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System error: Japan cybersecurity minister admits he has never used a computer
A Japanese minister in charge of cybersecurity has provoked astonishment by admitting he has never used a computer in his professional life, and appearing confused by the concept of a USB drive. Yoshitaka Sakurada, 68, is the deputy chief of the government's cybersecurity strategy office and also the minister in charge of the Olympic and Paralympic Games that Tokyo will host in 2020.
In parliament on Wednesday however, he admitted he doesn't use computers. "Since the age of 25, I have instructed my employees and secretaries, so I don't use computers myself," he said in a response to an opposition question in a lower house session, local media reported.
He also appeared confused by the question when asked about whether USB drives were in use at Japanese nuclear facilities. His comments were met with incredulity by opposition lawmakers. "It's unbelievable that someone who has not touched computers is responsible for cybersecurity policies," said opposition lawmaker Masato Imai.
And his comments provoked a firestorm online. "Doesn't he feel ashamed?" wrote one Twitter user. "Today any company president uses a PC. He doesn't even know what a USB is. Holy cow."
Another joked that perhaps Sakurada was simply engaged in his own kind of cybersecurity. "If a hacker targets this Minister Sakurada, they wouldn't be able to steal any information. Indeed it might be the strongest kind of security!"
Also at NYT, The Register, and Reuters.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday November 15 2018, @10:52PM (7 children)
It's easy to demonstrate that he's doing a shitty job because he hasn't bothered learning even the basics you'd get from a CISSP. Which is by the way not technical, it's a security exam meant for managers and policy makers.
He can't communicate with technical managers if he can't use the term "Threat model" in a sentence and he can't understand common threat models if he doesn't know what USB is.
I came here just to give a big fuck off to dudes like you. We expect the Surgeon General to be an actual physician, I can't be elected as a judge without credentials.
His appointment is the result of multiple layers of ignorance and incompetence.
(Score: 1, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday November 15 2018, @11:26PM (2 children)
Depends on where you are. In at least some parts of the USA you certainly can. And I'm not talking abough BK and politics. Judges are elected, and while they are commonly lawyers, it is not required. The sole criterion is winning the election.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday November 16 2018, @02:18AM (1 child)
BK = Brian Krzanich?
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday November 16 2018, @04:25AM
Brett 'Party Boy' Kavanaugh.
(Score: 2) by pipedwho on Friday November 16 2018, @01:59AM (1 child)
This is about a politician that signs off on policy. Not a technical manager. He doesn't write and most likely doesn't even look at detailed threat assessment models. His job is dealing with raised exceptions where he has to make decisions that may affect other policies or ministerial departments. He will also likely give prepared legislation a once over to make sure sections are covered, and then defer explanation and assessment to the people expert in that area.
Politicians generally aren't lawyers either, but good ones should at least be consulting experts in various legal areas before signing off or attempting to draft legislation.
Just like a CEO is all about acquiring funding and signing off on the big picture and direction of a company.
Why should this guy be forced to use a traditional computer, or drive a car, or even make his own lunch if he has people to do these things? He just needs to know that: he needs policies in place about computer security, there are pitfalls and consequences due to inaction or underfunded action, and who he needs to convince that it would be a good idea to implement the policies that his department have drafted.
Competence at this level is not evaluated by mundane knowledge of technical minutiae. It is evaluated by their skill in dealing with the people that have been appointed as trusted experts and advisors, and the ability to negotiate across the ministerial bench with other people who also have no domain expertise.
I'm sure if you told this guy that "it is possibly to plug a external device into a computer and make it do bad stuff" that this guy would understand just fine. He doesn't give a shit the details of that device, eg. USB, Keyboard, Network Cable, PCMCIA Card, RS232 device, parallel port printer, HDMI cable, Thunderbolt device, Firewire drive, etc. It's all the same, a bunch of technical words that have no meaning beyond 'something that plugs into a computer' to someone in his position beyond, ie. "something that may be used to achieve a nefarious outcome if plugged into a computer".
Now, if this minister refused to retain domain security experts, or ignores what his experts tell him, then we should be knocking him. Same for a technical manager that knows nothing about what his team is doing when it comes time to make a technical decision.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday November 16 2018, @08:45AM
That politician is also expected to defend "his" policy to the public, in terms that both the public and the cabinet can understand. That also includes answering topical questions from informed journalists. If he can't do that, it reflects badly on the entire cabinet.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday November 16 2018, @02:16AM
The surgeon general made it a priority to come up with exercises that dont mess up your hair.
https://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/08/25/surgeon-general-calls-for-health-over-hair/ [nytimes.com]
(Score: 2) by hendrikboom on Sunday November 18 2018, @04:46PM
Physicians seem to make poor ministers of health. They tend to have a God complex about being in charge, and don't understand how administrative edicts affect subsequent activity in huge bureaucracies. You know, the law of unintended consequences? They tend to understand the deficiencies of the health-care system, and take measures to fix it that, like many obvious remedies, are dead wrong.