For Immediate Release

Friday, September 16, 2011

Contact: Karen Nussle, 202-449-8656, knussle@insaonline.org      

INSA is Latest Hacking Victim

Days after releasing white paper on U.S. cyber intelligence, INSA computer system is compromised

ARLINGTON, VA - The Intelligence and National Security Alliance (INSA) acknowledged today that they have been the victim of a cyber attack.  Late on Wednesday, September 14^th, INSA leadership became aware that their computer system had been compromised and information contained in its membership database had been made public.  Member information that was released included names, addresses, email addresses, and in some cases phone numbers.  INSA does not keep any information regarding social security numbers, credit card numbers or passwords for its members so this information is not in jeopardy and was not released.

Ellen McCarthy, President of INSA commented, “Due to the nature of our business, INSA takes security very seriously. We regularly review and take steps to ensure the security of our computer system and membership databases. We are outraged that someone finds it sporting to make private organizational data public, but we are not naïve.  It is not a coincidence that this incident happened just two days after INSA’s Cyber Security Council released a report documenting the need for government and the private sector  to begin to work together to solve our nations cyber security vulnerabilities.”

INSA continues to investigate the exact nature of this security breach and is taking steps to re-establish the security of its system. McCarthy further commented, “We are working with INSA member companies, who represent the best in the field on security, to ensure that we are protected going forward and that this never happens again.”

On Monday, September 12, the release of INSA Cyber Council’s most recent white paper, “Cyber Intelligence: Setting the Landscape for an Emerging Discipline” was widely reported.  This paper is part of a series of papers that discusses threats posed by evolving vulnerabilities within the cyber arena.  Specifically, it documents how these emerging threats not only threaten economic and national security but also place individuals, as well as commercial, national and international markets at risk.

Terry Roberts, Chair of INSA’s Cyber Council commented, “The Cyber Intelligence white paper encourages the U.S. government to define and explore the cyber threat environment in order to better protect economic stability, national security and the cyber domain.  The white paper recommends developing a strategy to protect against cyber attacks by clearly defining a cyber intelligence discipline that can produce intelligence that can be quickly and transparently shared amongst government agencies and with appropriate private and foreign partners. The goal is to have effective cyber intelligence that will enable a predictive, strategic, and cost effective warning cycle, protecting national and international critical infrastructure, telecommunications and other critical services and institutions from virtual threats. ”

Speaking about Wednesday’s hacking incident, Ellen McCarthy further commented, “This incident perfectly illustrates the needs outlined in our paper.  Over 90% of the telecommunications infrastructure is held in the private sector.  The question then becomes how does the government facilitate the sharing of threat information with the private sector in order to protect that infrastructure?”

To obtain a copy of the “Cyber Intelligence: Setting the Landscape for an Emerging Discipline” or for more information, please visit www.insaonline.org.

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About INSA 

The Intelligence and National Security Alliance (INSA) is the premier intelligence and national security organization that brings together the public, private and academic sectors to collaborate on the most challenging policy issues and solutions. As a non-profit, non-partisan, public-private organization, INSA’s ultimate goal is to promote and recognize the highest standards within the national security and intelligence communities. INSA has over 150 corporate members and several hundred individual members who are leaders and senior executives throughout government, the private sector and academia. To learn more about INSA visit www.insaonline.org.