Might Governments Clean-Up Malware?
Richard Clayton · RePEc: Research Papers in Economics · 2010
Abstract: End-user computers that have become infected with malware are a danger to their owners and to the Internet as a whole. Effective action to clean-up these computers would be extremely desirable, yet the incentives conspire to dissuade ISPs (and others) from acting. This paper proposes a role for government in subsidising the cost of clean-up. The organisations that tender for the government contract will factor in not only the costs of the clean-up, but also the profits they can make from their new consumer relationships. A model is proposed for what the tender price should be – and, by plugging in plausible values, it is shown that the cost to the tax payer of a government scheme could be less than a dollar per person per year; well in line with other public health initiatives. Key words: malware, cybersecurity, security economics. This paper looks at the problem of dealing with end-user computers that have, in a variety of ways, become infected with malware. This can sometimes be a serious security issue for the owner of the computer in that malware is often capable of copying confidential files, stealing online banking credentials, or of fraudulently redirecting traffic