Beyond Fear
This article, The Scariest Terror Threat of All by Bruce Schneier makes a lot of sense to me - it also explains the dynamic of upping the FUD factor to a level at which your products are going to sell really well and you make a lot of money.
The best ideas tap directly into public fears. In my book, Beyond Fear, I discuss five different tendencies people have with evaluating risks:
* People exaggerate spectacular but rare risks and downplay common risks.
* People have trouble estimating risks for anything not exactly like their normal situation.
* Personified risks are perceived to be greater than anonymous risks.
* People underestimate risks they willingly take and overestimate risks in situations they can't control.
* People overestimate risks that are being talked about and remain an object of public scrutiny.
How many of the "security industries" specialise in using tactics based around these principles to sell their products?
Tags: security, risk assesment, wired, bruce schneier, internet security, fud