Re: Re: Exactly 500 word essay on "Why hacking iscool, so that Marcus changes his web site"

[Barrie Dempster <barrie () reboot-robot net>]

On Wed, 2005-09-21 at 21:15 +0200, Gadi Evron wrote:
> Barrie Dempster wrote:
> > On Wed, 2005-09-21 at 13:50 -0400, Paul Melson wrote:
> >
> > > So as network security becomes an integral part of IT practice (make
> > > no
> > > mistake, we're not an industry unto ourselves), will we or our peers
> > > be
> > > happy to see more regulation and more audit overhead because Immunity
> > > or
> > > Symantec or McAfee hired some hackers who weren't fully "retired" and
> > > they
> > > release the next big worm?
> >
> >
> > These things already affect us in other ways and it's only a matter of
> > time before they come into security more fully. Not that I like it -
> > this is fact as you say. However the point I was arguing against is that
> > security research is more bad than good, it isn't. The bad apples in any
> > area cause this sort of regulation - it isn't unique to security and
> > doesn't require a majority of bad apples, it just requires enough public
> > fear/awareness. We wouldn't expect financial consultants and researchers
> > to stop working because many of them have a bad rep, similarly we
> > shouldn't expect that from security consultants and researchers.
>
> This is becoming really annoying.
>
> Is studying biology bad? Is creating new medicine bad? The exact same 
> guys and equipment can be used to design viruses.
>
> Well, send the Bad Guys to prison, but don't claim that just because a 
> bird might poop on you letting it fly is bad.
>
> Main question is, is thee Good in security research? The answer is yes.
>
> Try criticizing the people who do not put these guys in jail rather than...
>
> This is moving from annoying to old.
>
>       Gadi.

You just agreed with me, so why get all heated up, I said 

"the point I was arguing against is that security research is more bad
than good, it isn't."

The double negative there made it sound a bit confusing. I think
security research does _more good_ than bad, did you just mis-read me or
was the rant directed at someone else ?

-- 
With Regards..
Barrie Dempster (zeedo) - Fortiter et Strenue

"He who hingeth aboot, geteth hee-haw" Victor - Still Game

blog:  http://reboot-robot.net
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