Why Do We Need Transparency in Cybersecurity?
Transparency is an essential element of cybersecurity. Yet, many cybersecurity vendors’ end-user
license
agreements (EULAs) restrict what can be published and communicated about their products. Vendors
with
such restrictions actively promote positive product reviews on platforms such as IT Central Station, G2 Crowd,
Capterra,
and
Gartner Peer Insights. We think this hypocrisy should stop.
Transparency in cybersecurity is good for customers and the industry. Customers should have
access
to as
much information as possible, including benchmarks and test results, during their evaluation
process.
Transparency will also encourage vendors to improve and innovate their products. It is a win-win
for
all
involved.
Our Manifesto
The world’s digital transformation is well underway. Consumers, enterprises, and government
organizations now achieve unparalleled commerce, education, and entertainment experiences and
capabilities.
But as we all know, there is a dark side to this prosperity. Bad actors, whether individuals or
state-sponsored, pose daily threats to cybersecurity.
Cybersecurity is a critical anchor that keeps bad actors in check and allows the world’s
economies to flourish. Our position on Transparency in Cybersecurity is clear:
- Unrestricted dissemination and sharing of product benchmarks and real-world experiences are key to a safer digital world
- Vendors need to incorporate openness, communication, and accountability into their business operations
- Transparency is the great equalizer and should be embraced by all
The cybersecurity industry is massive. Yet, for all the claims of safety and protection, many
vendors prefer to obfuscate the efficacy of their products. They don’t want you to know how well
their product can protect your infrastructure. We all know that security by obscurity is no
security at all.
The cybersecurity community deserves better than to kowtow to any vendor’s lack of transparency,
especially while wielding dubious legal threats. No vendor is perfect, and no product is
perfect. But digital commerce is vital to the free world, and the public should have free access
to all of the facts.