Hackers provide the key to cybersecurity

NEWS The UK government should employ hackers to crack criminal communications, according to Tim Pearson, chairman of the Internet Service Providers Association (ISPA). Pearson made the call in response to the government's consultation paper on ecommerce, which was released last week. The ISPA chairman said hackers would be a better alternative to the unpopular key escrow system that would see law enforcement agencies holding encryption keys to all private communications. Although the UK government has toyed with the idea of escrow, it was rejected in the consultation paper. Pearson said: "Escrow is an expensive, ineffectual and blunt method of routing out criminals." He advised law enforcement agencies to set up a central policing unit employing hackers to track down cybercriminals.