[ISN] At least one guy at Purdue security summit was paying attention

http://www.tribstar.com/opinion/local_story_201220549.html

By Stephanie Salter
The Tribune-Star
July 19, 2008

TERRE HAUTE — Purdue computer science professor Eugene Spafford had the 
best line about media coverage of Barack Obama’s extensive national 
security seminar in West Lafayette last week:

“Good thing Angelina Jolie gave birth earlier in the week or the summit 
wouldn’t have even made the press.”

“Spaf,” as he is known by his students, colleagues, associates and 
fellow experts in international cyber security, is always good for a 
humorous, big-picture observation that lasers in on the truth.

As director of Purdue’s CERIAS program — the Center for Education and 
Research in Information Assurance and Security — he has served on 
numerous national research teams, testified before Congress and advised 
presidents. His name is synonymous around the world with cyber security.

Who better to summon to the invitation-only Obama security summit at 
Purdue. Ah, but no one thought to invite Spaf until the night before.

“The press was told that Purdue was chosen because of the leading role 
our researchers have in various areas of public safety and national 
security — including the leading program in cyber security …” Spaf wrote 
on his long blog entry about the summit (http://snipurl.com/obpugs). “I 
found it rather ironic that security would be given as the reason … and 
yet those of us most involved with those security centers had not been 
told about the summit or given invitations.”

[...]


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