Security through obscurity is rarely a good plan. If this is possible for the good guys to do, then its possible for the bad guys to do. Bear in mind that even with the information on how to make this virus human transmitable available, it is probably rather difficult without the appropriate facilties to reproduce, so that rules out random lunatics, and realistically its simply not sensible for anyone else to do so.
Bear in mind that even with the information on how to make this virus human transmitable available, it is probably rather difficult without the appropriate facilties to reproduce, so that rules out random lunatics, and realistically its simply not sensible for anyone else to do so.
I don’t find this terribly comforting, given that I don’t assume that everyone with an interest in biological warfare lacks the funding to create the appropriate facilities. What I do find comforting is the strong suspicion that neither the researchers nor the advisory board want to make “information on how to make this virus human transmitable” readily available.
I doubt that the intentions or security measures of the researchers are being given a fair shake when there’s such a Hollywood-esque story to be written.
Bear in mind that even with the information on how to make this virus human transmitable available, it is probably rather difficult without the appropriate facilties to reproduce, so that rules out random lunatics, and realistically its simply not sensible for anyone else to do so.
Bruce Edwards Ivins was an American microbiologist, vaccinologist, senior biodefense researcher at the United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases (...) and the key suspect in the 2001 anthrax attacks.
Mmm. Well I suppose you can never rule out a commited lunatic having access to the actual bacteria and choosing to spread it, although Ivins (assuming we accept he was the guilty party) deliberately targeted people- this illness wouldn’t do that, it would spread very quickly, killing a good proportion of them. i’m not saying that there aren’t people who might want to do that, but the intersection of people who want to do that and people with access to it is hopefully rather low- after all, the anthrax attack was an exception.
Security through obscurity is rarely a good plan. If this is possible for the good guys to do, then its possible for the bad guys to do. Bear in mind that even with the information on how to make this virus human transmitable available, it is probably rather difficult without the appropriate facilties to reproduce, so that rules out random lunatics, and realistically its simply not sensible for anyone else to do so.
I don’t find this terribly comforting, given that I don’t assume that everyone with an interest in biological warfare lacks the funding to create the appropriate facilities. What I do find comforting is the strong suspicion that neither the researchers nor the advisory board want to make “information on how to make this virus human transmitable” readily available.
I doubt that the intentions or security measures of the researchers are being given a fair shake when there’s such a Hollywood-esque story to be written.
What about this guy?
Mmm. Well I suppose you can never rule out a commited lunatic having access to the actual bacteria and choosing to spread it, although Ivins (assuming we accept he was the guilty party) deliberately targeted people- this illness wouldn’t do that, it would spread very quickly, killing a good proportion of them. i’m not saying that there aren’t people who might want to do that, but the intersection of people who want to do that and people with access to it is hopefully rather low- after all, the anthrax attack was an exception.