Close
  • Latest News
  • Cybersecurity
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Mobile
  • Networking
  • Storage
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
Read Down
Sign in
Close
Welcome!Log into your account
Forgot your password?
Read Down
Password recovery
Recover your password
Close
Search
Menu
Search
  • Latest News
  • Cybersecurity
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Mobile
  • Networking
  • Storage
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
More
    Home Cybersecurity
    • Cybersecurity

    Clarke: Hold Developers Accountable for Software Insecurity

    By
    Dennis Fisher
    -
    May 14, 2004
    Share
    Facebook
    Twitter
    Linkedin

      NEW YORK—The federal government and private enterprise should band together and hold software developers responsible for the poor state of security of their applications, according to the White Houses former top cyber-security official.

      Speaking this week at the eWEEK Security Summit here, Richard Clarke, chairman of Good Harbor Consulting LLC, of Herndon, Va., and former chairman of the presidents Critical Infrastructure Protection Board, said the inherent insecurity of most software produced today is a major factor in the troubles plaguing enterprises and home users.

      To solve the problem, Clarke called on the government to put pressure on the software industry to develop and maintain secure coding practices.

      “The reason you have people breaking into your software all over the place is because your software sucks,” he told conference attendees. “I dont like the idea of buyer beware. It was great in the 14th century, but I think weve moved beyond [that].”

      Clarke also encouraged enterprises to get together and inform their vendors that theyre not happy with the security of their software.

      “Industries should establish what they want from the software industry,” he said. “Lets allow these industries to get together and say what they expect. If they need an antitrust exemption for that, lets give it to them.”

      Clarke also suggested that CIOs and home users should encourage the government to do its part in the process and lead by example.

      “All of you should pressure the government to do something about security. If the government was doing its job, things would be better,” he said.

      The current climate surrounding the issues of corporate governance and privacy—and the publics desire for some accountability for security breaches—is driving lawmakers to consider drawing up legislation to address these problems, according to security experts.

      /zimages/5/28571.gifRead more here about experts perception that security regulations are inevitable.

      “I personally believe regulation will happen sooner rather than later,” said Chrisan Herrod, a professor at National Defense University in Washington. “If you dont get involved, you will have individuals driving this train, and you might not like the direction.”

      Herrod said that without input from the people involved in the daily practice of security, the regulatory process could go off the tracks quickly.

      /zimages/5/28571.gifFor insights on security coverage around the Web, check out eWEEK.com Security Center Editor Larry Seltzers Weblog.

      Darwin John, former CIO of the FBI and now a strategic adviser with Chicago-based Blackwell Consulting Services, echoed Herrods sentiments. “Are we going to have regulation? Probably. Are you going to like it? Probably not,” John told the assembled audience of CIOs, chief security officers and other senior executives at the security summit.

      “But in the security business, there are no absolutes, and thats very difficult for some people to accept.”

      /zimages/5/28571.gifCheck out eWEEK.coms Security Center at http://security.eWEEK.com for security news, views and analysis. Be sure to add our eWEEK.com security news feed to your RSS newsreader or My Yahoo page: /zimages/5/19420.gif http://us.i1.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/i/us/my/addtomyyahoo2.gif

      Avatar
      Dennis Fisher

      MOST POPULAR ARTICLES

      Android

      Samsung Galaxy XCover Pro: Durability for Tough...

      Chris Preimesberger - December 5, 2020 0
      Have you ever dropped your phone, winced and felt the pain as it hit the sidewalk? Either the screen splintered like a windshield being...
      Read more
      Cloud

      Why Data Security Will Face Even Harsher...

      Chris Preimesberger - December 1, 2020 0
      Who would know more about details of the hacking process than an actual former career hacker? And who wants to understand all they can...
      Read more
      Cybersecurity

      How Veritas Is Shining a Light Into...

      eWEEK EDITORS - September 25, 2020 0
      Protecting data has always been one of the most important tasks in all of IT, yet as more companies become data companies at the...
      Read more
      Big Data and Analytics

      How NVIDIA A100 Station Brings Data Center...

      Zeus Kerravala - November 18, 2020 0
      There’s little debate that graphics processor unit manufacturer NVIDIA is the de facto standard when it comes to providing silicon to power machine learning...
      Read more
      Apple

      Why iPhone 12 Pro Makes Sense for...

      Wayne Rash - November 26, 2020 0
      If you’ve been watching the Apple commercials for the past three weeks, you already know what the company thinks will happen if you buy...
      Read more
      eWeek


      Contact Us | About | Sitemap

      Facebook
      Linkedin
      RSS
      Twitter
      Youtube

      Property of TechnologyAdvice.
      Terms of Service | Privacy Notice | Advertise | California - Do Not Sell My Information

      © 2021 TechnologyAdvice. All Rights Reserved

      Advertiser Disclosure: Some of the products that appear on this site are from companies from which TechnologyAdvice receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site including, for example, the order in which they appear. TechnologyAdvice does not include all companies or all types of products available in the marketplace.

      ×