Central Texas, which is already fighting on those fronts, is poised to become a commercial hub of cyber security and a magnet for the high-paying jobs that the industry brings.
Consider: In Austin, the University of Texas last year created the Center for Identity, a research facility, while a local company, CSID, is fighting a global battle for Sony against the hacker group,
Anonymous. The U.S. Air Force's Cyber Command has located to San Antonio, adding to that city's claim of being second only to Washington in the number of cyber security professionals.
And the Texas Legislature has created a special panel to study how to leverage the state's assets into a full-blown industry that will produce jobs as well as economic security.
The Central Texas efforts come as the White House has launched an initiative with the private sector to create a trusted Internet ID.
"It's not often you have a presidential directive in a space where you just set up a research center," said Suzanne Barber, director of the Center for Identity.
Opportunity abounds as jobs in cyber security are projected to grow twice as fast as the average for all occupations in the economy between the years 2008 and 2018, said Jim Brazell, a San Antonio technology forecaster.
Citing U.S. Bureau of Labor forecasts, Brazell said half of the new jobs in science, technology, engineering and mathematics will be related to cyber security.
Jobs in the industry range from those needing high school graduates with specialized training to professionals with doctorates.
The reason cyber security will be a growth industry, Brazell testified to the Texas Legislature this spring, is that computers — and computer networks — are ubiquitous.
"They are now everywhere and embedded in everything from our washing machines, toys, televisions, mobile phones, trains, planes and automobiles," Brazell said.
"These computers and networks are hidden in the fabric of everyday life in the 21st century. Behind the scenes, they monitor and control the nation's critical infrastructure — from gas pipelines to financial markets, energy, food and water, logistics, communications and transportation."
And those computer networks can be attacked.
Just on the consumer front, the Federal Trade Commission reported that identity theft was the No. 1 category among the 1.3 million complaints reported to authorities last year.
It accounted for 19 percent of the complaints, ahead of daily irritation with debt collection; prizes and sweepstakes; shop-at-home and catalog sales; imposter scams; foreign money offers; and counterfeit check scams.
Joe Ross, founder of CSID, an Austin-based online security provider, said he isn't surprised.
"You've been giving out information since you were born," Ross said. "All your information is online somewhere. And the more we transact online and share information online, the more vulnerable we are."
Exposing consumers' personal information can be a public relations and financial disaster, whether the data is compromised by a government agency or a private company.
CSID was just another Austin startup five years ago. This summer, it landed a contract with Sony Corp. to provide online protection in 47 countries and 15 different languages in the wake of multiple hacks against Sony.
"I think we are on the tip of the iceberg" when it comes to the growth potential of cyber security, Ross said.
Barber likens the cyber security industry to where the Internet was in the early 1990s as far as the potential for jobs.
The Center for Identity will bring the disciplines of business, law, education, engineering and science to the problem: What are the pieces of information used to identify a person? Where is it, and how is it being used or misused? What are the threats? And how best can people be alerted when their identities are stolen?
"It will truly make a difference in people's lives and commerce," Barber said.
She said the center has volunteered to help with a White House initiative, announced in April, to create a trusted Internet ID through the private sector.
The idea is that people would be issued an Internet identity — with a smart card, a special application on smartphones or a key fob, for example — to protect sensitive Internet interactions, from medical records to financial transactions.
statesman.com
Consider: In Austin, the University of Texas last year created the Center for Identity, a research facility, while a local company, CSID, is fighting a global battle for Sony against the hacker group,
Anonymous. The U.S. Air Force's Cyber Command has located to San Antonio, adding to that city's claim of being second only to Washington in the number of cyber security professionals.
And the Texas Legislature has created a special panel to study how to leverage the state's assets into a full-blown industry that will produce jobs as well as economic security.
The Central Texas efforts come as the White House has launched an initiative with the private sector to create a trusted Internet ID.
"It's not often you have a presidential directive in a space where you just set up a research center," said Suzanne Barber, director of the Center for Identity.
Opportunity abounds as jobs in cyber security are projected to grow twice as fast as the average for all occupations in the economy between the years 2008 and 2018, said Jim Brazell, a San Antonio technology forecaster.
Citing U.S. Bureau of Labor forecasts, Brazell said half of the new jobs in science, technology, engineering and mathematics will be related to cyber security.
Jobs in the industry range from those needing high school graduates with specialized training to professionals with doctorates.
The reason cyber security will be a growth industry, Brazell testified to the Texas Legislature this spring, is that computers — and computer networks — are ubiquitous.
"They are now everywhere and embedded in everything from our washing machines, toys, televisions, mobile phones, trains, planes and automobiles," Brazell said.
"These computers and networks are hidden in the fabric of everyday life in the 21st century. Behind the scenes, they monitor and control the nation's critical infrastructure — from gas pipelines to financial markets, energy, food and water, logistics, communications and transportation."
And those computer networks can be attacked.
Just on the consumer front, the Federal Trade Commission reported that identity theft was the No. 1 category among the 1.3 million complaints reported to authorities last year.
It accounted for 19 percent of the complaints, ahead of daily irritation with debt collection; prizes and sweepstakes; shop-at-home and catalog sales; imposter scams; foreign money offers; and counterfeit check scams.
Joe Ross, founder of CSID, an Austin-based online security provider, said he isn't surprised.
"You've been giving out information since you were born," Ross said. "All your information is online somewhere. And the more we transact online and share information online, the more vulnerable we are."
Exposing consumers' personal information can be a public relations and financial disaster, whether the data is compromised by a government agency or a private company.
CSID was just another Austin startup five years ago. This summer, it landed a contract with Sony Corp. to provide online protection in 47 countries and 15 different languages in the wake of multiple hacks against Sony.
"I think we are on the tip of the iceberg" when it comes to the growth potential of cyber security, Ross said.
Barber likens the cyber security industry to where the Internet was in the early 1990s as far as the potential for jobs.
The Center for Identity will bring the disciplines of business, law, education, engineering and science to the problem: What are the pieces of information used to identify a person? Where is it, and how is it being used or misused? What are the threats? And how best can people be alerted when their identities are stolen?
"It will truly make a difference in people's lives and commerce," Barber said.
She said the center has volunteered to help with a White House initiative, announced in April, to create a trusted Internet ID through the private sector.
The idea is that people would be issued an Internet identity — with a smart card, a special application on smartphones or a key fob, for example — to protect sensitive Internet interactions, from medical records to financial transactions.
statesman.com
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