Topical ethics link

["Paul D. Robertson" <paul () compuwar net>]

http://www.heise.de/english/newsticker/news/52731

Key excerpts:

We are skeptical about giving this person a job. On the one hand, it is a
laudable attempt to give the alleged author of viruses a second chance; on
the other, there is the priority of the security interests of our
customers.

also:

"It calls into question the very integrity of the whole IT security
industry, whose only raison d'etre is to uncompromisingly reduce security
risks.

The AV industry has had to fight the notion that they feed their own
industry for decades, and so their "standards" for employment have grown
up around the idea that they don't hire virus authors ever.

Virus authors indeed feed the multi-billion dollar AV industry-- that
makes it MORE important, not LESS important that they don't feed the hand
that bites their customers.  The idea that bad folks are good for this
industry is naiieve and short sighted.

Society is becoming less tolerant in other areas, I have yet to see
anyone suggest that a convicted child molester be allowed to open a
daycare facility after completing their sentence.  Surely they should be
allowed to use their skills of working with children, lest they molest
again! /sarcasm

Anyway, I'm not saying that my morality is better than anyone else's
morality, I just think it's healthy that we- as security professionals-
think about and discuss these issues.

Paul
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Paul D. Robertson      "My statements in this message are personal opinions
paul () compuwar net       which may have no basis whatsoever in fact."
probertson () trusecure com Director of Risk Assessment TruSecure Corporation
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