Expert: Cyberterror response shared responsibility

A misconception about cyberterrorism is that only the government should prepare for it, Paul Kurtz, the security software industry's chief lobbyist said Thursday.

"Calling for stronger security in the context of terrorism is a mistake," Kurtz said in a keynote speech at the IT Security World Conference in San Francisco. "I think it is a mistake because the implication is that it is the government's responsibility to solve the problem. The government canÂ’t defend all these networks."

"Significant attacks occur daily without any involvement from terrorists," Kurtz said. Every organization should therefore pay attention to computer security. "Protecting networks against everyday attacks will help defend against inevitable attacks by terrorists or enemy states," he said.

Kurtz, who is executive director of the Cyber Security Industry Alliance, is lobbying Washington to help give guidelines on security, not regulate security. "We're not trying to regulate folks into security. If we do, it is going to inhibit growth, it is going to inhibit innovation and it is going to tie people's hands," he said.