I'm a nerd, so I do nerdy things. One of these is including non sequiturs in my commentary that sometimes reference parts of our pop culture that I actually like.
After a Star Wars tribute column covering a relevant industry topic written completely in Yoda-speak a few years back, I somehow crammed the use of “fo shizzle, my dizzle” into another piece, primarily because of a buddy's dare made over video games and Stella. While the Yoda column proved to garner a few laughs from readers, this commentary was less successful. Some responses noted agreement with its overall IT security-related sentiment, but voiced wonder at “fo shizzle, my dizzle.” (For the record, it is slang for “for sure, my dog” and was coined by the “Doggfather of Rap” himself Snoop Dogg.
Now, although this reference to one of my favorite rappers was odd to include in an information security publication, it also has ended up being crazily coincidental given that the Long Beach MC recently has become a spokesperson against cybercrime. Yes, that's right: Snoop Dogg reportedly said at the end of August to a group of reporters on a Symantec 18-wheeler, no less, that he's “not with” online crime.
Apparently, even the Boss Dogg can't escape today's online thieves, who have stolen his music and credit card info, and have set up fake websites in his name. So, he's partnered with Symantec to spread some IT security awareness to a wider audience.
It seems that just as Snoop Dogg has made his way far into the mainstream – I mean, he's had his own reality TV show – cybersecurity is making some inroads, too – slower, yes, but surely. According to the Huffington Post website, Symantec's Dave Cole explained that the longstanding anti-malware company wanted to partner with the rapper because there's still a widespread “feeling” that cybercrime “doesn't really happen.” Consequently, having an artist like Snoop Dogg announcing that he's been victimized by online criminals gets some attention and reveals that cybercrime happens a lot more than most people think.
The New York Daily News, The Register, Discovery News and bunches more mainstream outlets have dished about the Snoop item. It is even making its way across social networking sites, like Facebook, which are rife with cybersecurity issues of their own. This coverage may be trippy, but it is not a bad thing. Because of it, average end-users who work in your organizations are getting just a little bit more exposure to the growing problem of cybercrime. And, every little bit helps.
Maybe they'll eventually be able to cull enough bits and pieces to form a sound IT security knowledge base, which can only make the job of securing enterprises a little easier for security pros like you. And, for SC Magazine, which has been entrenched in all things information security for more than 20 years, it could mean eventually having one of the coolest homies on our cover, G.
Illena Armstrong is editor-in-chief of SC Magazine.
