The Cyberwarfare Threat

Computer security is no different from other security, asserts Interhack founder C. Matthew Curtin. Ultimately the question is how make the cost of an attack greater than its value to the attacker. "The threats are real and dismissing them is unwise," says Curtin in an interview for Fox News.

Curtin acknowledges that some argue that greater surveillance powers are the solution, hoping to develop an understanding of likely targets and how to address those concerns. Nevertheless, when deciding how to spend limited resources, whether to spend them on hardening targets or predicting targets is not an abstract question. "Money and time spent to build stronger infrastructure, capable of withstanding attack, makes everyone safer," says Curtin. "It improves security without incurring the cost of individual citizens' privacy."

Choosing how to address the threat is not a technical matter but a policy matter. "Do we improve security by sacrificing individual privacy and liberty so that government can monitor more and presumably respond, or do we improve security while strengthening individual liberty at the cost of the government's ability to monitor its own citizenry?"

About Interhack

Interhack is a computer expert firm founded in 2000. The firm supports clients throughout the United States in handling computer security incidents, building security programs, and developing expert opinions on technology and its meaning for matters coming to courtrooms and boardrooms. Interhack can be found online at web.interhack.com.