Intrusion Detection and Response

There is a rather large universe of solutions to address hacker risk.  You can buy products (hardware and software) claiming to prevent attacks to your hardware, software or network, you can buy services or you can find a collection of both.

Complex networks, like we find in an individual hospital (or even a larger clinic, not to mention a complex of such organizations) are rife with vulnerable network citizens, while solutions are often complex or expensive to implement.  "We need to move forward, but what is the next step?" you ask...

You have made investments that are a component of your most cost effective solution, moving forward.  You might have also made investments that didn't work out, or can be replaced with a more effective (and more cost effective) solution.  Let's trim those outgoing payments... and build a flexible set to manage moving forward.

Key to all of this is understanding your inventory of network citizens, insuring network logs are "watching" in/out-going traffic for all, effectively screening those logs, and taking prompt, effective action to address a hack.

When can we start?

Naming

What is in a name?  Immediate warm feelings, or the opposite... a singular tag that links you to an idea, a capability, an experience?

Turns out, moments before I was mobilized in 2007, someone began using my eWISE name.  They ran a search while I was in Iraq, then registered in 2008.

So I have returned to eWISE.  We have been a Virginia Limited Liability Company for some years, although the focus has recently changed to cyber intrusion detection and response for the medical sector.

Our offering is a hardware/software/services package, recognizing there are some security benefits to hosting the software solution "in house," although we will certainly leverage the cloud for sections of the offering.

eWISE LLC has posted real estate and book sale revenues in 2016.  We imagine the cyber offering will dwarf these other income streams in 2017 (although am hoping Ukraine Skies book and game revenues also contribute to our economic well-being), building to something substantial in 2018. 

Thanks for reading!

Fact or Fiction?

  Ukraine Skies, Baltimore Lights is fiction.  That said, there are some names that I've taken from reality:  HR McMaster, formerly President Trump's NSC, appears as himself, albeit junior in rank, commanding the Second Armored Cavalry Regiment.  Colonel Mullaly is the name of someone I worked for, although the character isn't the same person.

Cleopatra is a real person in history.  I had a vibrant argument about the dates of Cleopatra's reign/life with a woman last night (thanks Vicki!).  According to Wikipedia, Cleopatra died thirty years before the birth of Christ, of suicide.

My book alleges she was a vampire and was "boxed" and transported to Ukraine, through Jerusalem, around 30AD.  The man responsible for transporting her, who I have named Taigen Sessai, after a samurai monk general who lived in 1500AD, met Pontias Pilate and Jesus during his "mission" to bring Cleo's sealed box to Ukraine.

In my novel, Sessai is also an immortal.  At the time he transports Cleo and meets Jesus, he is about 500 years old.  After depositing Cleo in the Ukraine cave, where she was supposed to sleep for eternity, Sessai meanders around Europe fighting in famous battles and learning about clocks and time.

He runs across a samurai sword (called a "katana") in one of the battles, and decides he wants one.  So he travels to Japan, which is where he is in 1500AD (remember, my character is immortal), when he meets the real Taigen Sessai.  In my novel, "the real Sessai" is assassinated as a teenager, so my immortal/vampire character assumes his identity, wins the battles attributed to his namesake and keeps that name for the rest of "his eternity."

Interesting?  I hope you think so, and buy my book on Amazon!

Find Ukraine Skies, Baltimore Lights here.  

NATO Update

  The US did not push for more Russian concessions regarding Ukraine at the July G20 Summit, although President Trump had a "firm" meeting with his Russian counterpart.  The Wall Street Journal reported on February 2, 2017, that "NATO Scraps Ukraine Security Meeting." Although Russia and Russian-backed separatists are escalating violence from Donbass, Ukraine, President Trump had suggested dropping sanctions on Russia as recently as a few months ago, while Europe (from the NATO alliance) cancelled talks with Ukraine about including it under a missile-defense system.

