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Governor Hutchinson’s Weekly Address | Taking Arkansas’s Computer Science Education Initiative to the Nation : Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson

October 2, 2021/in Computer Security

For Immediate Release
10.01.2021

Governor Hutchinson’s Weekly Address | Taking Arkansas’s Computer Science Education Initiative to the Nation

Governor Hutchinson’s weekly radio address can be found in MP3 format and downloaded HERE.

LITTLE ROCK – I became chair of the National Governors Association in July, and today I’d like to talk about this as an opportunity for Arkansas to inspire other states with our focus on computer science education.

Each chair of the NGA is allowed to launch a Chairman’s Initiative. Today at the National Press Club in Washington, I announced that during my year as Chair, I will showcase Arkansas’s successful computer science education initiative as a model for others.

NGA’s tradition of bringing governors together dates back to 1908 when President Teddy Roosevelt invited governors to Washington to discuss conservation issues.

President Roosevelt knew that to improve conservation practices in the United States, he needed the support of the governors. In the same fashion, Arkansas has the chance to increase our leadership role in computer science education.

As we emerge from the pandemic, governors are concerned about the shortage of employees. This was the perfect opportunity to share with others what we have learned about strengthening the workforce with a robust computer science education foundation.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts that by 2029, the number of computer science and information technology jobs will grow by 11 percent. Computing occupations are currently the top source of new wages in the United States. A computer science major can earn up to 40 percent more than the average college graduate.

There are over 410,000 open computing jobs nationwide, and there aren’t enough qualified people to fill the jobs. The global competition for talent is intensifying, which is why it is so important for the United States to step up computer science education. If Arkansas companies can’t fill their openings with homegrown talent, they will recruit elsewhere. The story is the same nationally.

Computer science courses are mandatory for…

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Under Scrutiny, Big Ag Scrambles To Address Cyber Risk

June 20, 2021/in Mobile Security

At first glance, the LinkedIn post from a UK based security researcher was unremarkable: a photo of vendor swag – a hat, iron-on patch and gym bag he received as a “thank you” for participating in the company’s bug bounty program and reporting software flaws in a company’s products.

Swag from John Deere was sent as a “thank you” for submitting vulnerabilities as part of the … [+] company’s new bug bounty program.

Photo courtesy of Sai Ganesh

What was remarkable was the company logo on the swag: the distinctive yellow stag set against the bright green of agricultural equipment giant John Deere. A handwritten note to the researcher, Sai Ganesh (@ganiganeshss79), thanked him for his participation in Deere’s bug bounty program, which is hosted by the bug bounty platform HackerOne. It was signed “The John Deere Security Team.”

The Trustworthy Computing Memo Lands On The Farm

In 2021, such gestures are commonplace in the software industry. It has been 16 years since TippingPoint Technologies (now part of 3COM) launched its Zero Day Initiative – one of the first “cash for vulnerabilities” programs. In the intervening years, hundreds of firms have followed suit including giants like Microsoft, Yahoo and Facebook, as well as device makers like Samsung and car makers GM and Tesla.

Tech industry firms, in 2021, draw attention to their programs for rewarding researchers with cash – sometimes lots of it – and company swag for finding and reporting software flaws in their technology. The vulnerability disclosure market is expected to grow in value from $223m annually in 2020 to more than $5 billion by the end of the decade.

So far, however, that revolution passed over the agriculture sector, which makes Deere’s sudden about-face all the more remarkable. Despite employing more software developers than mechanical design engineers, according to its CTO, Deere – as late as March – did not have a public vulnerability disclosure program for researchers like Ganesh to partake in. On the MITRE-maintained list of Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVE), the company still does not have a single, publicly disclosed software vulnerability to its…

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Eight computer security trends APAC leaders should urgently address

June 15, 2021/in Computer Security

Computer security in APAC needs a reboot, with these 8 trends in mind - Prince, of the Red Hacker Alliance monitors global cyberattacks on his PC (Photo by NICOLAS ASFOURI / AFP)

Computer security in APAC needs a reboot, with these 8 trends in mind. (Photo by NICOLAS ASFOURI / AFP)

Cybersecurity remains an ever-growing concern in a digitized, post-pandemic world. Covid-19 has killed in more ways than one – physically, and with the demise of multitudes of jobs across the world.

However, the outbreak has also catalyzed the maturation of digitalization – demand for digital services has been nothing short of explosive during the pandemic.

Growth of Digital in APAC

The Southeast Asian (SEA) region is not a stranger to digital disruption, innovation, and digitally transformative initiatives, either. Rapid and proactive action by governments to control the spread of Covid-19 has resulted in tight border and movement restrictions.

This has, in turn, jolted businesses ranging from mega entities to small and medium business (SMBs) towards optimizing and increasing adoption of digitalized solutions in order to keep their hungry economies connected and vital.

Computer security and talent shortage woes

The region has been racing to adopt technologies such as cloud, edge, 5G, artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML), and IoT, in post-pandemic economic recovery efforts. Alas, a menacing darkness looms over this sliver of economic hope: cybersecurity threats.

Earlier last year, Tech Wire Asia reported that cybersecurity was at the forefront of priorities for APAC business decision-makers alongside digital growth. However, the lack of talent in the field is still a major concern.

The 2021 cybersecurity update

In May 2021, Check Point Software Technologies released research data on cybersecurity threats in APAC and found that, compared to May of the previous year, cyberattacks have increased by an alarming 168%.

In fact, there was a 53% increase from April to May this year alone. The top five countries seeing the largest increase in cyberattacks as compared to May 2020 are Japan (40%), Singapore (30%), Indonesia (25%), Malaysia (22%), and Taiwan (17%).

The top three sectors most affected by these cyber threats are utilities (39%), internet and managed service providers (ISPs/MSPs with 12% of the total), and software vendors (6%). According to Check Point,

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