What Might It Mean For Security To Be Sustainable

2017.04.03 This lecture is the keynote address for ACM Asia Conference on Computer and Communications Security (ASIACCS) 2017 People talk about what computing can do for sustainability, but a more concrete and urgent question is: How can computing itself become more sustainable? As more products go online—from medical devices to cars—pre-market testing no longer guarantees a product’s utility or safety. Their connectivity also requires ongoing software maintenance and updates, in order to prevent security vulnerabilities and safety problems. Our recent study for the European Commission of the implications for product regulation, showed that Europe's ecosystem of safety regulators, standards bodies and testing labs needs a substantial upgrade. As we develop software for the future, we must take into consideration the evolving security vulnerabilities of “smart” devices and invest in the tools to keep network security current and make it sustainable. Speakers Ross Anderson Professor of Security Engineering, University of Cambridge