Example of Threat-Centric Security

In my last post I mentioned the need to take threat-centric approaches to advanced persistent threat. No sooner than I had posted those thoughts do I read this:

Beijing 'strongly indignant' about U.S.-Taiwan arms sale

The Obama administration announced the sale Friday of $6 billion worth of Patriot anti-missile systems, helicopters, mine-sweeping ships and communications equipment to Taiwan in a long-expected move that sparked an angry protest from China.

In a strongly worded statement on Saturday, China's Defense Ministry suspended military exchanges with the United States and summoned the U.S. defense attache to lodge a "solemn protest" over the sale, the official Xinhua news agency reported.

"Considering the severe harm and odious effect of U.S. arms sales to Taiwan, the Chinese side has decided to suspend planned mutual military visits," Xinhua quoted the ministry as saying. The Foreign Ministry said China also would put sanctions on U.S. companies supplying the equipment.

It would have been interesting if the Obama administration had announced its arms sale in these terms:

"Considering the severe harm and odious effect of the advanced peristent threat, the American side has decided to sell the following arms to Taiwan."

It's time for the information security community to realize this problem is well outside our capability to really make a difference, without help from our governments.