Three years ago, when electric grid operators were starting to talk about the need to protect critical infrastructure from cyberattacks, few utilities had even hired a chief information security officer.

Could aggressive data mining by law enforcement prevent heinous crimes, such as the recent mass murder in Aurora, Colorado, by catching killers before they can act?

As Hurricane Ike bore down on Houston one Friday last September, the Continental Airlines' flight operations center, located on the 14th floor of a glass-sided downtown high rise, suddenly went dark. For the airline's pilots and flight crews, however, business proceeded as usual.

She had me at hello ... or just about. Our conversation had barely started when privacy activist Betty Ostergren interrupted me to say that she had found my full name, address, Social Security number and a digital image of my signature on the Web.

Nearly seven years after 9/11, information-sharing problems that hobble law enforcement are just beginning to be solved.

As Microsoft's chief Trustworthy Computing strategist, Scott Charney can escalate his concerns directly to the senior leadership team headed by Bill Gates and Steve Ballmer. Charney, a former government prosecutor, also spearheads the company's Security Strategies Group, which works to advance the cause of secure products and services. During a recent visit to Boston, Charney met with Computerworld's Carol Sliwa and Robert L. Mitchell to talk about how Microsoft does security.