Who is liable for insecure systems?

A survey of security-related liability issues shows that as data crime increases and the costs of hacking and other malicious behavior soar, vendors must make their software more secure or suffer market and legal consequences. The notion of liability for insecure computer systems has shifted. We have seen both the enactment of legislation affecting liability and the appearance of actual liability cases in the courts. For many years, computing professionals have debated the topic of liability for insecure systems.