By now, most security professionals have enjoyed a good chuckle about the failing gradeFgiven by the House Government Reform subcommittee to the Department of Homeland Security for its own network security. Its a little like having food inspectors shut down the cafeteria at the FDA for unsanitary conditions. But in fact, according to coverage on DC.internet.com, DHS wasnt the only flunk-out. Seven others, including the Department of Justice, got failing grades for cybersecurity. (The story includes the whole report card.) The truth is, network security is a very tough row to hoe, and it gets tougher every year. In addition to the already daunting tasks that introducing or revamping technological and human systems comprises, new threats and vulnerabilities for those systems hardware, software, data and users crop up faster than runny noses in a daycare. No sooner is the last one under control than three new ones appear. (See Daintry Duffys story Underground Fears in the December issue of CSO magazine.) In another story in CSOs December issue, Safety Measures, Chris Lindquist reports that the coming year is unlikely to see any major advances in security technology. No plug-in fixes to the onslaught of problems. So what are you going to do?Seriously, now that weve all had a good laugh at the expense of, well, our tax paymentsbut thats another disaster storythink about it: What would you do if you were responsible for network security at the DHS? For that matter, what are you going to do at your own company? As a new year approaches with its unrevealed roster of dangers and opportunities, and its tendency to inspire resolve, what will be your top priority for security? And what will be the biggest challenge to your earning a good grade in security in 2004? Let us know. Related content news Okta launches Cybersecurity Workforce Development Initiative New philanthropic and educational grants aim to advance inclusive pathways into cybersecurity and technology careers. By Michael Hill Oct 04, 2023 3 mins IT Skills Careers Security news New critical AI vulnerabilities in TorchServe put thousands of AI models at risk The vulnerabilities can completely compromise the AI infrastructure of the world’s biggest businesses, Oligo Security said. By Shweta Sharma Oct 04, 2023 4 mins Vulnerabilities news ChatGPT “not a reliable” tool for detecting vulnerabilities in developed code NCC Group report claims machine learning models show strong promise in detecting novel zero-day attacks. By Michael Hill Oct 04, 2023 3 mins DevSecOps Generative AI Vulnerabilities news Google Chrome zero-day jumps onto CISA's known vulnerability list A serious security flaw in Google Chrome, which was discovered under active exploitation in the wild, is a new addition to the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Agency’s Known Exploited vulnerabilities catalog. By Jon Gold Oct 03, 2023 3 mins Zero-day vulnerability Podcasts Videos Resources Events SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER From our editors straight to your inbox Get started by entering your email address below. Please enter a valid email address Subscribe