Bugtraq mailing list archives
Re: Your Opinion
From: "Forrest J. Cavalier III" <mibsoft () mibsoftware com>
Date: Fri, 16 Mar 2007 15:56:23 -0400
Mark Litchfield wrote:
I have heard the comment "It's a huge conflict of interest" for one company to provide both an operating platform and a security platform" made by John Thompson (CEO Symantec) many times from many different people. See article below.http://www2.csoonline.com/blog_view.html?CID=32554In my personal opinion, regardless of the vendor, if they create an OS, why would it be a conflict of interest for them to want to protect their own OS from attack. One would assume that this is a responsible approach by the vendor, but one could also argue that their OS should be coded securely in the first place. If this were to happen then the need for the Symantec's, McAfee's of the world would some what diminsh.Anyway I am just curious as to what other people think.
From a technical standpoint, of course everyone at an OS vendor, even down to the janitors, wants their OS secure as possible. But the problem isn't the desire or the knowledge of the technology.Anytime Thompson, or any software publisher CEO uses a vague term like "security platform," you know they have a marketing hat on, and their comments are going to be largely devoid of supporting detail. That is not an indication these people are ignorant.
Second, I think at least part of what he left out is that developing, deploying, and maintaining software that performs malware identification and mitigation is a multi-faceted task. In fact, all software publishing is complicated. Success requires some marketing, a lot of research, some high-traffic and spiked distribution server access patterns, a clean parking lot, janitors, and did I mention some actual software development too?
So yes, there are lots of ways to get distracted. Budget politics, marketingchoices, shareholder dividends, talent shortage, growth, acquisitions (did someone say Veritas?), currency fluctuation.
Claiming "conflict of interest" is a diversion. The truth, I think, is thatcompetition keeps vendors honest, on their toes, and delivering increased value at decreased price. Symantec would improve if they faced more competition, and MicroSoft would improve if they faced more competition. It's how a free market works.
Current thread:
- RE: Your Opinion, (continued)
- RE: Your Opinion Mario Contestabile (Mar 16)
- Re: Your Opinion Crispin Cowan (Mar 16)
- Re: Your Opinion William A. Rowe, Jr. (Mar 16)
- RE: Your Opinion Scott Blake (Mar 16)
- Re: Your Opinion The Fungi (Mar 17)
- Re: Your Opinion Casper . Dik (Mar 17)
- RE: Your Opinion Jim Harrison (Mar 20)
- RE: Your Opinion Jim Harrison (Mar 17)
- RE: Your Opinion Alex Eckelberry (Mar 19)
- Re: Your Opinion Andrew Kramer (Mar 20)
- Re: Your Opinion Forrest J. Cavalier III (Mar 19)
- Re: Your Opinion Paul Stepowski (Mar 20)
- Re: Your Opinion Neil Dickey (Mar 16)
- Re: Your Opinion Jack Lloyd (Mar 20)
- RE: Your Opinion jay.tomas (Mar 20)
- RE: Your Opinion Jim Harrison (Mar 20)
- RE: Your Opinion Neale Green (Mar 21)