http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A1498-2003May1.html By Brian Krebs washingtonpost.com Staff Writer Thursday, May 1, 2003 Online auction giant eBay is responding to the growing Internet fraud by calling in the nation's former cybersecurity czar. Howard Schmidt, whose resume includes almost five years as Microsoft's top security officer, will become vice president of security at San Jose, Calif.-based eBay later this month. Ebay spokesman Chris Donlay declined to discuss the issues that will top Schmidt's "to-do" list, but said the company was "thrilled to have him on board." The security post is new to eBay's executive ranks. Schmidt resigned from government service less than two weeks ago -- the second White House cybersecurity adviser to leave the Bush administration in as many months. His predecessor, Richard Clarke, left his post to become a private security and media consultant after the White House decided to eliminate the Critical Infrastructure Protection Board and move its functions to the new Department of Homeland Security. Schmidt played a key role in drafting the national cybersecurity strategy released by the administration in February. He has spent the last two years building ties with the private sector in a joint effort to protect the nation's most important information systems from cyberattacks. Schmidt will join eBay at a time when Internet auction fraud is taking a larger toll than ever -- estimated by the FBI to amount to $54 million in annual losses. The Federal Trade Commission also is trying to cut down on Internet auction scams. On Wednesday, the FTC and state authorities said they have arrested, indicted or sent warning letters to 57 suspected Internet fraudsters in the last eight months. Schmidt said he set his sights on eBay after searching for a company that was "big on security, privacy and trust." "No one is bigger on those values than eBay," Schmidt said. "I can't think of a more awesome company to go work for." Schmidt said he has never bought anything on eBay, but visits the auction site frequently to comparison shop. He added that he is not afraid of shopping online. "I probably bought 60 to 70 percent of my Christmas presents online last year," he said. Schmidt, 53, is currently in the process of moving back to his hometown of Seattle. He plans to commute to San Jose for his eBay job. Before returning to work in the private sector, he will spend a week in Alaska under the terms of his Army Reserve duty, teaching a class on advanced computer forensics. - ISN is currently hosted by Attrition.org To unsubscribe email majordomoat_private with 'unsubscribe isn' in the BODY of the mail.
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