Tabriz said that at Black Hat and other security conferences, people talk about new problems and attacks. In her view, she emphasized that it’s now time to think differently and not focus on just solving individual problems.

      “We want to tackle root causes and stop playing whack a mole,” she said.

      Sean Michael Kerner is a senior editor at eWEEK and InternetNews.com. Follow him on Twitter @TechJournalist.

      Sean Michael Kerner
      Sean Michael Kerner
      Sean Michael Kerner is an Internet consultant, strategist, and writer for several leading IT business web sites.

      Get the Free Newsletter!

      Subscribe to Daily Tech Insider for top news, trends & analysis

      Get the Free Newsletter!

      Subscribe to Daily Tech Insider for top news, trends & analysis

      MOST POPULAR ARTICLES

      Artificial Intelligence

      9 Best AI 3D Generators You Need...

      Sam Rinko - June 25, 2024 0
      AI 3D Generators are powerful tools for many different industries. Discover the best AI 3D Generators, and learn which is best for your specific use case.
      Read more
      Cloud

      RingCentral Expands Its Collaboration Platform

      Zeus Kerravala - November 22, 2023 0
      RingCentral adds AI-enabled contact center and hybrid event products to its suite of collaboration services.
      Read more
      Artificial Intelligence

      8 Best AI Data Analytics Software &...

      Aminu Abdullahi - January 18, 2024 0
      Learn the top AI data analytics software to use. Compare AI data analytics solutions & features to make the best choice for your business.
      Read more
      Latest News

      Zeus Kerravala on Networking: Multicloud, 5G, and...

      James Maguire - December 16, 2022 0
      I spoke with Zeus Kerravala, industry analyst at ZK Research, about the rapid changes in enterprise networking, as tech advances and digital transformation prompt...
      Read more
      Video

      Datadog President Amit Agarwal on Trends in...

      James Maguire - November 11, 2022 0
      I spoke with Amit Agarwal, President of Datadog, about infrastructure observability, from current trends to key challenges to the future of this rapidly growing...
      Read more
      Logo

      eWeek has the latest technology news and analysis, buying guides, and product reviews for IT professionals and technology buyers. The site’s focus is on innovative solutions and covering in-depth technical content. eWeek stays on the cutting edge of technology news and IT trends through interviews and expert analysis. Gain insight from top innovators and thought leaders in the fields of IT, business, enterprise software, startups, and more.

      Facebook
      Linkedin
      RSS
      Twitter
      Youtube

      Advertisers

      Advertise with TechnologyAdvice on eWeek and our other IT-focused platforms.

      Advertise with Us

      Menu

      • About eWeek
      • Subscribe to our Newsletter
      • Latest News

      Our Brands

      • Privacy Policy
      • Terms
      • About
      • Contact
      • Advertise
      • Sitemap
      • California – Do Not Sell My Information

      Property of TechnologyAdvice.
      © 2024 TechnologyAdvice. All Rights Reserved

      Advertiser Disclosure: Some of the products that appear on this site are from companies from which TechnologyAdvice receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site including, for example, the order in which they appear. TechnologyAdvice does not include all companies or all types of products available in the marketplace.

      ×