He used to fly F-16 fighters, but now he is a Top Gun of the Internet.
John Howard, one of Sandia/California National Laboratories’ newest employees, says the dangers of cyberspace mischief have been overplayed.
The computer scientist, who has done ground-breaking research on Internet attacks, believes people are being needlessly scared–especially from doing business on-line–and are wasting money on Internet security books and services to help them deal with the supposed danger.
“Unlike what you might read, the Internet is a pretty safe place,” said the compact, solidly built former Air Force major.
The network security researcher says a few precautions are in order–a well-chosen password, regular backups of data and virus protection. In most cases, that’s all you need to do, he says.
Howard, 44, is the first researcher to study the full records on Internet attacks compiled from 1989 to 1995.
Howard contends that not only are attacks less frequent on the Internet than is generally believed, but that few assaults of any significance escape the notice of security experts.