Re: Is there a scam in Security Certifications

From: Pete Herzog (lists@isecom.org)
Date: Fri Jun 02 2006 - 12:04:43 EDT


Hi,

Wyoming apparently has a problem with diploma mills. You can see it in
this list:

http://www.k12.wy.us/F/psl/degree.html

Then there is this article which says:

_Board postpones private school license_ By JENNI DILLON
Star-Tribune staff writer Thursday, November 17, 2005

"EC-Council University will have to wait a while longer for a license to
operate in Wyoming, the state Board of Education said Wednesday."

"...Colleen Anderson, who works in the department's finance office, said
the department has concerns about the school's relationship with
EC-Council, another corporation with the same owners that issues
certificates in the same subjects and produces textbooks and curriculum.
She said the department also is unsatisfied with financial documents
provided by the university and about students who could misread implied
claims of accreditation by the university."

http://www.casperstartribune.net/articles/2005/11/17/news/casper/9376670ca7785260872570bc00068e27.txt

There's nothing wrong with providing certification in a manner that
proves a person's ability to do something outside of the university
system. But diploma mills are a problem and an embarrassment for those
who are caught with them:

http://www.reason.com/0501/fe.ps.cut.shtml

I am afraid of possibly falsely marketed diplomas and even more scared
of the people who buy them. In this socially and digitally networked
world, we are all reliant on each other to what we say we can do. Lack
of ability has caused many problems from small to grand
(http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/14.06/start.html?pg=9) over the
years and as we need to depend on someone in a position knowing how to
do his/her job. In security, maybe some of you think (oh it's only for
testing web pages) but maybe that's just today. The pen tester today is
in a good position to be tomorrow's transport security auditor, security
manager, electronic health inspector, network medical technician, etc.
The fact that there are so many security personnel out there with
fictitious or fraudulent knowledge and ability (known or unknown to
themselves) is a very scary thing to me.

You can look up info on diploma mills yourself:

http://www.web-miner.com/deunaccredited.htm

http://www.degree.net/html/diploma_mills.html

Sincerely,
-pete.

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