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I agree with your basic point. However the field of defensive computer security is the same age as the field of offensive computer security. The problem is tha

I agree with your basic point. However the field of defensive computer security is the same age as the field of offensive computer security. The problem is that defensive security still is not a big enough priority for customers or vendors. When customers walk in to a computer or mobile device store and ask "is this thing safe enough to store my Bitcoins?" and go elsewhere if the answer isn't good enough, we may see vendors up their game. The same flaws that let a government see you naked let crackers steal your cryptocoins. When I'm in an optimistic mood, I think that cryptocurrency could be the thing we need to motivate more people to care about security.

maxerickson 13y ago
Credit cards work fairly well with pretend security. That cuts way down on the purposes where an irreversible digital currency is interesting.
kalleboo 13y ago
> The problem is that defensive security still is not a big enough priority for customers or vendors This is absolutely true. Most people care about price over any other variable. Yet even areas where there are people who prioritize security consistently fail (Apple vs Jailbreakers, Open Source SSL/TLS developers vs CA validation failure). There is literally no code on this planet you can trust 100%. Even the code that sent people into space had bugs. edit: I do like the idea of cryptocurrencies, but I don't trust software enough yet. I'm more bullish on the idea of P2P shared blockchains in the form of namecoin as a replacement for DNS etc.
- chii 13y ago
  > Most people care about price over any other variable. most people (at least, in western countries) don't pour over the ingredients, or sus out the manufacturing process to see if their food products have poisons in them, or whether they are fit for eating. It's mandated by law. I would like to see security have such measures mandated by law, so that it frees the average joe from having to worry about it. Because face it, the average person can't worry about it - it's an expert field.
  - pjc50 13y ago
    Mandating something like FIPS for everything would impair startups quite badly. For the moment I'm quite happy to not have regulations on the development process or content of software.

maxerickson 13y ago

Credit cards work fairly well with pretend security. That cuts way down on the purposes where an irreversible digital currency is interesting.

kalleboo 13y ago

> The problem is that defensive security still is not a big enough priority for customers or vendors This is absolutely true. Most people care about price over any other variable. Yet even areas where there are people who prioritize security consistently fail (Apple vs Jailbreakers, Open Source SSL/TLS developers vs CA validation failure). There is literally no code on this planet you can trust 100%. Even the code that sent people into space had bugs. edit: I do like the idea of cryptocurrencies, but I don't trust software enough yet. I'm more bullish on the idea of P2P shared blockchains in the form of namecoin as a replacement for DNS etc.

chii 13y ago
> Most people care about price over any other variable. most people (at least, in western countries) don't pour over the ingredients, or sus out the manufacturing process to see if their food products have poisons in them, or whether they are fit for eating. It's mandated by law. I would like to see security have such measures mandated by law, so that it frees the average joe from having to worry about it. Because face it, the average person can't worry about it - it's an expert field.
- pjc50 13y ago
  Mandating something like FIPS for everything would impair startups quite badly. For the moment I'm quite happy to not have regulations on the development process or content of software.