Schneier on ID theft

I am attending the IT Security Summit 2007 here in Johannesburg this week. It’s a busy week for conferences with Interop in Vegas and AusCERT in session in Australia. While smaller than the other two this one is proving very interesting. I originally submitted my cyber crime scenario presentation but that theme proved so popular I was asked to address something else. So I brushed off my "Future of Network Security" slides and will be sharing that with the 450 or so delegates here tomorrow.

Last night was the gala reception where we were treated to a short identity theft skit (industrial theater they called it) starring Bruce Schneier. An impostor burst in on the scene and claimed to be Bruce. He produced a passport that identified him self as Mr. Bruce Schneier. He then had his interlocutor check images on Google, FBI.gov and CIA.gov, all of which identified this bloke as Bruce. It was only after Bruce solved a simple block cypher of the words "I am Bruce" that the impostor fled the scene. Watch the video of Bruce describing the point of the exercise.

Next up Phil Zimmermann speaks via ISDN link about VOIP encryption (ten days after quintuple bypass surgery).