Re: Cyber attacks "escalating" on irresponsible Tavis Ormandy disclosure

[Ansgar Wiechers <bugtraq () planetcobalt net>]

On 2010-07-06 fyne_ugo () yahoo com wrote:
> Vulnerabilities shouldn't be disclosed publicly. Its only hackers that
> would benefit from them.

That's just plain and utterly wrong. As John Morrison pointed out: once
a system administrator becomesaware of a vulnerability, he can take
steps to mitigate the vulnerability or its effects, even if  can't fix
it myself. As long as he doesn't know about a vulnerabilty, he's totally
in the dark, which is a lot less likely for The Bad Guys(tm).

> There should be bodies that will follow up and check them.

Who are these "bodies" supposed to be? Apparently not vendors, since
they'd rather threaten researchers than fix their own screw-ups:

<http://www.h-online.com/security/news/item/Security-expert-once-more-threatened-with-arrest-for-giving-talk-1034373.html>

Regards
Ansgar Wiechers
-- 
"All vulnerabilities deserve a public fear period prior to patches
becoming available."
--Jason Coombs on Bugtraq

------------------------------------------------------------------------
Securing Apache Web Server with thawte Digital Certificate
In this guide we examine the importance of Apache-SSL and who needs an SSL certificate.  We look at how SSL works, how 
it benefits your company and how your customers can tell if a site is secure. You will find out how to test, purchase, 
install and use a thawte Digital Certificate on your Apache web server. Throughout, best practices for set-up are 
highlighted to help you ensure efficient ongoing management of your encryption keys and digital certificates.

http://www.dinclinx.com/Redirect.aspx?36;4175;25;1371;0;5;946;e13b6be442f727d1
------------------------------------------------------------------------