Shelling in 2017 has killed a dozen Ukrainian Soldiers, wounding many more and damaging water, electricity and heating for 17,000 people in Avdiivka.  Europe is reluctant to help in spite of "The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe's Special Monitoring Mission in Ukraine" report that fighting is severe as any that it has observed in Donetsk, Ukraine (WSJ, p.A8). 

Secretary of Defense Mattis continues his supportive words for NATO.  Secretary of State Tillerson is on record strongly supported the Minsk Accords, the formal ceasefire in Ukraine to which Russia nominally agreed (picture below of Ukraine Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin with Secretary Tillerson some weeks after the comment about the Minsk Accords).  When Ukraine President Petro Poroshenko visited Washington DC recently, an informal meeting came together with President Trump himself.

In Syria, Russia is meeting its goals to keep Assad/naval ports in place, while in Ukraine, casualties continue to mount... we trust the Trump administration will continue to push for progress in Ukraine.

Innovation Letter

  In "an open letter from Tech Sector Leaders," one hundred forty five Silicon Valley big shots expressed concern before the election that Donald Trump will invite disaster for innovation.  They thought his policies would undermine key dynamics that help the US retain a global innovation lead.  Oops!  The Donald recently met with these folks (minus one or two) to insure communication channels are open.

You may recall "the Valley" leaders were calling for 1) progressive immigration policy; 2) free and open exchange of ideas and unfettered internet architecture; and 3) continued government investment in infrastructure, education and scientific research.

While this letter certainly preaches "motherhood and apple pie" values on the surface and inspires us to examine Trump's policy suggestions more carefully, it comes from people who don't care a shred about the majority of people gravitating to Trump.  Another letter I read before the election comes to mind: a Walt Disney IT professional wrote to share his career predicament when he, like hundreds of colleagues, was displaced by a crew from India.  If this man wanted any severance at all, he (and the other Disney employees who were being fired) would train the new comers how to do his/her job and "go quietly into the night."

People voting for Trump want help, need help, against people like these Silicon Valley "silver spooners."  These Valley people don't just want innovation, they want exclusive right to drive capital to their projects and innovations that profit them.  They want the ability to hire indiscriminately in a negotiation against hi cost employees (in many cases).  They also want to control how investments in infrastructure, education and research are made, so they may forward their progressive political agenda.  Trump may not "do things their way."  Indeed, he surely won't "do things their way."

We might be well advised to attack legal and financial impediments to innovation (such as Sarbanes Oxley and Obamacare legislation) rather than adopting self serving proscriptions against Trump.  How can we work together to improve our business climate  and national competitiveness?  Will Trump get it right?  We shall see...

Books

 Three years ago, based on advice from James Altucher, I published my first book.  Two years ago I set out to write my next book, based on concerns about Russian adventurism in Ukraine.  On Monday, my third book (a novel) will "go live" on Kindle (you can buy a paperback today on Amazon).

Amazon has pretty good support for authors, including the opportunity to post a very functional author page.  Blog support doesn't work smoothly with Google's "blogger" but you have found this anyway,  haven't you?

I've produced web sites to support the Navies, Petrol and Chocolate and Citizen's Guide to Marksmanship titles.  Am also considering partnerships with Sabaton, the Swedish heavy metal band (with Poltava song) and the Royal Stockholm Opera Chorus (or Neeme Jarvi's version here), which has produced Tchaikovsky's Mazeppa opera, both supporting Navies, Petrol and Chocolate.

Thanks for reading. 

Mideast Update

  Five thousand US troops are assisting a broader coalition to push Daesh fighters from Mosul.  This is primarily an Iraqi fight, with Kurd, Turkish and Syrian forces more or less involved.

Meanwhile, Secretary Kerry is meeting with his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, in Lausanne, Switzerland, to talk about Syria.  A few thoughts for Secretary Kerry (or perhaps, suggested words for his conversation with Secretary Lavrov):  "You can have Syria.  Do stop the violence and stay out of Iraq.  By the way: we're putting a division and some aircraft in Ukraine to keep the peace there.  Stop the war mongering!  We want peace..."

For more about Ukraine, see www.ukrainematters.org