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This is well within the scope of what the government should be doing--just as a country's navy protects merchant ships from pirates and the police protect shopk

This is well within the scope of what the government should be doing--just as a country's navy protects merchant ships from pirates and the police protect shopkeepers from burglary. If a foreign military were launching physical attacks on your business we'd expect any government in the world to intervene. Realistically even with government support, effective cybersecurity is going to require significant private effort and investment as well.

axlee 5y ago
Should our society collectively pay for walls, doors and locks for every company in the country? How about paying for private security on every site? How about paying for personal bodyguards for every CEO? How about we all chip in to buy a password manager subscription for every private employee in the country? We should regulate and punish, not subsidize. The same way we have dealth with corporate recklessness for decades.
- hatchnyc 5y ago
  I'm not sure what specifically is being proposed here. I gave some specific examples of government actions to protect its citizens engaging in commerce going back hundreds if not thousands of years. I'm not aware of any government which has paid for doors, locks, or walls for every company in their country, I suspect any action taken by the NSA would be guided by similar restraint. As the parent comment said, I'd like to see the NSA working to get zero day vulnerabilities fixed as opposed to hoarding them for future exploitation. At least this is my perception, to be honest aside from a few examples I've heard of I don't actually know whether I've correctly characterized their activities, they may already be doing this.
- gary_0 5y ago
  > We should regulate and punish, not subsidize. I agree to a point, but to continue the physical-security analogy: while private businesses should not be negligent in securing their property, a patrolling police force should also exist to discourage theft and vandalism at large. I think the private and public sector have both been negligent when it comes to cybersecurity. Both need to improve. (Like you, I'm willing to bet the private sector is hoping to sit back and let the taxpayer foot the bill for everything. This is a problem too.)

axlee 5y ago

Should our society collectively pay for walls, doors and locks for every company in the country? How about paying for private security on every site? How about paying for personal bodyguards for every CEO? How about we all chip in to buy a password manager subscription for every private employee in the country? We should regulate and punish, not subsidize. The same way we have dealth with corporate recklessness for decades.

hatchnyc 5y ago
I'm not sure what specifically is being proposed here. I gave some specific examples of government actions to protect its citizens engaging in commerce going back hundreds if not thousands of years. I'm not aware of any government which has paid for doors, locks, or walls for every company in their country, I suspect any action taken by the NSA would be guided by similar restraint. As the parent comment said, I'd like to see the NSA working to get zero day vulnerabilities fixed as opposed to hoarding them for future exploitation. At least this is my perception, to be honest aside from a few examples I've heard of I don't actually know whether I've correctly characterized their activities, they may already be doing this.
gary_0 5y ago
> We should regulate and punish, not subsidize. I agree to a point, but to continue the physical-security analogy: while private businesses should not be negligent in securing their property, a patrolling police force should also exist to discourage theft and vandalism at large. I think the private and public sector have both been negligent when it comes to cybersecurity. Both need to improve. (Like you, I'm willing to bet the private sector is hoping to sit back and let the taxpayer foot the bill for everything. This is a problem too.)