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Paul Strassmann continues from last week's "Gentlemen Do Not Open Attachments" with illustrations of how to implement safe social computing using virtual computers.

Accreditation and certification of software is a vital, but time consuming process. On Tuesday afternoon, panelists at the AFCEA SOLUTIONS symposium discussed the challenge and ongoing attempts to streamline the process.

"At the end of the day, it's about the warfighter."--Lt. Gen. Dennis Vis, USA, director, C4 systems, Joint Staff

Security is the lifeblood of Defense Department operations, and the department is making strides to improve connectivity and to keep pace with technology. But can such a far-reaching organization relax its protocol even slightly and still trust that rules will be followed? Will the people involved buy in to the new culture and make it work? Tell us your thoughts, give us your suggestions.

"A lot of our warfare in the future is going to be electronic. Our enemies are going to try to take us down either through our Defense Department systems or through other systems."--Lisa N. Wolford, founder, president and CEO of CSSS.NET

In "New Document Provides Framework for Interagency Data Sharing," Henry Kenyon describes a newly released document that sets common standards for data security and risk management: the NIST Special Publication 800-37, Revision 1, Guide for Applying the Risk Management Framework to Federal Information Systems: A Security Life Cycle Approach (NIST SP-800-37).

The U.S. cyber infrastructure receives double protection with help from the DHS' new cybersecurity integration center. Do you believe the NCCIC is equipped to handle and accomplish its mission? Can any single organization be? Will layers of bureaucracy hinder its effectiveness?

The convergence of information technology and voice communications is prompting another merger—this one between government and industry. The establishment of the National Cybersecurity and Communications Integration Center late last year is the first step in unifying the effort to keep U.S. information networks and infrastructure secure and to respond immediately in case of attack. The center increases the U.S. government’s ability to detect, prevent, respond to and mitigate disruptions of voice and cyber communications.

Strategic efforts to access top executives’ computers and to steal source code and intellectual property are taking cybercrime beyond simple financial theft. Criminals and foreign organizations are launching more sophisticated and targeted phishing and malware attacks, resulting in more prevalent infiltrations in 2009. Cybercriminals often target social media sites, such as Twitter and Facebook, and use an individual’s personal data to fool friends and colleagues into revealing valuable personal and corporate data.

The U.S. intelligence community may be a beneficiary of increased government funding for cyberspace, but it is facing considerable acquisition challenges before it commits to spending money in that pipeline. The intelligence office in charge of acquisition and technology is striving to establish a new relationship between badly needed research and development and the delivery of new systems to its customers.