Industry groups form Internet Security Alliance
The Internet Security Alliance -- a collaborative effort of the CERT Coordination Center, the Software Engineering Institute and the Electronic Industries Alliance -- hopes to serve as a portal for information about threats, best practices and risk management strategies.
"The mission of ISA is to raise awareness among corporate leaders worldwide of the potential threats posed by an increase in e-commerce," said Dave McCurdy, executive director of ISA.
The alliance's initial sponsors include NASDAQ, Exodus Communications Inc. and Guardent Inc.
Early warnings
One of the main benefits of membership in ISA is early warning from CERT about new vulnerabilities and threats, information usually distributed to affected vendors and a handful of security professionals. Members will also get access to CERT's giant Vulnerability Catalog, which is a clearinghouse for information on software flaws and other threats.
Membership will cost between $2,500 and $70,000, depending on a company's annual revenue.
In addition to providing threat and vulnerability information, ISA plans to conduct educational seminars on security topics and develop training and certification programs. It will also establish an Internet Technology Council to enable the chief technology officers of its member companies to exchange ideas.
More information is available at www.isalliance.org.