funsec mailing list archives
Re: Math not Ironport's top suite?
From: "David Harley" <david.a.harley () gmail com>
Date: Mon, 4 Feb 2008 10:27:36 -0000
It's about breaching the human interface. If people understand something and literalists insist on correcting them, it doesn't serve the purpose of advancing any goal - it only expands the rift.
Oh dear, we're going to get serious. ;-) I do think a leaning towards pedantry is often part of the security geek mindset. Not only do we tend to have a scientific background where a certain amount of intellectual rigour is expected, if not always found, but we also operate in an area where we're perpetually hampered by myth and misinformation. I don't think pedantry is necessarily counter-productive. What people understand is not always what they get, as Valdis pointed out. I don't suppose anyone at Virginia Tech minds the NOC taking time out once a year for mince pies and a glass or three of sherry, but if your understanding is that you're protected by a service that never sleeps, when what it actually means is "24/7 except for public holidays and nobody answers the phone between 22:00 and 06:00", that isn't trivial. As far as Ironport is concerned, I guess we -can- assume that what they mean -is- all day, every day, all year round, but the fact that they use a terminologically incorrect expression (however commonly used) to convey that message does tell you something not altogether comforting about their operation. I don't say that even I would decline to use a company's services because their marketing is badly worded, but you don't necessarily want to bet your anti-malware budget on the basis of marketing material that was probably not finally vetted by anyone remotely technical. (That assertion doesn't only derive from 24/7/365, but from the fact that the malware that currently constitutes a "virus outbreak" according to Ironport isn't actually viral...) I rather like "all day, every day, all year round". It may not be fine English, but it gets round -all- the numeric objections. :)
There is no difference whatsoever between engineering technology and sociology. One is just much simpler while the other requires a deeper understanding of the inter-relation of the components and systems. I leave it to the reader to decide which one is which...
Speaking as someone with a background in social sciences -and- computer science, I know where I feel most comfortable. :-/ -- David Harley _______________________________________________ Fun and Misc security discussion for OT posts. https://linuxbox.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/funsec Note: funsec is a public and open mailing list.
Current thread:
- Re: Math not Ironport's top suite?, (continued)
- Re: Math not Ironport's top suite? Rob, grandpa of Ryan, Trevor, Devon & Hannah (Feb 03)
- Re: Math not Ironport's top suite? silky (Feb 03)
- Re: Math not Ironport's top suite? Chris Blask (Feb 04)
- Re: Math not Ironport's top suite? Rob Thompson (Feb 04)
- Re: Math not Ironport's top suite? Chris Blask (Feb 04)
- Re: Math not Ironport's top suite? David Harley (Feb 05)
- Re: Math not Ironport's top suite? Rob, grandpa of Ryan, Trevor, Devon & Hannah (Feb 05)
- Re: Math not Ironport's top suite? Hubbard, Dan (Feb 05)
- Re: Math not Ironport's top suite? Valdis . Kletnieks (Feb 05)
- Re: Math not Ironport's top suite? Gadi Evron (Feb 05)
- Re: Math not Ironport's top suite? David Harley (Feb 04)
- Re: Math not Ironport's top suite? Chris Blask (Feb 04)
- Re: Math not Ironport's top suite? David Harley (Feb 04)
- Re: Math not Ironport's top suite? Larry Seltzer (Feb 03)
- Re: Math not Ironport's top suite? silky (Feb 03)
- Re: Math not Ironport's top suite? William Lefkovics (Feb 03)
- Re: Math not Ironport's top suite? Gadi Evron (Feb 04)
- Re: Math not Ironport's top suite? Larry Seltzer (Feb 04)
- Re: Math not Ironport's top suite? David Harley (Feb 04)
- Re: Math not Ironport's top suite? Drsolly (Feb 04)
- Re: Math not Ironport's top suite? David Harley (Feb 04)