A House of Representatives subcommittee on technology, reacting to the overwhelming worm activity of last month, picked the brains of leading security experts and executives Wednesday during a hearing. Testimony was heard on the need for legislation, cleaning up the software development process, full disclosure, public-private information sharing, education programs within the enterprise and the dissemination of information to home users.. . .
A House of Representatives subcommittee on technology, reacting to the overwhelming worm activity of last month, picked the brains of leading security experts and executives Wednesday during a hearing. Testimony was heard on the need for legislation, cleaning up the software development process, full disclosure, public-private information sharing, education programs within the enterprise and the dissemination of information to home users.

Legislation and government regulation has been a bugaboo because lawmakers, enterprises and vendors have long fought to avoid political intervention. That may no longer be a viable scenario, said Chris Wysopal, director of research and development at consulting firm @Stake Inc.

"We regulate just about every industry where safety is a concern," Wysopal said. "When computers are compromised, we're approaching similar safety concerns. If the Blaster worm contributed to the severity of the blackout for example, now we're talking about a safety issue. Lives are in danger."

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