What the Hack? Episode 234: The Ralph Naders of Cybercrime?
Jan 13, 2026
Bob Lord, a seasoned tech and security leader with a background at Yahoo and CISA, joins Lauren Zarik, a national security expert from Harvard’s Belfer Center. They argue that cybersecurity should not burden users but be integrated by vendors. Drawing parallels to Ralph Nader's advocacy for safer cars, they explore the Secure by Design initiative, emphasizing the accountability of companies in protecting users. They discuss memory safety in programming, the necessity of measurable security commitments, and shifting the narrative to hold vendors responsible for user safety.
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Users Shouldn't Bear Tech Safety
- We accept a different safety model for tech where users must compensate for insecure products.
- Bob Lord argues responsibility should shift from users to software manufacturers.
Corvair Comparison Frames The Problem
- Bob Lord compared Unsafe at Any Speed and the Corvair to modern software faults.
- He uses Ralph Nader's car‑safety crusade as a template for software reform.
Make Security Commitments Measurable
- Commit to measurable, specific engineering actions like increasing MFA adoption and removing default passwords.
- Measure patch uptake and other metrics to track real security progress.
