Booz Allen is a giant in security consulting. It is a leading consulting firm that helps government clients solve their toughest problems with services in strategy, operations and security. It tells many US agencies on how to secure their infrastructure. But it never actually did what it preached. It is a very dangerous preacher who asks you to listen to what he says and not what he does. It fell to the hacker’s group, Anonymous.
Anonymous has become a fierce hacktivist group that has raised credit card companies, biotech companies and series of other prized ones. When they launched the search on Booz Allen, there was no going back. They have one problem with the company – its works with the US government on security and terrorism.
By the time they are done, more than 9,000 military email address and passwords have been compromised.
Now, this company will wonder how it handles classified information and gets paid to tell the government how to be secured and efficient when it does not do so itself. The hackers said that the server they broke had no security measure implemented.
The public traded company that got in Nov 2010 generated a revenue of $5.6 billion last year. But it will have tough month ahead as many will question its credibility to ask governments to spend endlessly on security when it does not do so itself.
The lesson is this: these consultants are earning livings. It is very imperative that you do not take what consultants tell you link hook and sinker. However, that they were attacked and fell did not mean they were not passing sold ideas. Do not worry how they live, focus on what they tell you but have judgement to think and question them. Why? Most times what the consultants explain and recommend are good on paper and never on operations.
When they ask you to take all the cars from your managers in Africa, do not listen. Why, those managers will leave and move to other companies. Africa is not America where a company President can drive himself to work. In Africa, it is better you pay him lesser and hire that driver. That is just the reality. It is a status symbol. Period!
To Booz Allen, now is the time for the security audit. Anonymous sent you a $340 invoice – hope you can afford that.