ACM Talk: The Downsides of Computing
 
          Peter G. Neumann, Principal Scientist
          Computer Science Lab, SRI International
          Neumann@CSL.sri.com  http://www.csl.sri.com/neumann/
 
          2 December 1999, 5pm, CLB 0111
 
This talk reflects on my many years of collecting incidents in which
people and computers have not behaved as expected.  It considers what 
has happened and why, and what needs to be done in the future to avoid 
even more serious risks than we have experienced thus far.  The
subject matter is intentionally very broad, because the lessons that
need to be learned are comprehensive -- encompassing (for example)
security, reliability, software engineering practice, human
interfaces, and, above all, people.
 
Peter G. Neumann is a Principal Scientist in the Computer Science Lab
at SRI International in Menlo Park, where he has been since 1971.  He
has worked on system security, safety, reliability, and survivability
for many years.  He is the author of the Addison-Wesley book
*Computer-Related Risks*, Moderator of the widely read Risks Forum
(comp.risks), Chairman of the ACM Committee on Computers and Public
Policy, and Fellow of the ACM, IEEE, and AAAS.  He is currently on the 
U.S. General Accounting Office (Congressional watchdog agency)
Executive Council on Information Management and Technology.  His
Website contains new material supplementing the book, RISKS
information, the Illustrative Risks compendium index, papers, a
partial bibliography, Senate and House testimonies, materials related
to a course on information system survivability he is teaching at the
University of Maryland in the Fall 1999 semester, and other background.