In IT security, emotional reactions, panic and legislation are counterproductive. But intelligent risk management can enable organizations to face an uncertain future optimistically. That was the message from Merrill Lynch & Co.'s security chief to attendees at Computerworld's Premier 100 IT Leaders Conference here yesterday.

David Bauer, first vice president and chief information security and privacy officer at Merrill Lynch, gave his audience a historical perspective on the evolution of IT security, starting with the Morris worm attack of 1988. That attack took the Internet by surprise, he said. There were no tools to fight back and no source of reliable information. Responses were uncoordinated, and the result was "complete havoc."

By Kathleen Melymuka at Computerworld.

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