In the future, insurance companies could base the cost of so-called hacking policies on the rating. The government may require financial institutions to meet a minimum rating, and companies that don't meet the minimum may find themselves the target of a liability lawsuit, he said. The center's members are working together to create a rating system for Solaris, Linux and Windows 2000, Paller said. The guidelines could be completed as early as March 2001. However, giving people an idea of how many holes they have plugged is a good idea, he said.
People generally have no idea about how to check their computers for security problems.
If this group can do this in an easy way, that's a good thing. Many times it's the somewhat obscure application that opens a computer up to be compromised. Even a server that rates a 9 out of 10 could be compromised in a short time if an attacker knew the single flaw on the system. Inc. All rights reserved.