Why Don't We Defend Better?: Data Breaches, Risk Management, and Public Policy

The wave of data breaches raises two pressing questions: Why don't we defend our networks better? And, what practical incentives can we create to improve our defenses? Why Don't We Defend Better?: Data Breaches, Risk Management, and Public Policy answers those questions. It distinguishes three technical sources of data breaches corresponding to three types of vulnerabilities: software, human, and network. It discusses two risk management goals: business and consumer. The authors propose mandatory anonymous reporting of information as an essential step toward better defense, as well as a general reporting requirement. They also provide a systematic overview of data breach defense, combining technological and public policy considerations.

• Explains why data breach defense is currently often ineffective
• Shows how to respond to the increasing frequency of data breaches
• Combines the issues of technology, business and risk management, and legal liability
• Discusses the different issues faced by large versus small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs)
• Provides a practical framework in which public policy issues about data breaches can be effectively addressed

Robert H. Sloan, PhD, is a Professor and Head of the Department of Computer Science at the University of Illinois, Chicago.

Richard Warner, PhD, is a Professor Norman and Edna Freehling Scholar at Chicago-Kent College of Law in Illinois.