A Modest Proposal for Open Market Risk Assessment to Solve the Cyber-Security Problem

Abstract

We introduce a model for a market based economic system of cyber-risk valuation to correct fundamental problems of incentives within the information technology and information processing industries. We assess the makeup of the current day marketplace, identify incentives, identify economic reasons for current failings, and explain how a market based risk valuation system could improve these incentives to form a secure and robust information marketplace for all consumers by providing visibility into open, consensus based risk pricing and allowing all parties to make well informed decisions.