In much the same way that the best heart surgeons have never studied medicine and Supreme Court judges have never really read the law, Michael Daniel, the White House’s cybersecurity co-ordinator thinks that “being too down in the weeds at the technical level could actually be a little bit of a distraction” in his position.
In an interview with Gov Info Security, Daniel explained that “[y]ou can get enamoured with the very detailed aspects of some of the technical solutions. And, particularly here at the White House … the real issue is to look at the broad, strategic picture and the impact that technology will have.”
Which is kinda true, I suppose. He went on to add that “at a very fundamental level, cybersecurity isn’t just about the technology but it’s also about the economics of cybersecurity” before explaining that he doesn’t “have to be a coder in order to do really well.”
Which is also… kinda true but perhaps best left unsaid. It’s a bit like a senior surgeon explaining that they don’t know how to use a scalpel or a world-renowned judge admitting that they’re a little shaky on the Fourth Amendment.
Sure, they may be at such a senior level that they don’t need to think about that kind of thing on a daily basis. But it may be vaguely reassuring if their decision-making was grounded in years of experience. Ah well, it’s only, like, the entire Internet. [Gov Info Security via Vox via Engadget]
Picture: AP