Cyber UL – Reloaded

So about nine years ago Tan at the L0pht first wrote about the creation of a Cyber Underwriters Laboratory. Like the real UL the Cyber UL would be tasked with independently testing and evaluating software, specifically security related software without the influence of vendors. At the time no one paid much attention and the idea went pretty much nowhere. Since then, in the wake of broke non-secure USB drives and people still using XOR encryption, such luminaries such as Bruce Schneier and even myself have commented that such an organization is sorely needed.
Well Tan has now responded to himself with a followup to his original paper. The new paper Cyber Underwriters Laboratories – Reloaded takes a look at the PCI compliance required by VISA as a possible starting ground or model for such an organization.
Lets hope that this time people realize that the importance of such software evaluations is critical not just to the future of online commerce but is critical to the future of simply being online.
 
UPDATE: 2015.07.02
After .mudge off handedly announced that he was going to stand up a CyberUL at the request of the White House the haters came out in full force. Tan has written a response to the recent criticisms of his CyberUL idea and posted it here.