As reported in the WSJ today: “Fair Isaac Corp., known for its US-standard FICO consumer-credit scores, waded deeper into online security Tuesday with the acquisition of cybersecurity startup QuadMetrics. The terms of the deal were not disclosed. The company said it plans to leverage QuadMetrics’s predictive analytics and security-risk assessment tools to develop an industry-wide “enterprise security score” for businesses. The security score is meant to provide an “easy-to-understand” metric to help chief information officers and other corporate IT decision-makers gauge their company’s online risks, while managing risks from third-party software vendors. It can also act as a guide for cyber-breach insurance underwriting, the company said.” Security experts from VASCO Data Security and Lastline responded below.
“It is a smart acquisition for Fair Isaac, but the concept of performing security assessments for organizations is anything but new – so the success of their strategy will be dependent on insurance underwriters adopting their score as an industry standard and mandating its use for coverage.
“Some organizations may be concerned about the legal liability associated knowing an exact and comparable risk score. Plaintiff’s lawyers could use the score, and a lack of improvement in it over time, as evidence of negligent behavior. It would be hard for an organization to mount a defense and argue that they had good security measures in place if they had knowledge of a consistently poor score.”
Craig Kensek, Security Expert atLastline: “These are completely different lines of business with the glue between the two being predictive analysis software. Totally different people will be involved in the buying process. Companies whose sole business is using predictive analysis or other tools to assess how secure a company’s security is for underwriting purposes, won’t suddenly be more impressed or see the need for this because this is now part of Fair Isaac’s product portfolio. That said, predictive analysis software is a slick technology finding new applications in business.”
ISBuzz Team embodies the collaborative efforts of the dedicated staff at Information Security Buzz, converging a wide range of skills and viewpoints to present a unified, engaging voice in the information security realm. This entity isn't tied to a single individual; instead, it's a dynamic embodiment of a team diligently working behind the scenes to keep you updated and secure. When you read a post from ISBuzz Team, you're receiving the most relevant and actionable insights, curated and crafted by professionals tuned in to the pulse of the cybersecurity world. ISBuzz Team - your reliable compass in the fast-evolving landscape of information security
To provide the best experiences, we use technologies like cookies to store and/or access device information. Consenting to these technologies will allow us to process data such as browsing behavior or unique IDs on this site. Not consenting or withdrawing consent, may adversely affect certain features and functions.
Functional
Always active
The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network.
Preferences
The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.
Statistics
The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes.The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
Marketing
The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes.