Apple hires former NSA, Navy analyst as security czar
In response to calls for increased security from enterprise clients, Apple has hired cybersecurity expert and author David Rice as its director of global security, a new report claims.
Several sources have confirmed Apple's recent hiring of Rice, who is expected to start work at the company in March, All Things Digital reports. A "deeply respected name in IT security circles," according to those who know him, Rice is reportedly being brought on to bolster Apple's security and gain the trust of corporate CIOs.
Rice graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1994 and received a master's degree in Information Warfare and Systems Engineering from the Naval Postgraduate School. He previously worked as a Global Network Vulnerability analyst for the National Security Agency and as a Special Duty Cryptologic officer for the Navy.
Currently, Rice serves as the Executive Director of The Monterey Group, a strategic consulting firm, and Consulting Director for Policy Reform at the U.S. Cyber Consequences Unit. Rice is also the author of "Geekonomics," a 2007 book which likens software security vulnerabilities to weakened bridges and other physical infrastructure.
Apple has ramped up its security efforts in recent years, in part to gain the trust of corporations and government agencies who have begun adopting the iPhone and iPad. As the iPhone maker has upgraded the security of iOS, it has found itself gaining ground on Research in Motion, the self-professed leader in "CIO friendliness."
Last year, Apple recruited the former security chief for the Mozilla Corporation and security lead for Microsoft's Windows XP Service Pack 2 as a senior security product manager.
A recent partnership with Unisys is also meant to boost Apple's security reputation. In an interview last October, a Unisys executive said the deal came about because his company had "put a lot of heavyweight engineering into securing the [iPhone], which, frankly, no one else has figured out yet."
Apple has already made significant progress in the enterprise market. In its earnings call for the first quarter of fiscal 2011, the Cupertino, Calif., company revealed that over 88 of the Fortune 100 companies are now deploying the iPhone and more than 80 of the Fortune 100 are already deploying or piloting the iPad.
Several sources have confirmed Apple's recent hiring of Rice, who is expected to start work at the company in March, All Things Digital reports. A "deeply respected name in IT security circles," according to those who know him, Rice is reportedly being brought on to bolster Apple's security and gain the trust of corporate CIOs.
Rice graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1994 and received a master's degree in Information Warfare and Systems Engineering from the Naval Postgraduate School. He previously worked as a Global Network Vulnerability analyst for the National Security Agency and as a Special Duty Cryptologic officer for the Navy.
Currently, Rice serves as the Executive Director of The Monterey Group, a strategic consulting firm, and Consulting Director for Policy Reform at the U.S. Cyber Consequences Unit. Rice is also the author of "Geekonomics," a 2007 book which likens software security vulnerabilities to weakened bridges and other physical infrastructure.
Apple has ramped up its security efforts in recent years, in part to gain the trust of corporations and government agencies who have begun adopting the iPhone and iPad. As the iPhone maker has upgraded the security of iOS, it has found itself gaining ground on Research in Motion, the self-professed leader in "CIO friendliness."
Last year, Apple recruited the former security chief for the Mozilla Corporation and security lead for Microsoft's Windows XP Service Pack 2 as a senior security product manager.
A recent partnership with Unisys is also meant to boost Apple's security reputation. In an interview last October, a Unisys executive said the deal came about because his company had "put a lot of heavyweight engineering into securing the [iPhone], which, frankly, no one else has figured out yet."
Apple has already made significant progress in the enterprise market. In its earnings call for the first quarter of fiscal 2011, the Cupertino, Calif., company revealed that over 88 of the Fortune 100 companies are now deploying the iPhone and more than 80 of the Fortune 100 are already deploying or piloting the iPad.
Comments
Great hire by Apple.
@Wurm5150: I couldnt agree with you more!
Excellent choice!
There is such a thing as a degree in Information Warfare? Cool.
All US military academies and DoD post grad schools have some degrees that aren't and probably never will be offered at civilian schools..
In response to calls for increased security from enterprise clients, Apple has hired cybersecurity expert and author David Rice as its director of global security, a new report claims.
Rice graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1994 and received a master's degree in Information Warfare and Systems Engineering
Apple will be getting rid of its physical home button and Rice is going to add this "increased security" self-destruct button... similar to this mockup...
That was so easy... with apologies to Staples®
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A "security czar" how can that not be taken seriously.
Codename: Rasputin!
Well let's hope that Apple takes security more serious with him. Not that they ignore things, but as in more responsive and quicker to action. Their silence at times, while normal for them, shouldn't be that way in security. This is something they can take a page from M$.
What with the million odd virus alerts ?
You must be joking, what can possibly M$ offer Apple ?
I know a philosophy of creating garbage !
M$ responsive, show me proof and comparisons where they have been and Apple hasn't.
Anybody can make statements like you have, give us the evidence.
Great, now OS X can have built in NSA backdoors just like Windows!
Agree, Google happily sends all your searches to NSA.
Now Apple is hiring this bozo, this is just fluff so that Apple can get its foot in the door Enterprise-wise and stay there. But in the process they will alienate their followers.
I don't like this at all.
Now Apple is hiring this bozo,
If they want to impress me hire Theo de Raadt.
Great, now OS X can have built in NSA backdoors just like Windows!
I suspect NSA does not need such things.
What with the million odd virus alerts ?
You must be joking, what can possibly M$ offer Apple ?
I know a philosophy of creating garbage !
M$ responsive, show me proof and comparisons where they have been and Apple hasn't.
Anybody can make statements like you have, give us the evidence.
just to say this for the LOLZ!
MS has released patches for Vista, Apple has no released patches for Vista (unless it is something for parallels or boot camp... which isn't Vista, it is the programs that lets you run it)
well, there it has been done...... just in a really stupid way.
also MS could offer the advice of SPENDING saved up money... i mean, what has Apple done with its majority of cash... nothing (i personally believe that they should invest in making there own screens, CPUs (as opposed to collaboration with Samsung) make their own gpus, etc.
Codename: Rasputin!
LMAO! good one.
Agree, Google happily sends all your searches to NSA.
Now Apple is hiring this bozo, this is just fluff so that Apple can get its foot in the door Enterprise-wise and stay there. But in the process they will alienate their followers.
I don't like this at all.
LOL,
You can be sure that the NSA already powns OS X, Windows, and Linux. While that is a disturbing thought, it has nothing to do with back doors being built in and certainly not by Apple.
I would welcome greater security from the typical and most likely threats out there (viruses, hackers, web analytics, companies, snoopy people, etc.) so this guy will be great for Apple and help them bring their game up even more. But no matter how much more secure Apple products get, I'll never talk myself into thinking they have become immune from the efforts of the NSA.
LOL,
You can be sure that the NSA already powns OS X, Windows, and Linux. While that is a disturbing thought, it has nothing to do with back doors being built in and certainly not by Apple.
I would welcome greater security from the typical and most likely threats out there (viruses, hackers, web analytics, companies, snoopy people, etc.) so this guy will be great for Apple and help them bring their game up even more. But no matter how much more secure Apple products get, I'll never talk myself into thinking they have become immune from the efforts of the NSA.
Do you remember of a guy called Eric Schmidt (Google), who sat on Aaple's board?
The outcome was infamous.
So they happily hire this person, and all will still be sweet?
Do you believe everything your government tells you? So why believe Apple.