Security experts call for government action against cyber threats

Alarmed by mounting cyber threats around the world and across industries, a growing number of security experts see aggressive government action as the best hope for averting disaster.

Such fears and proposals on new laws and executive action to counter these threats were core topics in Las Vegas at Black Hat and Def Con, two of the world's largest gatherings for security professionals and hackers.

Long time tech industry researcher Dan Geer said the US government should require detailed reporting on major cyber breaches, in the same way that deadly diseases must be reported to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Critical industries should be subjected to "stress tests" like the banks, Geer said, so regulators can see if they can survive without the Internet or with compromised equipment.

Geer also called for exposing software vendors to product liability suits if they do not share their source code with customers and bugs in their programs lead to significant losses from intrusion or sabotage.