Malware Is a Disease; Let's Treat It Like One

jfruhlinger writes "The most common metaphor we have for computer malware — 'virus' — emphasizes that in many ways malicious computer code mimics biological pathogens. And yet, while the U.S. government has rapid response plans in place for an outbreak of a new disease, we're content to let the private sector react to hugely damaging computer infections. Tom Henderson thinks we need the cybersecurity equivalent of the CDC."

Re:Woohoo, more government!!! Yeah.

[Attila Dimedici]

Agencies are directed by political appointees,...

Who are motivated by political power. Why is an organization that is motivated by political power less suspect than an organization that is motivated by profit?
At least with a private company, if I don't like how they treat me, I can do business with someone else (or no one).

Malware can be useful too

[cpghost]

Sure, right now, malware is used to spew spam, steal credit card data etc... but one has to recognize that it is very resilient against all efforts to eradicate it. Fast forward a few years or in other regions, where Government wants to assume total control of the 'Net. Wouldn't malware be the only piece of distributed p2p software being able to resist total censorship? Let's not dismiss malware just because it is being used for nefarious purposes now: it could come very handy in the not too soon dystopian future.

Re:Woohoo, more government!!! Yeah.

[Anonymous Coward]

Because we vote for the people that run the government.

Indeed - and when the options are douche and turd the sky is the limit to how fucked you can be.

Re:Brilliant!

[Bob the Super Hamste]

Hey the stuff I get through the USPS in general is in better shape than the stuff I get through UPS or FedEx. I have gotten a number of packages through UPS and FedEx that looked like they have been backed over by the truck, or had foot prints on them thankfully most companies who ship stuff pack them accordingly so I haven't gotten prebroken stuff. Now you can trot out that the USPS looses money, but they have to go and get approval from our congress critters to raise their rates, must deliver service to all locations on all weekdays and Saturday which is something that UPS and FedEx don't have to do. There are things government should do and does well, the problem is when it gets into things it shouldn't (saving car companies) or when they try to privatize things they shouldn't (security contractors).

Re:Brilliant!

[dkleinsc]

All right, all right ... Apart from the sanitation, medicine, education, wine, public order, irrigation, roads, the fresh water system and public health, what has the government ever done for us?

Re:Wait, isn't that the exact opposite of reality?

[Lanteran]

But politicians backed by the MAFIAA would institute trusted computing and a locked up internet in the name of eradicating malware. People only have to think malware is eradicated at no cost for them to be reelected.